The Bicycle Guide to Direction Quality of Light Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere

1. 1Reduce every lighting problem to two variables before touching gear: the direction of the light and its quality (hard or soft). Name both for the current scene. This holds for natural light, on-camera flash, off-camera flash, multiple flash, or video light.
2. 2Set quality first by source size. The larger the light source relative to the subject, the softer the light. Choose or modify the source accordingly: a gridded softbox gives soft light with a narrower, more directed spread, while an umbrella or large softbox throws a wider swath.
3. 3Position the source for direction. Use the soft-source and hard-source positioning rules, and decide between short lighting and broad lighting. Check the shadows on the face, not the gear.
4. 4Before adding a light, try fixing the problem with the subject. Match the pose to the lighting, move the subject to a better position, and choose the background to suit the light direction. The book treats pose and position as problem-solving tools equal to any flash.
5. 5Adjust gaze and head angle against the light you have. With top-heavy overhead light, raise the subject's gaze slightly until the shadows under the eyebrows disappear.
6. 6Meter the ambient exposure first, then add flash. Treat flash and ambient as two separate exposures. Use fill flash or exposure compensation (e.g., FEC –1EV) to keep the balance natural, and use a reflector where flash is unnecessary.
7. 7Add lights only to solve a specific problem that one light or a subject move could not. Start simply with one, then add a second (for example, a flash bounced into the room to control contrast, or backlight for separation).
8. 8Shoot RAW so large corrections to exposure, white balance, and contrast remain possible. JPEG does not allow them.

Rachel's bridal portrait (plate 2-3) shows the method with available light only. After scouting the hotel room, the photographer found bright wallpaper and chose it as a backdrop, keeping the background simple to minimize distractions. A fast f/2.8 70–200mm telephoto zoom compressed perspective and removed clutter (1/100 second, f/2.8, ISO 1600). The large fluorescent panels overhead were soft in quality, but the direction was top-heavy. So he did not add flash. He adjusted Rachel's gaze slightly upward until no shadows remained under her eyebrows, leaving clean, flattering light. The author draws the principle from this and an earlier example with a small, hard, incandescent overhead source: the sources differed (hard versus a flood of even overhead light), but the approach was the same. He directed the pose and gaze so the light fell from a flattering direction.

• If the light is soft but top-heavy, then change the subject's gaze or head angle until the shadows under the eyebrows disappear, before adding any light.
• If the available light is hard or unflattering, then first move the subject to better light or turn the pose to suit it; add flash only if that fails.
• If you need softer light, then use a larger source relative to the subject; if you need soft light that is more tightly directed, then use a gridded softbox rather than an umbrella or large softbox.
• If flash would overpower the scene, then meter the ambient exposure first and dial the flash down with FEC (e.g., –1EV), or use a reflector instead.
• If one light cannot solve the problem (contrast, separation), then add a second light with a clear job, such as a flash bounced into the room for contrast control or backlight for separation.

• Treating gear as the fix: buying cameras, lenses, or extra flashes while ignoring direction and quality. The tell: more lights in the setup but the same flat or harsh result.
• Using available light randomly: shooting the subject wherever they stand. The tell: shadows under the eyebrows or eyes, or a pose that fights the light.
• Adding multiple lights without a defined problem. The tell: you can't state what each light does, and the setup is complicated but not better.
• Ignoring the ambient exposure when adding flash. The tell: a subject that looks lit by flash against a mismatched background.
• Shooting JPEG in mixed or difficult light. The tell: you cannot recover large exposure, white balance, or contrast errors afterward.

• ▸Scene and light source: name the source (window, overhead fluorescent, hard sun, flash, video light).
• ▸Quality now: hard or soft, and the relative size of the source to the subject.
• ▸Direction now: where the light falls from, and what shadows it creates (eyebrows, eyes, nose, cheeks).
• ▸Problem statement: one sentence on what is wrong or too bland.
• ▸Pose/position fix tried: gaze, head angle, subject position, background choice, and the result.
• ▸Source modification: reflector, bounce, softbox, gridded softbox, or umbrella, and why.
• ▸Ambient exposure reading: the metered base exposure before any flash.
• ▸Flash/fill setting: type (TTL or manual), compensation (e.g., –1EV), and the resulting balance.
• ▸Added light and its job: what extra light you introduce, and the specific problem it solves.

