Photography

Portrait Lighting: Matching Color Temperatures on Location

[tps_header]When on location, I like to bring my subject away from the background to create a lot of depth. I look at where the subject lines up the best for good composition and then I check for color in the outfit to make sure that it’s in harmony with the scene. Next, I look at the lighting that’s available in the scene and decide how to use it to my advantage. 

At this location there are multiple chandeliers with tungsten bulbs so, in order to match the color temperature and balance with them, I’ll need lights that have tungsten bulbs—what we call hot lights. I’ve chosen to use the Westcott Spiderlite TD6 with six 150-watt bulbs in each and light modifiers attached. 

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Step One

schmelzer_portrait_temperature_1In the first image, the available light has nothing added. I exposed my Canon EOS 7D with 85mm f/1.2lens for the chandeliers and placed the subject into position. You can see that the background is kind
of dark.

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