Miguel Quiles Goes Behind the Scenes on His Lighting Setup for Beauty Shoots [Video of the Week]

Early on in my photography career I remember looking at beauty images in fashion magazines and wondering how in the world a photographer could take such an amazing image. It fueled me to go out and learn everything I could to try and create some beautiful images of my own.

In this video, I take you into the studio and show you a simple, yet extremely effective lighting setup to help you create beauty images that will wow your audience. Here are the resulting photos from this shoot:

All photos © Miguel Quiles Photography

I also want to give you a few quick tips that I didn’t cover in the video, but are crucial to executing a successful beauty photo shoot:

1. Make sure your subject understands the angles of their face and how to play to the light. Nothing kills a beauty shot quicker than a subject that has a “dead-face” shot after shot. Show them reference images ahead of time to give them an idea of what you’re envisioning.

2. Hair and makeup artists are crucial for this type of shoot. They will save you countless hours in post production and will ensure that you have the best possible image in camera before you ever begin making changes in Photoshop.

3. Know your lighting modifiers. If you’re working with a subject with great skin (as I was in this video) then a beauty dish is an excellent modifier. If you’re working with someone who has less-than-perfect skin, you may want to consider using a softer light modifier like a diffused softbox or octodome. Experiment with each one to see which style suits you and your subject the best.

If you have any additional questions, feel free to comment on the video and be sure to read my other articles for more lighting and photography tips!

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