1. 1Judge the light before you pose anyone. Ask the studio question: "Where do I want my light to come from? Where would I place my softbox if I were working in a studio?" Then find the spot where the available light already matches that answer.
2. 2Find overhead blockers first. An awning, doorway, or building canopy removes light from above, so the light is not top-heavy and arrives at an angle. This is the simplest way to get directional light without equipment.
3. 3Place the subject so the light enters from an angle. Light from an angle mimics a large softbox placed to the side. Point her shoulder and face toward the light.
4. 4Set the pattern with the head and chin. Have the subject lean to the side, lift her chin slightly, and turn her head toward the side where most of the light comes from. The light then crosses over her shoulder and illuminates the far side of her face. This is short lighting.
5. 5Check for unflattering overhead light before you shoot. In plate 2-1, overhead lighting is unflattering on Shawna's face in that pose. If the pose does not suit the light, change the pose or move the subject, not just the settings.
6. 6Choose your own camera position and background together with the light direction. Treat direction of light, background, subject position, and camera position as four controls that must intersect. Keep the background complementary or at least neutral, and avoid clutter.
7. 7When artificial light is the source (a video light), start by watching the nose shadow. Keep the shadow under the nose, and have the person holding the light follow the subject's movement. Treat this as a starting point, then look for other interesting placements that suit the pose.
8. 8Correct height and aim separately. The light must be at the right height, and its sweet spot must be aimed at the face or feathered upward so the light's edge catches the face, not the arms and chest.
9. 9Only after the four controls are exhausted, modify or augment the light, for example with a white reflector held by an assistant.

For the portrait of Anelisa (plate 2-9; 1/400 second, f/2, 100 ISO, 85mm f/1.8 lens), van Niekerk posed her under an awning. The awning left little light coming from above, so the available light fell on her from an angle. That mimicked a large softbox placed to the side. He then adjusted her position relative to the light. She leaned to the side, lifted her chin a little, and moved her head toward the side where most of the light came from. The light came in over her shoulder and illuminated the far side of her face, producing short lighting and what he calls an interesting and flattering lighting pattern. The Catherine portrait on the city street (plate 2-11; 1/160 second, f/2.8, 640 ISO, 70–200mm f/2.8 lens) used the same logic. The awning blocked top light, and he only had to point her shoulder and face toward the light. The way her head sat created the short lighting pattern. No flash was used in either image.

• If the light comes from overhead and looks unflattering on the face, then move the subject under a canopy, awning, or doorway so top light is blocked and the light arrives at an angle.
• If you want a flattering, studio-like look from available light, then position the subject so the light acts like a large softbox to the side, and turn the head so the far side of the face is lit (short lighting).
• If the pattern is wrong but the light is good, then change the pose first: lean, lift the chin, or turn the head toward the main light before touching any gear.
• If the four controls (light direction, background, subject position, camera position) still leave the portrait lacking, then modify or augment the light, starting with a reflector.
• If you use a video light, then start with the nose shadow falling directly under the nose, and adjust only when the pose offers a better angle.

• Just going along with the available light. The tell: the face is lit by whatever overhead light exists, as in plate 2-1, with unflattering shadows on the face.
• Light at too great an angle. The tell: the nose shadow falls across the cheek and a strange pattern appears beside the mouth (plate 1-14).
• Aiming the light too low. The tell: arms and chest are brighter than the face (plate 1-15).
• Holding the light too high. The tell: unflattering shadows under the eyebrows (plate 1-16).
• Ignoring the background while perfecting the light. The tell: a cluttered backdrop distracts from the subject, so you can fix it with a longer focal length and a defocused repetitive pattern, as with the shop-fronts behind Catherine.

