My Favorite THREE LIGHT Studio Setups for HIGH KEY Photography

[@SidneyPratt]

Yes, exactly what I did and it worked for over 40 years. Thanks for sharing your video.

[@marcuspersley]

Great job, Nathan. This video was timely and informative. I cannot wait to try this with darker skin tones to see the results.

[@bala1000mina]

Thank you so much Nathan, Definitely I'll try your given setups and curious to see the results in my end results! Very informative video as always! God bless and good luck!

[@LunaBelAir]

Love the silver umbrella effect. Hard but soft at the same time.

[@NathanElson]

Agreed!

[@specialized41]

What camera / Lenses do you use for Portraits? Thanks!!

[@ComptonHarry]

I have tried one of these set up today. Can’t find to share it. Thank you so much for the inspo Nathan 🙏🏾🙌🏾

[@NathanElson]

Hope you like it!

[@jirkadolezal8127]

love this type of tutorials

[@DJEllis]

Seriously gorgeous work…as always! Love your easy to understand breakdown and no nonsense approach to lighting your models. Very inspiring!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks so much 😊

[@aussie2uGA]

I think I heard some photography tips while watching this? Wowza 😳

[@MrVara411]

All I heard was "blah blah blah aperture blah blah blah shutter speed blah"

[@wfp9378]

I found myself looking at how your studio was set up ,ore than anything. Always good to get tips in effective use of the space.

[@antoniomoreira8303]

Thanks so much! Help me a lot! Great yr video in B&W !!

[@Kchernek]

I've been trying a setup like this at eqch of my shoots the past few months. I appreciate the extra insight on it beyond the other videos that you've shown it. Every little bit helps refine knowledge a bit further.

[@NathanElson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mattbrownmattbrownhair]

FANTASTIC

[@NathanElson]

Thank ya

[@zacklarez]

Discovered your channel with this video and I love everything about it, from the editing to the demonstration to the actual photos, as well as your demeanor. Thank you.

[@NathanElson]

Awesome, thank you!

[@pennyfan13]

I've learnt a lot from this video, thank you!

[@NathanElson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@shanemichael6606]

I’d love to see your SOC image n final n steps u r doing to edit. I’m hoping to do something similar in next shoot. I shoot high key alot but have yet to get images this stunning. Just amazing

[@NathanElson]

I actually have quite a few videos that walk through the retouching process :)

[@doctorstrobe]

Man, I must confess I rarely learn anything while watching KZbin. The only exception so far being that Ab Sesay... But your content is actually really awesome. Thank you for taking the time to teach all that!

[@NathanElson]

Awesome. Glad you got something out of it!

[@kennethnielsen3864]

Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing

[@franckrollier895]

Stunning ! I 'm diying to achive same Light rendering,I need to continu to improve my skills. Thanks for sharing

[@NathanElson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rastaunite1]

Great photos, love them! Question, can you use a different color backdrop to create high key portraits? Or only white backdrop can give you high key images?

[@mediamag1985]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@csc-photo]

Super helpful, very clearly explained - thanks! 👏🏻

[@NathanElson]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidcholley7128]

Merci pour ces précieux conseils , je vais essayer la prochaine fois

[@pimnauta3840]

You make it seem so easy hahaha, Thanks for sharing!

[@NathanElson]

Practice practice practice 😉

[@hbhavsi]

Truly stunning setup and examples.

[@NathanElson]

Thank you kindly!

[@EdwardKilner]

Another fine video. Thank you.

[@NathanElson]

Thanks for watchin!

[@Heiko_Kanzler]

Great video, but can we talk about the stool with wheels and, and as it seems, shelves you're using?

[@lifesbeautiful3024]

Great job, Nathan. Most enjoyable. And your models are stunning, not to mention their amazing posing…just wow.

[@NathanElson]

Thank ya kindly

[@shadowyzman7078]

Amazing work!!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@mejiavincee]

I'm definitely trying this

[@NathanElson]

Awesome

[@wutangclan2051]

Brilliant! Thank you. subbing

[@NathanElson]

Welcome aboard 😉

[@EvanPeix]

great job

[@MrGirbes]

I learned this "trick" to measure the light on the back of the head of the model (pointing the dome towards your backdrop) it should be the same or slightly higher than the value from your keylight.

