In this instance, your setup would be like that in Figure D, only with the key and fill lights reversed. Make sure that you disable your camera's red-eye reduction; otherwise it will trigger the slave to fire before the shutter is open. If you're not sure how to disable your camera's red-eye reduction, this would be a great excuse to sit down with some good coffee and re-read your manual.

The portrait in Figure F shows the kind of result you're going for. Everything is in focus and well illuminated, with no shadows.

FIGURE F


When correctly lit, your portraits will much more satisfying. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Reflection and softening
The use of umbrella reflectors will go a long way toward making your pictures -- all of them, not just portraits -- a lot better looking. The umbrella helps to soften and diffuse the light, eliminating harshness. By shooting light through the umbrella, rather than reflecting off of it, the umbrella will act like a softbox, further softening the light.

There are a few budget remedies available if you don't have umbrellas. One is to use white poster board as a reflective surface. I've also used white foam-core before as well. It's a little stiffer than poster board and might be a little easier to position.

About the cheapest alternative though is a white pillowcase. Just about everyone has a white pillowcase. It's one of those items that most people have around the house that a photographer can readily use as a cheap substitute. You can even bounce the light off of a white wall to help soften and diffuse the light.

I've already mentioned several methods of softening the light if you so desire. A softbox is, of course, a nice method, but not everyone has one. To be honest, I don't use a softbox; I just shoot through a white umbrella. Another method is to tape a piece of tracing or tissue paper over the flash to diffuse the light.

Conclusion
It's not really all that difficult to get decent studio-quality portraits. With a couple of proven lighting setups, you can achieve excellent results, time after time. And if you're using a digital camera, it's even easier, as you don't have to wait for film to be developed to see if your pictures came out.

James Aronovsky is a professional photographer who frequently flies to out-of-town assignments. He can be reached at jamesaronovsky@hotmail.com.