Flattering Darker Skin: Tips for Stunning Portraits | Inside Fashion and Beauty with Lindsay Adler
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2024
- As a photographer you’ll likely be asked to photograph a wide range of different people; different body types, ages, and skin colors.
I’ve been hired on countless jobs precisely because I can flatter individuals or groups of people with a great deal of variety in skin tones.
In this video, I’ll provide three main considerations for flattering darker skin tones including:
(1) White Balance
(2) Quality of Light
(3) Fill Light
Let’s dive in with a quick overview in this description and much more detail in the video!
(A) White Balance
With darker skin tones you’ll want to be very aware of achieving the correct white balance. Avoid Auto White Balance! Many cameras will ‘see’ the warmth of the skin and incorrectly cool the skin tone down making it look gray and lifeless.
Instead, try the appropriate white balance preset (Studio = Flash or Outdoors whatever is most appropriate). Ideally, you will use a grey card or color checker to achieve the most accurate white balance results, rather than leaving it up to the camera or trying to get ‘close enough’ with a preset.
(B) Quality of Light
First, it is important to emphasize that there is no one ‘best’ quality of light for photographing darker skin tones. Many of my favorite images of the model featured in this video were hard light sources with gels. The concept is essential to your lighting choices.
That being said, if you want the smoothest looking skin a softer light source is an ideal choice.
In this video, I chose a Large Umbrella with Diffusion because it creates a large, bounced, and diffused light source. AKA SOFT!
When photographing darker skin tones, you will see the reflection of the main light on the skin. With a harder or more specular light source, you will see more texture and it is less smooth. A larger/softer light source results in a smoother (typically more flattering) reflection.
(C) Fill Light
On darker skin tones the shadow side of the face will get darker faster. In other words, shadows appear darker and you may lose detail. Consider adding some sort of fill into the equation especially when in the studio. This can be a V-Flat, additional strobe, or small bounce reflector.
Note: On location the environment often will help to bounce light, helping to prevent unwanted pure-black shadows.
These three main points, of course, do not cover all of the considerations for creating the ‘best’ results for darker skin tones. Instead, these are essentials to consider as you flatter your subjects.
To learn more about lighting, be sure to check out my studio lighting mastery course at www.lindsayader.photo/msl or my countless video tutorials and guides at www.learnwithlindsay.com
Lindsay Adler is a Fashion and Beauty Photographer, Educator, and Author based in New York City. Her editorials have appeared in Bullett Magazine, Zink Magazine, and Fault. She has contributed to photo publications Professional Photographer, Rangefinder Magazine, and Popular Photography.
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✘ GEAR USED:
Camera and Lenses:
Canon R5
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Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8
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Lighting:
Profoto D3
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Profoto XL Umbrella + Diffusion
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V-Flat World V-Flat
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Triflector
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Other:
Savage Universal Fashion Gray
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Calibrite ColorChecker Passport/Grey Card
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Model: Molie Onyongo
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Makeup: Elisa Flowers
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Edit: Samuel Bouret
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THANKS SO MUCH FOR WATCHING!
UA-cam is 19 years-old with so much photographic content and there are still precious few videos on how to properly shoot darker skin tones. This is by far the best I've seen on the subject. Amazing vid, Lindsay. Phenomenal.
Lindsay, I shoot darker skin tones 90% of the time. I use a second light source because it it is easier to control. Thank you for doing these tips. I really appreciate your videos and implement a lot of what I learned from you in my workflow.
Agreed. Fill light or some sort of bounce is really helpful. Best!
Great tutorial Lindsay! Super important as so many photographers aren't familiar with how to work with darker skin. Would love to see a video on how to shoot multiple skin tones! That can be a challenge!
I actually have a class specifically on this but yes I could do a future video-- its not actually hard with the right tools and approach!
Outstanding content!!!! You’ve answered the “why” question we used to ask about film and now digital sensors without saying it. IYKYK. Thanks Lindsey! You are one of my favorites!
It's refreshing to see a specialized topic covered this way -- more instructive and thought-provoking than the standard UA-cam how-to.