[@NathanElson]

I've heard of it being done that way before as well. Perks of photography is that there are a 1000 ways to get the same results, the how doesn't matter as much as the results :)

[@kamilnvk6575]

Thank you for sharing this knowledge!

[@NathanElson]

Any time

[@charliegreen1989]

Love this Nathan, great video and really helpful. Moody and high key now that looks great, will definitely be trying this out.

[@NathanElson]

Great to hear!

[@justdontstop]

Thanks for simple explain, very very usefull light setup! Is it 50 1,4 lens on that shoot?

[@666davekerr]

Fantastic video and great explanation

[@NathanElson]

Glad you liked it!

[@TheToyFrontier]

Thank you for this beautiful info. i'll try it out

[@krosgold]

very helpful, inspiring tips

[@NathanElson]

Glad it helped!

[@Johannes]

Awesome tutorial as always! Very informative, especially the details with the background, really well explained.

[@NathanElson]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@perrysmithphotography2915]

Thanks for sharing!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks for watching!

[@dewfah]

great content Nathan! BTW: you're not rolling in your cables with your chair? :)

[@shengyuanhsuphotography7255]

these r all so beautiful

[@NathanElson]

Thank you!

[@pain3134]

great video . keep the great work!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@jefferson199016]

Amazing!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@Jean-LucSalaun]

Great stough... thankyouu!!

[@NathanElson]

Glad you liked it!

[@weztastudio6170]

thank you very much for sharing your expericence

[@NathanElson]

Anytime!

[@BankonJovan]

Badass! New subscriber!

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@kavanlake871]

Nate! What’s up man?! 😎👊🏾 Nice to see your face and of course, you’re killing it on the photography. Thank you again for being an awesome artist and human being, and teaching us how to refine our images. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you some time this year.

[@NathanElson]

Hey Buddy! Hope to see your face this year as well :) (Location lighting workshop in the works for possibly spring)

[@kunstfuhrer]

Great job, Nathan, thanks for sharing

[@NathanElson]

Thanks for watching!

[@billycrowe4501]

Do you have any preference over the profits vs the wescott umbrellas? I own a lot of wescott stuff and it works great. And are like half the cost. Just didn’t know if there was some kind of d of difference I was missing.

[@TEMTECKPHOTOGRAPHY]

Huge help for sure bro, love your channel.

[@NathanElson]

Happy to help!

[@billycrowe4501]

what wheeled stands do you use? I have been looking for something that size. Was looking at the mathews beefy baby stand and putting wheels on them but these look very similar and may be cheaper.

[@Bishnu_Deb]

As usual great video from one of my favorite fashion photographers, Nathan. Love from India.

[@NathanElson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tonymanuel7217]

Hello Nathan, I was wondering if you can create these same type of shots just using 2 strobes but placing one strobe behind the subject and one strobe above the subject? Love your work by the way!

[@NathanElson]

The issue is the background being lit evenly. If you only have one light, you’ll get a bright center but then it will start to fall off to grey in the corners, so you won’t get that pure white.

[@Busterarthursfriend]

What I would give for weekly uploads you have no idea. 10/10

[@NathanElson]

You and me both 😉 Thank ya.

[@clausandersen8647]

Awesome🤩

[@NathanElson]

Thanks 🤗

[@iamskarts]

You just earned one subscriber sir.

[@farjadahmad]

great stuff, as a photographer, you might not always use the white backdrop, so what happens when you want to use a different colour? i think what i mean to ask is, you would require different colours of backdrops right?

[@NathanElson]

Correct, granted you could gel the background lights to create a coloured backdrop, but I’d rather just get the actual color in paper.

[@zacgrimaldo]

Great job as always Nathan. Do you ever shoot swimwear in the studio? Something that is not just white background ecomm, but creative swim that could be done on a day when the weather outside is not conducive to shooting on location. It would be a great subject for a vid! Thanks!

[@NathanElson]

I've had to do this in the past for a swimwear brand. Next time I have to do it I will get some video for it. Thanks!

[@BobMcKinley]

Looks awesome, but don't you get light kick back into the lens?

[@NathanElson]

Nope

[@alecdelben]

Great video. I'm really beginning to get more into the studio side of things and your videos have been a great resource. What's your go to focal length for your studio work? 85?

