The diagram on the facing page shows our most common lighting setup in the studio. The distance from the subject to the background is 10–12 feet and we shoot with long lenses (a 150mm on a Hasselblad H4d and a 70–200mm on a Canon Mark III.) We shoot RAW files in the camera room for optimum quality.
Light 1 is our key light. This is a 4×6-foot softbox from Larson with a Profoto light. The key light determines our exposure; we meter it and set the camera to that exposure. Normally this is f/11 at 1/60 second and 100 ISO. All the other lights are set 1½ to 2 stops weaker than the key light (f/5.6 to f/6.3). This is a jumping-off point; the lighting is then adjusted to taste.
We use two reflectors. Reflector 2 is our fill reflector, used to manage shadows. It is a Super Silver reflector from Larson. Number 3 is a Metallic Silver reflector, which is used to add a little highlight—we call it a kicker light—on the edge of the subject’s shadow side. Its use (or exclusion) is always based on the pose and the subject.
Light 4 is the background spot, a light with a 10-degree grid spot attached. This is used to help add a touch of light on the background, improving the sense of depth and drama.
Light 5 is a 4×6-foot Larson softbox. This used to control the light value across the background. Since our subjects are pulled far from the background, we need to illuminate it with its own light to get the tones we desire.
Finally, light 6 is a 14×48-inch strip softbox from Larson. This is our separator light, which serves as both a hair light and as a backlight to enhance the sense of depth in the image and separate the subjects from the background.