• ▸Light source: name where the light comes from (window, open sky, awning edge, video light).
• ▸Overhead blockers: note what blocks light from above (awning, canopy, doorway) or whether overhead light is a problem.
• ▸Studio equivalent: say where you would place a softbox if this were a studio.
• ▸Subject position: record where the subject stands relative to the light and which way the shoulder and face point.
• ▸Head and chin: note the lean, chin lift, and head turn used to get short lighting.
• ▸Pattern check: confirm the nose shadow position and look for odd shadows at the mouth, under the eyebrows, and on the cheek.
• ▸Background: note whether it is complementary or neutral, and whether you need a longer focal length to defocus it.
• ▸Camera position: record where you stand relative to subject and light.
• ▸Next step if still lacking: choose a reflector or other modification only after the above are exhausted.

1. 1Choose the background first, then add the light. With off-camera flash you position the subject wherever the composition works and supply the light yourself. Available light ties the composition to wherever good light happens to fall.
2. 2Separate subject from background with light direction and exposure. Pose the subject toward the light, or turn them away and expose for the shaded side, letting the background blow out. The blown-out areas can act as rim light on the subject.
3. 3Build the lighting around a sensible angle. Place a softbox about 30 or 45 degrees to camera left or right and about 30 degrees above the subject's head. Make sure the cone of light covers the head and shoulders.
4. 4Match the flash to the existing light. When you combine flash with ambient light, place the flash so it strikes from an angle consistent with the ambient direction. Open the features in shade and put some light in the eyes without a heavy shadow under the brow.
5. 5Control the background's color and detail with depth of field and framing. Use a shallow depth of field, shoot tight from above, or shoot from a low viewpoint to exclude what you don't want in the frame.
6. 6Balance color temperature between sources. Incandescent video light usually matches existing tungsten-type light fairly well. Fluorescent ceiling lights register as a green cast on the background, so decide whether to include that cast in the frame or exclude it.
7. 7Light the background deliberately when you want separation. Put a second, less bright video light on the background, as in the Carly-Erin portrait, so subject and background are lit at different levels.
8. 8Verify on the back of the camera and with the histogram. Flash-unit distance displays run optimistic, so confirm the exposure on the camera and check for blown areas before you move on.

In the Carly-Erin video-light portrait, the photographer put one video light on the model and a second, less bright video light on the background. That gave a brightness difference between subject and surroundings, which separates the two. The room's fluorescent ceiling lights still registered and gave a green color cast to the background, so the color temperatures of the sources were not fully matched. Instead of fighting the cast, the photographer controlled what was in the frame. He used a shallow depth of field (f/2.8 at 1/100 second, ISO 1250, 70–200mm lens) and composed so that out-of-focus Christmas lights framed her. The blurred lights hold the background in a supporting role, and the video light's incandescent white balance keeps the subject's light close to the existing light. In the rest of the series he shot tight from above, so the sheets became a compositional element, or from a low viewpoint to eliminate what he didn't want. In each frame the subject is lit and focused, and the background is dimmer and soft.

• If the available light is good but the location is limited, then pose the subject into the light and accept the background; if the background matters more, then use off-camera flash and place the subject where the composition works.
• If you face harsh sun and want to avoid a face half in sun and half in shadow, then turn the subject toward the light, or turn them away and expose for the shade side so sunlit areas read as rim light.
• If an unwanted background element competes with the subject, then open the aperture for shallow depth of field, change the viewpoint (tight from above or low), or both, to keep it out of the frame.
• If fluorescent ceiling or room lights add a green cast, then decide whether to include or exclude the cast, and use a light closer to the existing light's temperature (such as incandescent video light) so the sources blend.
• If you want the subject to stand out from the setting, then light the background less brightly than the subject, as with a second, dimmer video light.

