2 Light Setup - LED Panel Top Light

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This isn’t your typical two-light ‘beauty’ setup, but it explores a different way of lighting to not only give you a different look, but it also utilises the unique properties of modern LEDs to allow you to achieve this look anywhere, even in low-ceiling home studios.

For those of you who’ve been shooting for a while, one of the biggest challenges you've likely faced is space. I assure you that you're not alone in this, but I’ll also add that there’s seemingly never enough space to shoot everything you want, so it’s better to just come to terms with that now and learn a few tricks to help you work within the limitations you have.

One of the biggest pain points with space is often a low ceiling. This is more of an issue in certain countries than others, but whether you encounter a low ceiling every day or just once in a while, there’s sadly no working around it, and a low ceiling can dramatically change the way you approach a shoot.

In the past, low ceilings were a death knell for top lights, AKA lights that are suspended above the model. The reason for this is that we were using strobes, and although strobes aren't huge on their own, it’s the addition of a lighting modifier on that strobe that severely limits the space above a model. Plus, that strobe and modifier combo needed to be high enough to be out of shot as well.

In the example shots above, you can clearly see what I mean. It’s not just the strobe that makes these top lights so difficult to use in smaller spaces, but the addition of a modifier that really makes it almost impossible in traditional home-studios.

So why not use a smaller modifier?

I’m sure the immediate response to this modifier size problem is to use a smaller modifier. Problem solved. In theory, yes, but strobes work by emitting a lot of light from a single, centralised point. That big flash of light has to be given time to spread so it can cover a larger area first, which is why those big umbrellas and softboxes are as deep as they are; it's not a stylistic choice. The modifier needs to be that deep to actually work and ultimately produce that soft, even spread of light.

A new way to spread the light

As I’m sure many of you are aware by now, LED lighitng is starting to dominate photography for a number of reasons, but these new lights are not simply a like-for-like replacement to strobes. For one, strobes can produce far brighter light than most LEDs, so to compensate for this lack of power, LEDs spread many small, low-powered LEDs across a wider area, which is the LED panel many of you are likely very familiar with.

There are pros and cons to this lighting design, for one, LED panels can’t be modified like regualr strobes can. You can’t attach a spotlight or beauty dish to a panel. But the panels do have one very important advantage: how they spread their light. As I mentioned above, they generate power in numbers; they have hundreds of smaller bulbs spread across their surface, which means the light is already spread out and very, very soft as soon as it leaves the actual light. Panels don't need any lighting modifiers to produce soft light, and this unique feature makes LED panels so incredible for top lights in small spaces.

In many European homes, the ceiling height is around 2.4m, leaving very little room for a top light and modifier with a regular strobe. In fact, in the example above, I used the smallest soft box I could find, as anything larger would have hit the model. Alternatively, as you can see here, the LED panel is far thinner and far easier to use in small spaces like this.

The Setup

Now that I’ve spoken about just one of the benefits of LED panels like this in smaller spaces, let’s show you a quick example setup of how you could use a panel like this as a top light for a portrait.

As you can see from the BTS above, even with a low ceiling inside a standard room, the Nanlite Pavoslim LED panel I have here is so slim that I still have plenty of room above the model.

Camera Settings

Camera - Fujifilm GFX 50SII
Lens - Pentax 6x7 Takumar 105mm
Shutter Speed - 1/125th
Aperture - f2.4
ISO - 200
Kelvin - 4500K
Focal Length - 105mm (~92mm 35mm equivalent)

TL;DR/ADHD/Artist Setup Explanation

Set up backdrop behind model
Place LED panel above models and just high enough to be out of shot
Place large umbrella behind you and attach blue gel

Kit Used

Nanlite PavoSlim 120C
Nanlite FC-500C
Large Umbrealla
Cheap Window Blind

The Final Shots

Model: Alexandrashnx

Final Points to Remember

Pavo-VERY-Slim

I mentioned at the top that LED panels in general are far slimmer than a standard strobe and softbox combo, but most panels are still thicker than 10cm in my experience, which, although slim, is still pretty chunky when compared to the wafer-thin Nanlite Pavoslim 120C I’m using here.

In fact, the Pavoslim has three thicknesses: the fully extended softbox version, and it can also compress the softbox to the face of the panel, which, although still a super-soft light, doesn't quite offer as much light control as the extended version. Plus, if you absolutely need every mm of space you can get, the Pavoslim can go as thin as 18.6mm with the softbox removed!