[@NathanElson]

Glad to hear it! Ya, 85 is tyically my lens of choice for 90% of my work.

[@alecdelben]

@@NathanElson thanks for the reply! I’ve been debating on the sigma 85 1.4 or the way too expensive RF 1.2 lol. Have the EF 50 1.2 and a 35. Need something higher at this point.

[@BrandonTalbot]

Nathan, I've never used flash before - is there any way to do this set-up with continuous lighting?

[@NathanElson]

Of course. Light is light. As long as you meter it out properly you can definitely do this with constant light.

[@29Seasons-i6l]

Thank u so much 🤍

[@piotrgorajek1289]

Bro, you running out of white seamless?:D Thanks for tutorial!

[@Daglas1988]

Nice work :) regards from Poland ;)

[@NickDelDuca]

Loved all of these! Jealous of your space mine isn't quite wide enough to do 2 umbrellas on the sides like this

[@NathanElson]

Space is a luxury for sure

[@davidscottbowlesphoto]

killer man!!! Loving the videos need to try this! haven't done a high key portrait in a minute haha

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@Govannonart]

Thanks for the great . Will have to try the way you showed in this video. But, there's always but, there are no deep umbrellas in the studios where I usually shoot. Looking forward to seeing a new video from you. Cheers from Bashkortostan

[@NathanElson]

Doesn't have to be a deep umbrella, it can be any umbrellla, or softbox, or whatever you have. I just have a preference for the deep umbrellas, but they are not a necessity.

[@Govannonart]

@@NathanElson thanks for the answer. Anyway, would like to test deep umbrellas in action

[@emel3603]

Awesome video. Thanks for sharing. I would totally love to do it the way you do, but I only have two flash lights. Do you think it would be possible to pull of the high key with just one flash light in the direction of the backdrop?

[@NathanElson]

The issue you will run into is the light falling off towards the edges and falling to a light grey. If you're shooting a tighter portrait (headshot) you could pull it off, but anything 3/4 to full body would be problematic.

[@yannilaloudakis529]

Thoughts using continuous light for background, and a flash for key light?

[@NathanElson]

As long as your flash doesn’t overpower your constant light it’s definitely doable.

[@pixelstudio3296]

I just discovered you...man are you talented...i'm definitely trying your setup :)

[@NathanElson]

Thank ya kindly!

[@agylub]

To set the background value use a reflected flash meter. A bit of Zone theory. Vale Dean Collins.

[@IanMcCausland]

Dean Collins! That's the OG

[@agylub]

@@IanMcCausland I was lucky enough to see him twice. He knew what he was talking about unlike way too many TikTokers.

[@IanMcCausland]

@@agylub yeah I saw him once and it blew my mind. I had the videos too Legendary.

[@NathanElson]

Perks of photography is that there are a 1000 ways to get the same results, the how doesn't matter as much as the results :)

[@agylub]

@@NathanElson maybe. But a scientific approach will ALWAYS give you what you want

[@chadwickerman]

Where do you find your models? It's a constant dilemma to find good models.

[@badpilotstudio]

Hi, what kind of white for background do you prefer? Polar, arctic?

[@NathanElson]

I use the Super White from Savage Backdrops: bhpho.to/3VcsyI4

[@Health-and-Wellness-Now]

I do like this set up, but I prefer to pump the BG lights in to some VFLATS, to stop the spill...giving the BG a brighter setup by 1-2 stops.

[@NathanElson]

I’ve done that for various jobs as well.

[@Health-and-Wellness-Now]

@@NathanElson thanks for the content….love watching!

[@leftify]

Can I do this with a 2 light set up?

[@saviourudo1062]

So glad I came across this video🫡. Thank you sir.

[@NathanElson]

Anytime!

[@wellywijaya8829]

i Love it 😍 😍 😍

[@NathanElson]

Thanks!

[@glamych]

Nice shots and cute models! What camera are you using, if it's no secret?

[@NathanElson]

These were shot with a D800 as well as a z6II

[@glamych]

@@NathanElson tnx!

[@BARSSTUDIO]

Nice video. What kind of backdrop do you use?

[@NathanElson]

9’ Savage Super White

[@antonxravx]

Nathan, please tell me which wire (brand) You use cameras to communicate with your laptop???