Thank you for the video. I see what I can adapt for non-profit work or other photography. Glad Lindsay back!!
I'm a student and for my final project in Portraiture class I shot a friend who does ballet, she has a white mom and black dad, her skin is dark, but lighter. I think I did everything wrong, and now I'm editing the photos and every picture she has different skin. That also happens with any color skin I shoot, I'm not good at consistency. But I think I shot her too cool, I was probably on AWB. (I'll have to check that.) I do have a color card and I was going to start using it, but I forgot! I did use a huge, close main light. In editing I'm masking the facial skin and softening the texture. That's evening out the bright highlights and evening the overall skin tone. Your model is beautiful, I love her skin tone!
I was wondering, how do you know what someone's skin tone is? I have some friends I shot that one of them looked kind of green, the other was pink, but they both had darker skin. It was hard to edit. Took me a while to figure out they had different tones. Hopefully with practice I'll be able to notice these things better.
Awesome!! Good refresher course. I want to thank the photographer and Adorama for another great class!!
Wow. You really know how to flatter the skin!!! Loved the sequence of finished photos towards the end. Wow again. Thanks for sharing.
As well as the quality and and white balancesettings, I use an incident flashmeter to determine my aperture, after all, since it measures the light falling on the subject, you could use the aperture for dark or light skin, my Sekonic 308s has been my go to for 8 years now. I love and recommend your tutorials to every photographer I meet. Especially "Posing Pitfalls" which transformed my photography with models, overnight! Truly grateful.
Lindsay can you please make video on how to make darker skin tones look richer and deeper in post processing?
Outstanding!👍🏾
Thank you great professional tips.
1. What lens did you use for this session
2. What is your thoughts about canon RF 100mm 2.8 macro for headshots and portrait?
I used the Canon R5 and the 24-105mm 2.8. I like the 100mm macro, but I tend to like zoom lenses over primes except on location. And when on location I use the 85 instead !
As always, fantastic!
I have to check Lindsay other videos again just in case. Hope to see more samples of other photography. Thanks for the sample videos.
Wow… What can I say, regards from East Africa! ✊🏾
Thanks! Helpful advice on an important but underanalyzed subject.
Thanks for the tips Lindsay and Adorama you are amazing!!! I'm literally obsessed with the photo at 5:10!!! it is soooooooo awesome!!!!!!
Thank you Lindsay, another great informative video. Would you kindly make a video about fashion photography fundamentals and the concept behind the location choice and when harsh shadows are needed and when not? You are always amazing.
Thank you so much, this weird bit where high lights show up significantly more on darker skins, always come off odd for me, as I don't have the same issue with lighter skin tones! I finally know the cause of the issue.
1:10 - White Balance
4:52 - Quality of Light
8:13 - Fill Light
Perfect timing
Thank you for these amazing tips!
These are such great tips, thank you
Needed that! Thank you so much!
Great tips Lindsay!
Great tutorial!
This is the video subject I have been looking for! Thank you
❤
Lindsay, I see that you replied to my comment, in my comment notifications I can see part of your reply, but I'm not seeing it here. But I want to thank you so much anyway! :) And yes, I was on AWB, but besides putting it on flash next time I will definitely have to use a color card. No more forgetting.
This video is so very helpful Lindsay! I struggle with photographing darker skin tones and making the skin not look to shiny or cool. Sometimes the client looks at the photo and says 'I look so greasy' but it's not them, rather my lighting setup. I have a grey card and forget to use it. So that's something I will try to be mindful of and keep it close to my side. But do you use the grey card outside also, or just in studio?
The best
I know you use creative gels, but do you ever use beauty gels on your main light to enhance skin color?
This really isn't a specialized problem. It's still the same information that's been said about shooting people in general. White balance for accurate color. A white person with very dark hair, if the photographer didn't want the hair to blend in with a dark background, they'd add a hair light.
Large light source, diffused light source, look better for skin because direct light sources show texture more. Regardless of light or dark skin.
Nothing flatters the skin more than Photoshop or its equivalents.