In the example shots above, you can see the three thicknesses of the Nanlite Pavoslim 120C. With the soft box attached and fully extended, it’s around 15cm deep. With the soft box attached and compressed (this is done via velcro straps on either end), it’s around 6cm thick, and lastly, with no soft box attached, the bare panel is less than 2cm thick.

Of course, you need to include the attachment point for the panel if hanging from above, but even then, it can be laid flat (you can see it lying flat in the background of the far right image above), and even with that in place, the whole light is extremely low profile indeed.

Cheapest Backdrops for Tight Spaces

I’ve been using window blinds as backdrops for over 20 years, so many of you will have already heard me preach about how good they are for the price. Again, for this shoot, I dug out my deep-red window blind and used it. These roller blinds can be as cheap as £20 - £40, they roll up small, hang straight, are thick enough to block the light from behind, aren’t shiny so won’t give you ugly reflections, aren’t made of paper so can be spot cleaned if needed, and they aren’t even heavy and are easy to transport. Plus, they come in tons of colours! If you need a bunch of variety for headshot backgrounds, the roller blinds are a surprisingly good choice.

Products Used

Note: These are not affiliate links; I do not earn anything from you using these links, they are purely there for your convenience. These links take you directly to Nanlite’s website for further info.

Nanlite PavoSlim 120C

Website Link

Nanlite FC-500C

Website Link

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

JHP Livestreams…

I livestream every other Tuesday night via YouTube and there I answer your questions, critique your shots, take community images into Photoshop to work on them and discuss all manner of lighting tips and techniques. I look forward to seeing you and your work there real soon. Jake Hicks Photography - YouTube

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online!

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All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online! ||

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Free Lightroom Preset Pack | Christmas 2025

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

If you found your way here from the Livestream, thanks so much for hanging out and please find your 2025 Christmas gift from me in the form of my free Lightroom Preset pack via the link below. Here’s to us all having a very creative 2026!

Christmas 2025 Lightroom Preset Pack

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Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

JHP Livestreams…

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online!

||

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online! ||

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY ONLINE WORKSHOPS

DIY Textured Painted Backdrop

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I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

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I’m sure we’ve all used the white background of a studio before. Who hasn't? But there are times when we want a white background, but we don’t necessarily want it to look like a studio. Here I show you how I quickly (ish) and cheaply made a white, textured backdrop.

I’ll jump straight into this one as there’s nothing technical to cover before we start.

I was recently asked to do a shoot for a hair salon. They have shown me example ideas on a moodboard with a white background, but many of the examples were not shot in a photo studio. Turned out they preferred a more organic, textured backdrop over a stark, e-commerce-looking shot.

Pretty standard so far, and I’m starting to see a lot more of these requests crop up as people are being put off by the somewhat stark, clinical and often overly commercial-looking shots we can see online.

Ideally, we’d find a cool location that had a more rustic and organic backdrop, but as with many hair campaigns, you often have to shoot in the salon as the hairstylists need all their tools on hand to prep the hair.

So, with a location shoot off the table, the next best thing is to bring a textured background to the salon. This is where I set out to look at some alternatives.

Although I’m sure many of you are immediately thinking of a multitude of ways to add texture to a background, I did have one major issue to contend with: I had to bring the backdrop to the salon. So yes, although elements like polyfiller, plaster, joint compound, or any other soft putty-like substance that dries rock hard sound perfect… I can’t roll that up and through it in the back of the car.

The Textured Backdrop - Rollable Edition

So yes, sadly, as much as I wanted to throw putty at a wall and paint it white, I needed to find a far milder alternative that I knew I could actually roll up and move. Of course, the most obvious solution was paint, but even then, I was wary of thick paint cracking and falling apart when dry and rolled up.

That said, I thought I should be okay with thick masonry paint at least, so I opted for this one.

‘Textured Masonry Paint’ I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of this, but be sure to get the ‘brilliant white’ version. Be wary of getting any off-white paint for this, as the odd cream colour under harsh light will play havoc with any white balance you try to do.

My thinking was that the paint would be thick (it even had’ textured’ in the name - more on that later), thick enough to have some shape to it when painted and not just lie completely flat and clean.