• Letting available light dictate the composition: you accept a weak background because that's where the light is. The tell is a well-lit subject against a distracting or arbitrary setting.
• Lighting that conflicts with the ambient direction: flash comes from a different angle than the existing light and looks added on. The tell is shadows or highlights that don't agree with each other.
• Splitting the face between harsh sun and shadow: the subject is only partly lit. The tell is a face with hard sun on one part and deep shadow on another.
• Ignoring mixed color temperatures: fluorescent room lights are left to tint the background without a decision. The tell is an unplanned green cast against a subject lit with a different source.
• Trusting the flash display instead of the result: manufacturers' distance and exposure displays are slightly optimistic. The tell is an exposure that looks wrong on the back of the camera or on the histogram.

• ▸Location and background: note what the frame includes and what you want to exclude.
• ▸Light source(s): list each source (available, off-camera flash, bounce flash, video light) with its color character (e.g., incandescent, fluorescent).
• ▸Subject separation plan: state how the subject will stand apart from the background (turned toward or away from light, dimmer background light, shallow depth of field).
• ▸Light position: record angle (e.g., 30 or 45 degrees) and height (e.g., about 30 degrees above the head) relative to the subject.
• ▸Ambient match: note whether the flash angle agrees with the existing light direction.
• ▸Color cast check: record any cast from ceiling or other lights and whether you will include or exclude it.
• ▸Framing choice: viewpoint (tight, from above, low) and aperture used to control what appears.
• ▸Exposure verification: note the camera back and histogram result, and any blown areas and whether they act as rim light.
• ▸Adjustment: one change to make for the next frame.

1. 1Judge light before gear. Treat direction and quality of light as the main driver of portrait quality, ahead of camera body, ISO or aperture. Newer gear does not fix bad light, and the author notes that high-ISO bodies and f/2.8 zooms only make blending available light and flash easier.
2. 2Read the available light on the subject's face first. Check whether it is even and whether it casts shadows under the eyes. In the book's comparison frame (plate 7-7, flash disabled), the uneven light and eye shadows are the defect you are looking for.
3. 3Fix quality and direction before refining anything else. A larger light source gives softer light, so use a large source (a shoot-through umbrella, a window, bounced flash). Then place it deliberately: short versus broad lighting, and soft versus hard source positioning, each change the look of the face.
4. 4Match the pose and position to the light, not the reverse. In available light, move the subject to the optimal position and match the pose to the lighting. In hard sunlight, turn the subject toward or away from the sun, find shade, or add a reflector or flash.
5. 5Add flash only when the location's light falls short. Off-camera flash lets you place the subject anywhere and then supply flattering light. In plate 7-5 the kit was a light stand, a shoot-through umbrella and a radio trigger (PocketWizard TT5). Settings were 1/200 s, f/5, ISO 800, off-camera TTL with FEC at –1EV.
6. 6Set the ambient exposure first, then add flash. Deciding what the background does is part of the portrait. Exposing for the sky left the street black (plate 7-8). Flash alone left the subject in a 'sea of black' with a background that made no sense (plate 7-9).
7. 7Respect the sync-speed ceiling. Stay at or below the camera's maximum flash sync speed (usually 1/200 or 1/250 s). Above it, the shutter curtain blocks part of the flash and leaves a dark band across the frame. If you need a faster shutter speed, switch to high-speed sync (HSS).
8. 8Correct color and add shape last. Gel the flash to neutralize tungsten or other mixed light. Add a rim or separation light only after the main light on the face is right. Shoot RAW so white balance stays correctable.

The book's plate 7-4 to 7-7 sequence shows the lighting change. Available light only (plate 7-4, 1/50 s, f/8, ISO 800) made the shot depend on finding good light. The author then placed a single off-camera flash through a shoot-through umbrella on a light stand, triggered by a PocketWizard TT5. Settings were 1/200 s, f/5, ISO 800, TTL with FEC at –1EV (plate 7-5). The comparison frame with the flash disabled (plate 7-7) shows uneven light and shadows under the subjects' eyes, which the umbrella-softened flash removes. A second sequence shows the background trap. Exposing for the sky at 1/250 s, f/11, ISO 200 turned the street scene completely dark (plate 7-8). Adding manual flash on top lit Alex but left her in a sea of black (plate 7-9). Each frame fails on a different part of the exposure. The lesson is to build the face light and the background exposure together.

