How to Take Amazing Beauty Shots Using a High F-Stop

There are many ways to light your model to get amazing beauty shots, it all just depends on your style. Here, photographer Miguel Quiles takes us into the studio and shows us a very simple lighting setup for beauty photographers. He also experiments with a narrow aperture (high f-stop) to create a unique look that will stand out:

Equipment Used

• Sony A7II
• Tamron 70-200mm 2.8
• Tamron 90mm 2.8 macro
• Sony LAEA4 Adapter
• PocketWizard Plus III

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Lighting Setup

• Einstein with 22″ Kacey Beauty Dish: set up about two feet away from the model.
• Black seamless background: have the model stand 3–4 feet in front of it to help keep the light from spilling onto the backdrop.
• Photoflex 7-in-1 Reflector white or silver side: hold it up under the model to bounce the light and help fill the shadows under the model’s nose and chin and add a nice reflection to her eyes.

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You can also use an off-camera fan, which will add a lot to the final images. Quiles wants to retain a lot of texture in the model’s hair and skin so he shoots at f/25 or higher.

This is his first time trying these settings, check out the results:

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While shooting at such a high f-stop may seem unorthodox, Quiles wanted to ensure that everything, from the tip of the model’s nose to the farthest hairs were all sharp and in focus. As he says, many of the beauty images you see in magazines are actually shot on medium format cameras at similar settings, so he wanted to give it a try and see what happened. The final images are stunning.

Don’t be afraid to try something different. You may just find your own personal style along the way.

Learn more: Mastering Strobe Lighting

[via PictureCorrect]