*If you’re going to be using paint on the backdrop, make sure it’s actually pure white paint and not eggshell, dove, magnolia, cloud etc etc!!*

The Backdrop - Rollable Edition

Many long-time readers will know that I love to use window blinds as backgrounds, and I’ve done so for over 20 years. I’ve now assembled quite a collection of window blinds here at the home-studio! The reason I use window blinds is due to how easy they are to transport to a shoot if needed. Plus, they lie flat, hand flat, are durable to the point they can be cleaned, they don't bend or fold, and most kinks can be removed simply by hanging it up. Plus, the blackout blinds are actually pretty thick and are ideal for shining light on them as they aren't shiny like other backdrops can be.

So again, for this project, I picked up yet another window blind. I’ve bought so many now, Amazon must think I live in a greenhouse! I always try to get a ‘blackout blind’ and I try to get the ones with the most ‘drop’ as they call it. This just means the length of the blind when hung up.

The one I got here is 180cm wide with a 160cm drop. This is pretty much the bare minimum size you can make work for a studio portrait, and ideally, I’d like a 2-metre wide one with at least 2+ metres drop.

*I’ve been using window blinds as photography backdrops for over 20 years! They’re perfect backdrops that can be easily rolled up and transported.*

*Don’t bother with these textured rollers - It doesn’t look good!*

Creating the Texture Backdrop

This part isn’t rocket science, but I did discover a couple of elements along the way. Originally, I’d actually purchased a bunch of big paintbrushes and even very textured rollers to see what would give the best result. As it turned out, the roller, in conjunction with this thick texture paint, worked too well, and the resulting bubbled and pitted texture was actually too dramatic and even for the more randomised effect I was after.

Even the big paint brushes I had gotten didn't work for what I was after, as their bristles were still too fine and didn't leave any texture in the paint. So the roller was too much, and the paintbrushes weren't enough. Ironically, what did end working well was an old plastic broom I had lying around in the garage.

The plastic broom had very large, plastic and very separated bristles. This is what ultimately gave me the deep and textured look of sweeps of paint I was after.

*Using a street-sweeping broom to paint the backdrop actually gave it the deep brushstroke texture I was after.*

The Finished Textured Look

Like I mentioned, I used a big street-sweeping brush to get the final look I was after. The larger, thicker and more seared bristles on the broom allowed me to get very visible brushstrokes in the paint.

From here, it was just a matter of building up the paint and being very generous with it when I applied the coats. I wasn't too precious with how I applied it either and kept the brush moving in multiple directions to ensure as much visual texture on the surface as possible.

Ultimately, I only applied two coats of thick paint. I wanted to do more, but even at two coats, I was very wary of the paint becoming too thick and then cracking when I wanted to roll it up. In the end, I think I could have gotten away with at least one more coat, but the two I had got the job done.

*I applied a couple of coats and kept the paint thick on both along with varying brushstrokes in the paint to keep the texture apparent.*

A Quick Test

Before I rocked up on the day with the DIY background, I wanted to give it a quick test to see how it would look and how it would hold up under lighting. As always, you learn something new every time you pick up the camera, and one thing that stood out to me when shooting these tests was how important the aperture would be.

***Click to enlarge*** *- In the full screen version, you should be able to see the texture more clearly, but in some of these shots, the texture is far less pronounced.*

I think many of us portrait shooters are guilty of going out and buying a beautiful f1.2 prime lens… and then never ever taking it off f1.2. It cost you a small fortune, why would you? But for hair campaigns, crisp eyes and hair totally out of focus are rarely a good look. The same thing was happening here in these tests. If the aperture was too shallow, the background texture was completely lost, especially when getting close for a headshot. But when shooting further back and opening up the aperture to f4 or f5.6, the background texture really started to pop.

Test Shots on the Day

In the end, I was extremely happy with the final shots and how the background looked in them. The texture was just enough to take away the clean and clinical look a simple white background might offer, but not so much texture as to be distracting.

Final Images

Click on any of the images below to fit them to your screen.

Complete Hair Shoot Breakdown

If you were curious about how this whole process and shoot was captured, including everything from moodboards to behind-the-scenes on the day, take a look at my complete photoshoot breakdown video on YouTube below.

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

JHP Livestreams…

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online!

||

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online! ||

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY ONLINE WORKSHOPS

Lighting Setup: Joined-Up Lighting

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

Using coloured light can be tricky, and although it can be frustrating at times, the extra effort does offer up more than a few unique benefits when it comes to creative lighting. And one of those benefits is the ability to create basic optical illusions, such as ‘joined-up lighting’.