• If the available light puts uneven light or shadows under the eyes, then move the subject to better light, or add a large, soft, off-camera source (such as a shoot-through umbrella) to the subject.
• If the flash would need a shutter speed above the camera's sync speed (usually 1/200 or 1/250 s), then drop to or below sync speed, or switch to high-speed sync (HSS). Do not push past it and accept a dark band.
• If adding flash turns the background black or nonsensical, then set the ambient exposure for the background first, and use flash as fill or as the main light on top of that.
• If you are in hard sunlight, then turn the subject toward or away from the sun, find shade, add a reflector, or add flash. Do not shoot the subject unprepared in direct sun.
• If the light is mixed (tungsten, video lights, streetlights), then gel the flash to match it, or use a gel for color effect on purpose.

• Relying on gear instead of light: buying higher ISO, wider apertures or more megapixels while the light stays flat or uneven. The tell is a technically clean file with a lifeless, unflattering face.
• Leaving eye shadows and uneven light uncorrected, as in plate 7-7. The tell is dark pockets under the eyes in an otherwise well-exposed frame.
• Exposing for the flash subject and ignoring the ambient, as in plate 7-9. The tell is a lit subject floating in black, and a background that 'makes no sense'.
• Exceeding maximum sync speed without HSS. The tell is a dark band across part of the frame, as in plate 7-3 at 1/400 s, which was 2/3 stop over the camera's limit.
• Chasing complexity: stacking multiple flashes before the single-light result works. The tell is a technically elaborate setup with no improvement in the face light. The author's own approach is to start simply.

• ▸Light source and size: name the main light and how large it is relative to the subject (larger means softer).
• ▸Direction: note where the main light sits (short or broad lighting, soft or hard source position) and who is positioned relative to it.
• ▸Face check: write whether the light is even and whether shadows fall under the eyes.
• ▸Ambient exposure: record the shutter speed, aperture and ISO that set the background correctly before any flash.
• ▸Flash role: mark fill only, or main light, and note FEC or manual power used.
• ▸Sync check: confirm shutter speed is at or below the camera's flash sync speed, or that HSS is on.
• ▸Color check: note any tungsten, video or streetlight mix, and the gel chosen. Confirm RAW is on.
• ▸Background decision: describe what the background does (dark, lit, separated by rim light) and whether it makes sense.
• ▸Final verdict: write one line on what is still wrong with the portrait and the single change to try next.

1. 1Decide the light's job before you raise the camera. Van Niekerk's rule: lighting is only direction and quality, so name both for the frame you want (for example, soft and from a sensible angle, or hard and overhead) before you touch any gear.
2. 2Read the available light first and ask whether it can do the job alone. He checks this before adding flash because it is simpler. 'Using the light' must be a conscious decision, not 'just going along with the light.'
3. 3Fix the pose and position before you add gear. The source's first fixes for bad light are refining the subject's pose and guiding the subject toward more flattering light. Turn the face, change the angle to the overhead source, or move the subject, then re-check the eyes and brow shadows.
4. 4If the available light cannot be fixed, add light that matches the existing light. Place a softbox, reflector, video light or flash at a sensible angle relative to both the subject and the ambient light. Check that it opens the features that sit in shade and puts light in the eyes without a heavy shadow under the brow.
5. 5Match the source's size and placement to its hardness. Larger sources give softer light. A hard source, such as a bare flash or a video light, is unforgiving, so you must position the subject and the light carefully against each other. Aim the sweet spot at the face or feather the edge of the beam onto it.
6. 6Use the nose shadow and brow shadow as your check. The nose shadow should fall under the nose. Shadows pooling in the eye sockets mean the light is too high. Light spilling onto the arms and chest means it is aimed too low. Light striking from too great an angle to the side is wrong as well. Adjust one variable at a time.
7. 7Control the background deliberately. Choose the background to suit the light direction, and use exposure and flash to set how bright it records. If the scene lacks light or color, create it. Gel the flash to shift the foreground-to-background color relationship.
8. 8Write down how you hold the technical side steady. Shoot RAW, pre-focus when backlight defeats autofocus, and switch from TTL to low-power manual flash when a flaring background makes TTL exposure vary. Control means removing the variables the environment adds.

