ONE LIGHT CHALLENGE
One light, one subject, make it POP!
As a Photographer and content creator its easy to get caught up in the current trends but I’m so happy that I did when it came to the “1 Light Challenge”.
Basically the challenge is to shoot an object using just one light, in as many configurations as possible. Now I know what you’re thinking, “But Stephen, how did you light up the bottle like that with only one light in one direction?”
Ah you see, that is the fun of it. You may only use one light (I used my Godox AD200 Pro) but you can move that light around to get a different effect. So yes, it does mean taking a photo can take a lot longer than a multi light set-up, but it also pushes you to be very intentional with your lighting choices and what you want the viewers eye to be drawn to.
So if you want to try this challenge for yourself you’re going to need a tripod, a light, an object that won’t move, photo editing software (I use PhotoShop).
Set the camera up on a tripod with manual focus and get your product in shot, neither will be moving once this is done so make sure you’re really happy with how the composition looks.
After that you’re going to set up your first light. I did a side light a 45 degrees from the right side to get that nice glow around the bottle. After that you are going to move the light around the object, shooting from multiple different angles (and maybe tweaking your focus if needed) as you go.
Ultimately you’ll end up with loads of photos of the same object lit in different ways with one light that you bring into PhotoShop as layers. Then it’s a simple matter of masking out the layers and choosing how you’d like your bottle to look by brushing back in the bits you want.
My end product is a compilation of about 15 different shots, including a few of me behind the bottle with a lighter and aerosol spray (I do not recommend trying that part for yourself, it was stupid and nearly set my apartment on fire) to get that cool fire behind the bottle.
The point of the exercise is to have some fun and play around with light when you don’t have the ability to use your whole kit and it certainly delivered on that. The fire was a last minute addition and while my partner questioned the authenticity of a one light challenge by using an additional light source, I’m calling this one a win.