One aspect of white-light studio photography that makes it so comparatively easy when compared to coloured lighting is the ease with which we can add multiple lights to a scene and get away with not ruining the shot.

What I mean by this is that when the key-light, the fill-light, and edge-lights are all white-light, we can be very sloppy with their placement and still get a half-decent image. The reason for this is that all the lights are the same colour, so that when those lights overlap, we barely notice it. So, although we can be lax with our light placements for white light, we will be penalised if we do the same with coloured light. The reason for this is that multiple colours wash each other out. To avoid this, we need to keep our coloured lights separate.

For example, I like to break my subject’s headshots down into zones of light. The keylight would illuminate the face, the fill-light would illuminate the bottom, and the edge lights would, of course, light the edges of the face. This sounds super-simple and some would say fairly obvious, yet many still overlook it.

If we light our subjects’ portraits in this way, our lighting becomes far easier to control, and thus it’s far easier for us to keep those lights separated, and of course, this ultimately leads to stronger, richer colours.

Edit - I’m writing this out now and realising that the zonal lighting system I use would benefit from its own article. I’ll certainly try to make that happen soon, but for now, I hope this makes sense.

The Trick?

How can we utilise the zonal system to create the optical illusion I mentioned? Essentially, all I'm referring to is combining certain zones by making them the same colour. For example, in this setup, I use a red light on the top light as well as an edge light. By doing this, it tricks the viewer’s eye into thinking that it’s actually the same light and keeps the image looking clean and easy to digest.

Without Joined Up Lighting

Let’s first look at what the image looks like without the joined-up lighitng. In the two example images below, I’m only using 2 lights. One blue fill light and, of course, one red top light.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this lighting of course and I’ll often just have a single, strong top-light like this. But if we want to give ourselves a few options in terms of posing i.e. not looking straight up in every single shot! Then another well placed light can give us some variation.

Adding Another Light

Now, let’s bring in another light and place it in such a way that it gives us some more scope for posing.

As we can see in the image above, I’ve now added a third light, and this is the same red colour as the top light. This additional light is positioned as an edge light, but if we get the model to look to the side, it does a great job of acting as our key-light.

Joining Up Those Lights

In the image below, you’ll see that this image its actually only a slight variation of the one I previously showed. The lights are actually all still in the same place, the model is still facing the same way i.e. off to the side, and the only thing that’s changed, is her looking up slightly.

Can you now see how these two very bold and colourful red lights trick you into thinking it’s only one, single light? The top-light is arguably doing most of the heavy lifting here, as it’s lighting most of the model's face and chest, but the edge light from behind is doing more than you think, too.

I’ve included it in the diagram above, but I’ll enlarge it here too. Can you see what each of the two red lights are covering? This is the basic premise for joined-up lighting and it has a lot of scope for adaptability to numerous setups once you get your head around the idea of separation lights by colour and not just luminance.

Camera Settings

Camera - Nikon D850
Lens - 85mm 1.4
Shutter Speed - 1/125th
Aperture - f1.4
ISO - 25
Kelvin - 5500K
Focal Length - 85mm

TL;DR/ADHD/Artist Setup Explanation

Set up a panel light above for an even spread of light
Position a large softbox behind you to illuminate the entire scene
Direct a hard light from behind the model and onto the side - ensure it’s the same colour as the top-light

Kit Used

Nanlite PavoSlim 120C
Nanlite FC-500C
Nanlite FC-120C
Nanlite FM-Mount Projection Unit
Large Softbox

Breaking the Rules

Of course, what I showed above is typically how you’d light and pose this setup. Have someone face towards that edge-light. But the visual trick of joined-up lighting is so strong that you can even break the rules with lighting a little, and it still works.

In this image, I have the model facing away from the edge-light. That light is positioned to the camera-right, yet she’s looking to camera-left. Now, that edge-light is no longer lighting her face, but instead it’s almost entirely lighting her hair from behind, and it looks awesome. If you look closely, you can also see on her jawline and neck, where that red edge-light ends and the top-light begins. See the shadow cast on her neck from the collar? Plus, see how her ear is lit, even though it’s underneath her hair? It’s these elements that can make joined-up lighting so strong.

Adding Luminance Variance

Nerd-Alert! I’m about to get into the weeds of exposure variance below. You certainly don’t need to know this to take cool shots with joined-up lighting, but it will explain another layer of creative control if you’re curious about it. You have been warned.