[@NathanElson]

I just use a cheap usb cable off amazon. I tried tether tools but the cables were insanely expensive and the one I bought didn't work worth a damn.

[@antonxravx]

@@NathanElson thank you! 🤝🏻

[@pepejjgl]

Thank You for sharing. Beautiful. (new subscriber here)

[@NathanElson]

Welcome aboard!

[@BrandonColePhotography]

Good job

[@NathanElson]

Thank ya

[@iamjeromedupont]

Amazing content!!! #thanksforsharing

[@NathanElson]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@ORESTVPRO]

me gusto el video

[@monztermovies]

Killer! 😎👌🤟

[@NathanElson]

Thank ya

[@NeilSnapePhotography]

Your way of teaching is top level. As are your models. Glad to see you using umbrellas as not enough do. Thanks for sharing.

[@NathanElson]

Thank you very much!

[@silvasurfa9800]

More!!! :)

[@NathanElson]

coming!

[@marcel9568]

If I set the camera to F11 @ iso 100 instead of the metered F8 @ iso 100, the camera lets in less light than @ F8, assuming you keep the shutter speed the same. So how is this OVER exposing? I am no pro, but I would say it is the other way around.

[@NathanElson]

I didn't say to set your camera to f/11. I said meter your key light to f/8 (and your camera always matches your key light, so it would also be set to f/8) and then meter the backdrop to f/11, therefore adding more light than the camera is exposed for, therefore blowing out the background.

[@marcel9568]

@@NathanElson Okay I think I get it now...

[@marcel9568]

@@NathanElson How do you "meter" a "backdrop" to F11?

[@salgub]

Ok I do not get it , if you are saying that in order to get a pure white background you need to over expose your back light by 1 stop and your settings are: Key Light> f/8 iso 100 and your back light f/11 iso 100 you are not over exposing your background because when you move from f/8 to f/11 you are reducing the amount of light by 1 stop so in this case you are underexposing your background. Over exposing would be moving from f/8 to f/5.6

[@NathanElson]

Camera and key light are set to f/8 - then the background is metered to f/11, but the camera stays at f/8 to match the key light. It takes MORE light to expose for f/11, so if you meter your lighting at f/11, and then set your camera to f/8, anything metered to f/11 will be overexposed.

[@LosAngeles2023]

what fstop you shooting?

[@NathanElson]

typically f/8 in studio

[@marksparco3133]

I am confused at 1:04 . Aren't you underexposiing going from F/8 to F/11 ? Aren't you letting less light on the background ?

[@NathanElson]

Camera and key light are set to f/8 - then the background is metered to f/11, but the camera stays at f/8 to match the key light. It takes MORE light to expose for f/11, so if you meter your lighting at f/11, and then set your camera to f/8, anything metered to f/11 will be overexposed.

[@jalexanderevans]

I found it hard to concentrate during this tutorial...

[@liauchungren848]

Wahahahahaha, I think I understand what you mean lol

[@mdozaphotography]

Nathan love your work I'm going to sound like an A$$whole for saying this 2:06 there's a fourth light for fill from the ceiling behind being used behind camera.

[@NathanElson]

It's just a light for helping provide some ambient in the studio (the overhead lights were burnt out) but it's not powerful enough to be picked up at f/8 (which is what I was shooting at).

[@lukakoprivica]

"Three" lights... what about the one behind you, hitting the ceiling?

[@NathanElson]

It's a video light for ambient light in the studio so that I can shoot the BTS video. It's heavily overpowered by the strobes and not bright enough to have any effect on the photos.

[@laurajazz89]

3:59

[@NathanElson]

That is a time stamp

[@fotogfitzfoto412]

A bit of a con to call it a three light set-up, when two are lighting the backdrop.

[@NathanElson]

It’s 3 lights for high key. If you can light a backdrop 9’ white backdrop with one light I’d love to see it. Calling it a con is a hell of a stretch.

[@pmarcig]

It's literally a three-light setup.

[@alptunga]

My friend, the censor will never fulfill his destiny, nor you yours, until you let go of the illusion of control.

[@svoivdosku]

👍👍👍👍👍💕💕💕💕💕🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@NathanElson]

thank ya