Portraits Using Shop Light for Lighting

Here is a peek at some shots I took last Sunday using shop light for lighting. I wired the shop light with dimmer switches but without a soft box or beauty dish the light is still too harsh. I thought about covering the light with white sheeting to create a make shift diffuser but was worried it would catch on fire.

Now if only I had two shop lights I could have lit the backdrop so they stood out better and didn't blend into the background.

There is a lot wrong with the above shot but the grandmother in me loves it. Bubba kept saying he didn't want his picture taken, then all of a sudden he plopped down in front of the girls and I snapped a few shot, this being my favorite. Then he was gone again.

 Now for the really weird shot. My granddaughter Sissy set up this shot. When I asked her to step forward she said "I need to lean against the wall for the picture I want." Curious I asked what type of picture was she wanting. Her reply was that "I want a picture of me like I am a vampire standing up asleep." Well, I figured we needed it a bit darker for that shot and so I dimmed the shop light a bit and turned it to face against the wall behind me and here is what we got.

It may be a bit on the morbid side but I really like the way it turned out.

After the model shoot a few weeks ago and playing with the shop light on Sunday, I have decided that the number one thing on my must buy list is some good photography lights with soft box and beauty dish.