Up until now, I’ve spoken in terms of the joined-up lighting being a visual illusion to make 2 lights appear as 1. The illusion works as the lights are the same colour and typically the same exposure. But we can push that illusion a little before it breaks.

There’s actually a fair amount going on technically in the above image. Yes, I’m using joined-up lighitng to keep the shot looking clean and simple by making 2 lights look like 1 light. But, if manipulated correctly, you can push the exposure values of one of those lights to create even more depth, but without making it look like a separate light.

I’d like you to take a moment and visualise what each of those 2 lights is actually lighitng in the shot. Now try imagining what the shot would look like with only one of those lights on, and do that for both of them. With what you’ve learned so far, especially given that you know exactly where those lights are placed, you should be able to recreate a pretty clear picture of what each light is illuminating.

*Glanced light will typically create specular highlights on the right surface*

I now want you to look again at the luminance values in the above image and see how that affects the final shot. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but the model's skin has those beautifully clean highlights running down her face on the right-hand side of the shot. What’s important to note here is that both lights are the same brightness, which is typically what you need to create the joined-up lighting effect. The eye won't be fooled into believing it's a single light if one of those two lights is far brighter than the other one.

But here we have another layer to consider. Specular highlights.

If you’re not familiar with specular highlights, then it's simply a brighter area of the shot that is a direct reflection of the light source itself. Most people know these as cathclights in the eyes, but you can create specular highlights with almost anything, given the right placement. This is a truly powerful tool that so many photographers underutilise, but if used correctly, you can leverage varying exposures on the same surface, purely by adjusting the angle at which the light strikes that surface.

In this instance, the light behind the model is pushed so far back that when she turns in a certain way, that light from behind will glance off the skin and create specular highlights. It’s these beautiful highlights you see here on the forehead and nose that add so much depth to the shot, which is especially useful in an image that is so dominated by colour.

Ironically, it's this technique that I use in nearly all of my gelled lighting shots and have done so for close to a decade. Simply exposing the skin only gets you so far; it’s the use of the right modifier and angle that does most of the heavy lifting in gelled lighting, which is why you see so many flat gelled lighting shots out there.

Closing Comments

The example I’m showing you here is, of course, a very simple one, and the results are very easy and clear to see. But this same lighting principle can be applied to many situations, and even to more basic ‘white-light’ shots that utilise various Kelvin tones in a single shot, for example.

Joined-up lighting is a seemingly simple principle to understand, but a little trickier to actually pull off. Remember, this isn't just simply adding an edge-light to your key-light and calling that joined-up lighting. It’s clear to everyone that the image was taken with 2 very distinct lights. The trick is making 2 lights look like 1 light to create very clean, instantly digestible imagery and of course, this is an exceptionally useful tool to know when working with very bold colours like you’ve seen me do here.

Good luck if you try this one out, and if you think you're up for the challenge, see if you can shoot an image with joined-up lighting and then see if I’ll notice it’s 2 lights and not 1. Be sure to submit your results to the weekly -Share-a-Shoot- and I’ll gladly take a look.

Featured Model/Actress: Annav_roberts

Products Used

Note: These are not affiliate links; I do not earn anything from you using these links. These links take you directly to Nanlite’s website for further info.

Nanlite PavoSlim 120C

Website Link

Nanlite FC-500C

Website Link

Nanlite FC-120C

Website Link

FM-Mount Projection Attachment

Website Link

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

JHP Livestreams…

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online!

||

All of my more advanced lighting classes are now available online! ||

LEARN MORE ABOUT MY ONLINE WORKSHOPS

Metal Grid Lens Diffusion Filter

Donate & Support

I've always wanted my photography education on here to be free, so although there is no paywall to any of my -Technique Tuesdays-, any and all support is greatly appreciated. ❤️

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book.

||

PLUS: Donate any amount and I’ll send you a link to the hi-res print version of my studio lighting book. ||

This is certainly one of my more abstract techniques, but if you’re someone who isn’t afraid to play with new ideas and enjoys the process of actually creating some cool effects in-camera, this one should be a bit of fun. Plus, the shots look pretty cool too!

Thankfully, contrary to many of my other techniques, this one is super-simple.

Step 1: Buy yourself a small metal grid sheet
Step 2: Hold the metal grid in front of your camera
Step 3: Press the button

Now that everyone young enough to own a TikTok account has gotten bored and wandered off, let me go over a couple more details.

