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Walk through the mall, open a magazine, see a TV ad for make up and the first thing that's noticed is how bright and clean the image is with large catch lights and glowing skin. While a some of this has to do with styling the shoot, a lot of it comes from how the image is illuminated. Some photographers would assume that it requires a pricey studio, it's actually quite easy to recreate this look with just speedlights!  

Creating a high fashion portrait doesn't always have to involve a massive budget and an army of assistants carting in equipment. Sometimes creating a portrait is about getting back to the basics; with one light there's so many options to choose from.

Old Hollywood produced a type of lighting that is still popular today. This film noir, high contrast looks was originally created with hot lights, barn doors, and fresnel lenses. Today, however, we can recreate this look without breaking out large lights and heavy modifiers.  

While many photographers opt for the soft-light look, it's easy to get in a situation where every shoot a larger modifier is brought out to create beautiful flowing soft light. However, it's important to remember there are other tools in our bag. When the job requires a bolt rather than a nail, it's wise to bring a wrench rather than a hammer. Much like actual tools, photographic tools also serve different purposes. This particular job required drama, and where's there's drama there is hard light and shadow.