We went on location for this family portrait photo-shoot, and arrived at the house about an hour early to get our lights set up. Once there, we decided to photograph the family on a couch in front of the main living room window. First, we set up the tripod and framed up the shot (figures 1 & 2).

Once we found a crop that we liked, we took a shot to examine the existing lighting conditions (figure 3).

As you can see from the result, there was a lot of contrast in this first result. The sky outside was fairly overexposed while the area around the couch was somewhat dark. We knew that this exposure issue would become even more pronounced once the family was sitting on the couch, as they would be rendered very dark compared to the outside elements.

In order to minimize the level of contrast, we decided to set up a Photoflex StarFlash 1000 Mercury 5' OctoDome Kit, which consists of a 1000 W/s StarFlash strobe unit, a 5-foot OctoDome, a soft box Connector, and a LiteStand.

Once the kit was set up, we positioned it to the right of the couch and used a wireless transmitter and receiver to sync up the StarFlash with the camera (figure 4).

To even out the interior light, we then decided to add a second light on the other side of the couch. We added an extra 300 W/s StarFlash strobe unit to another 5-foot OctoDome, a Connector and a LiteStand.

Here, we added that exact gear to the strobe and positioned it off to the left side of the couch. We then activated the slave sensor in this second StarFlash so that it would fire along with the first StarFlash (figures 5 & 6).

To learn more about how to set up your StarFlash, check out the following free lesson: Photoflex Starflash - Basic Startup

When both lights were powered up and synced with the camera, we set the power levels on each strobe to match each other, slowed the shutter speed in the camera down two stops to better expose for the scene outside and took another shot (figure 7).

Reviewing the result, we saw that the exposure level outdoors was good and that the lighting on the couch looked great. However, the only glaring issue was that both of the soft boxes were reflected in the window, which was very distracting.

When working with studio lighting, it is typically best to change only one element at the same time. Here, we decided to move one light at a time to see what the effects would be.

While our photographer looked through the viewfinder, our assistant moved the left-hand light further to the left of the couch (figure 8).

Once the light was repositioned, we took another shot. In this result, we saw that the left-hand reflection was gone and that the light on the couch still looked good (figure 9).

The next task, of course, was to eliminate the reflection caused by the right-hand light.

Next, our assistant moved the right-hand light back toward the wall and raised it up a few feet in order to prevent the reflection from appearing in the window (figure 10).

Once that light was repositioned, we took another shot. Now in the result, we saw that both reflections were gone and that the light looked good, both inside and out (figure 11).

We were now ready for the family to come in and have their portrait taken!

Before we started shooting with our lighting units synced, we decided to take a shot of the group with a compact digital camera with the built-in flash enabled for comparison purposes. As you'll soon see, comparison shots are often the best way to illustrate the differences in lighting set-ups.

Our photographer stepped out of the way, and our assistant took a quick snapshot of the group (figure 12).

As you can see, the result is unimpressive. The built-in flash is not powerful enough to adequately light the group, and what light it does provide is very unnatural-looking. The outdoor areas are overexposed and the inside areas are fairly underexposed.

Finally, we were ready for the real portrait shots. To put everyone at ease, the photographer came over to the group and did a magic trick for the little girls, which got them excited and made everyone laugh and feel more relaxed (figure 13).

He then walked back to the camera and took a series of shots. The one below ended up being one of their favorites (figure 14).

Now take a look at the two results below and think about which one you think your clients would rather have on their mantle...