*Adding flares and diffusions to your shots is a lot more fun when you actually do it in-camera!*

The Metal Grid

A while ago, I noticed sunlight casting lines across a chain-link fence when I squinted my eyes. It sparked an idea that the same light-play may also happen if I scaled it down. And I mean, all the way down to an A4 sheet of metal mesh.

The images I’m sharing here are the results of my very first play and test of this metal grid diffusion filter idea. I pretty much just bought the first sheet of metal mesh I came across and have only tested that one out so far. But after seeing the results, I think I’ll pick up some other variations and give those a try too, as I can certainly see the bones of an interesting concept, and I’d encourage you to play with some variations of this too. Below is what I did and what I learned from that initial test.

The Setup

The core of this setup is obviously the metal grid, but for some ideas on how to get the best results, I simply recommend shining a hard light straight into it from behind the subject.

As you can see in the setup example above, placing a hard light behind the model and shining it back at you and the grid will give the best results. It’s also worth noting that the hard light behind doubles up as a hair light on the model, while also creating the flare and diffusion across the metal grid.

Modifiers

By all means, try a variety of lighting modifiers on the light that will be hitting the grid, but I would recommend starting with a hard light. This provides a couple of benefits, but chief among them is light control. We don't want a ton of light spilling all over the room and washing out the shot.

If you need some tips on hard light modifiers, then think of any modifier that is small and tightly controls the light. For example, a snoot, grid/honeycomb, optical spot, spotlight and even barn doors will work.

The Metal Grid

I simply went to Amazon and pretty much bought the first wire mesh sheet I came across to test it out. These metal mesh sheets are often used in cooking or to place over vents and windows to keep bugs out, so they’re pretty easy to come across.

I got a couple of A4 sheets for less than a fiver, so certainly not expensive to pick up and play with.

Setting it up

As I mentioned, this is pretty easy to play with and you really only need one light behind the model, pointing back at you, ideally also hitting the back of the model too. The reason I say this as having a random coloured flare in the foreground of your shot can look cool, but the image may well benefit from that flare feeling like part of the image. The issue I often have with ‘faked’ flares in post is that they look so odd and out of place when that flare has no reference or bearing to the rest of the shot. If you can bed that flare into the image by having the same coloured flare as the colour striking the model, then you have a far better chance of the flare looking more realistic and organic in the shot.

See how the orange light creating the flare is also present on the models face? This is an easy way to bed your flares into the image and they will nearly always look better when a light that is illuminating the model is also creating the flares.

Holding/Attaching the Grid

For the most part, I was holding the grid in front of my camera with my hand. This got tiring real quick, as I had my ancient DSLR and 24-70 at one point in the other hand. One benefit to doing this, though, is that it’s super easy to adjust and manipulate the grid to get varying looks. But when I got tired of holding it, I simply affixed it to a stand via some crab-clamps.

What is the Grid Actually Doing?

As I’m sure many of you can envisage, the grid is letting a lot of the light through the gaps in the grid. Still, the grid is also catching some stray rays across its shiny metal surface, and our camera is seeing those rays as flares when rendered in extreme out of focus due to the grid being so close to the lens.

But what’s the difference? What does it look like when not using the grid?

I grabbed a couple of shots without the grid over the camera lens to show you what it’s actually doing.

Example 1

This image does have a grid in front of the lens…

Example 2

As you can see in the bottom images above, the grid is actually doing a fair amount. Firstly, you can see that the grid is causing an overall diffusion across the image. This soft, base coat of light appears to lift the black point overall, and the whole image appears far more light and airy as a result. Secondly, the grid is, of course, casting that flare across the middle of the shot, and that’s what is creating those atmospheric effects in-camera.

Types of Effects

I’m sure many of you have already picked up on the types of looks that are possible with this technique, but here are a couple that I came across and want to explore further.

All Diffsuion No Flare

In the image above, you may notice that there isn’t actually any dominating flare streaking across the shot. There is, however, a ton of diffusion, and it is very possible to angle the grid in such a way that it’s not catching any flare streaks across its surface, but will still provide you with the diffusion effect.

Bonus points to those of you who noticed the star-bursts! - Yes, due to the nature of the cross pattern associated with grids, many specular highlights did in fact have this cool star-burst flare at their bright point. This won't be to everyone’s taste, but I did think it looked kinda cool and certainly very nostalgic.