Van Niekerk photographs Shawna in a hotel lobby lit by an incandescent spotlight in the ceiling. Asked to look straight at the camera with no thought for the light, she gets uneven, unflattering overhead light on her face (plate 2-1, 1/125 s, f/4, ISO 800). He names two options: bring in extra light such as a video light, or refine the pose. He takes the pose option, and the refined pose produces a more appealing lighting effect (plate 2-2, same exposure settings). The environment is unchanged and the vision is executed anyway. In the nightclub foyer with the mirror-tile wall (plate 9-6), he wants hard, cold, blue tones in the background. He has only two 1/2 CTS gels, so he stacks both on the main flash in a softbox. That moves the flash to 3350K, against about 3700K for a single gel, and the ungelled background flash records blue. Both cases follow one pattern: state the intent, then change the pose, the light or the gel until the frame matches.

• If the available light can produce the frame, use it alone. If it cannot, change the pose or position first, and add light only when that fails.
• If the light is hard (bare flash, video light), then position it precisely and aim or feather it, because it does not forgive error. If you want forgiveness, use a larger source for softer light.
• If the nose shadow does not fall under the nose, or the brows are shadowed, move the light until it does. A light that is too high gives brow shadows, one that is too low lights the chest, and one at too great an angle fails too.
• If backlight or flaring headlights make TTL exposure inconsistent, then switch to low-power manual flash and pre-focus before the moment arrives.
• If you have only partial gear for the effect (two 1/2 CTS gels), then stack or combine what you have and judge the color result, and be ready to accept a 'pretty good' result rather than force a full effect.

• Going along with the light. The subject faces the camera wherever the light happens to be. The tell is overhead-light shadows on the face (plate 2-1) and no recorded decision about the light.
• Reaching for gear before diagnosing direction. You add flashes when a pose change would have fixed it. The tell is a complicated setup solving a problem that existed in the subject's angle.
• Aiming a hard light carelessly. The tell is an eye-socket shadow from a light that is too high, or a lit chest and arms from a light aimed too low. These show the sweet spot is not on the face.
• Trusting automatic systems in hostile scenes. TTL meters vary with background flare and autofocus hunts against headlights. The tell is exposure that shifts frame to frame and missed focus.
• Assuming a gel effect from the first attempt. The vision says deep blue and the result is only 'actually pretty good'. The tell is a color shift that falls short because gel strength was not checked, for example 3350K against a full CTS.

• ▸Intended look: describe the finished frame in one sentence (mood, hard or soft, background tone).
• ▸Available light: state its source, direction and quality (for example, overhead incandescent spot, hard).
• ▸Available-light-only test: can it deliver the intent? Yes or no, and why.
• ▸Pose/position fix: list the changes to the subject's angle, position and background you will try first.
• ▸Added light (if needed): name the source and its size (softbox, bare flash, video light, reflector) and why.
• ▸Placement check: give the light's height, angle and aim (face or feathered edge) and confirm the nose shadow falls under the nose, no heavy brow shadow, and light is in the eyes.
• ▸Background and color plan: set background exposure and any gel (type and number of layers, resulting K).
• ▸Technical safeguards: RAW, TTL or manual, pre-focus, steadying plan for backlit or flaring conditions.
• ▸Result vs. intent: note what matched, what fell short and what you will change next time.