Micro-Managed Flare

The above shot is actually one of my favourites from the test, and it was achieved by only holding the grid over part of the lens. If you look closely, you’ll notice that the flare stops cutting across half of the face, and that’s due to me holding the grid to one side and not completely covering my lens. With you holding the grid in one hand, you have a surprising amount of control over how the flare and effect look, and you can even prevent the flare from covering up certain sections of the shot, just like I’m doing here.

Split Flares

Due to the grid being very malleable, you can, in fact, warp and bend the grid as you hold it in front of your lens. By doing this, you can create a ton more effects with the flare, from tightening it up to spreading it out and even splitting it into multiple rays; there’s a lot to test and play with. In the above image, I’ve bent the grid slightly in my hand so that the flare is now spread out into two or three rays of flare. I definitely recommend playing around with this to see what you can come up with.

Final Thoughts on Overall Style (definitely not a rant)

Long-time followers will know that I’m in the process of working through this arty-farty phase of almost degrading my images in a desperate attempt to add some soul back into them. In an era of clinically perfect sensors and lenses recording images that are now mostly retouched by AI algorithms, I’ve found myself going the other way. I shoot more film now than I ever have, and when I shoot digital, I’m always on the lookout for ways to add a little character or intrigue back into the frame.

Everything doesn’t need to be pin-sharp all the time, and it’s ok to make the viewer work a little to interpret your image. In an era where many strive to make imagery as digestible as possible, we often overlook the true goal of imagery: to make people think.

We know that attention spans have gone down significantly in recent years, and consequently, many try to create images that are instantly understood and interpreted. But I think the opposite is now more critical than ever.

It’s simply not enough to just show people your image; you should really invite them to engage with it. Get the viewer to look beyond the data as simply ‘content’ and encourage them to see a story, not just an image.

One way we can invite people to engage with our work is by giving their eyes something to enjoy and savour, not just consume. By adding elements like these visual artefacts in the form of diffusion and flares, our eyes are coaxed into wanting to know what’s beyond. We add these elements to draw people in. Just like how food for many is more than simple sustenance and fuel, it’s a ritual that we seek to enjoy. Modern imagery is becoming much like fast food, fuel for sure, but never memorable. Consider if your shots are simply fast food for your viewers’ eyeballs the next time you set up an image.

My Process For These Shots

My elitist rant out of the way, I’ll just outline the thought process for this series of images. I knew I wanted to add flare across the shots via the metal grid, but that might have looked very odd and very much out of place had I simply opted for a regular key and fill style portrait. If you just want to play with the technique and have fun with it, by all means get the lights out and simply start shooting, but for me, I wanted to bed the flare into a slightly more believable setup.

I decided to go with a more cinematic style setup and opted to integrate environments into my shots that would accommodate the flares a little more organically. As many of you know, I mostly shoot LED light now, and this does open up a few more options when it comes to that cinematic style, namely shutter speeds. With flash, regardless of your camera's shutter speed setting, the flash fires at around 1/4000th of a second, ensuring everything is sharp and crisp. By shooting LEDs, I can drop my shutter speed down dramatically and allow for a little movement to be present in the shot. Here are the settings I used for many of the shots I shared here.

Camera Settings

Camera - Nikon D850
Lens - 85mm 1.4
Shutter Speed - 1/15th
Aperture - f2
ISO - 25
Kelvin - 5600K
Focal Length - 85mm

If you’re interested in the specifics of this setup and how easy this is to set up in your own home (that’s right, this can be achieved in a space as small as your living room), then feel free to check out my Cinematic Studio Lighting Workshop

All of my workshops and lighting courses can be taken online via one-2-one video calls, so please feel free to reach out and learn more about what’s involved, as not only do I cover a ton of cool setups, but you’ll also get a 60+ page PDF of notes including all the lighting diagrams and notes.

Jake’s one-on-one courses are amazing! The course content was comprehensive and well-structured, covering everything from the basics to more advanced techniques.
What set this course apart was the superb teaching style of the instructor. Jake was incredibly passionate about photography and had a knack for breaking down complex concepts into easily understandable terms. His enthusiasm and deep knowledge of the subject made each lesson engaging and enjoyable.
The courses are a fantastic way to grow as a photographer and explore your creative potential. 10/10 highly recommend!
Olivia P. - B.C. Canada

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