John Ford, director of photography at UK-based video production company Contra, is no stranger to beautiful, cinematic commercial work, whether it's a portrait of a young woman combating homelessness, or describing why film editing is like building a guitar from scratch.
Today, John is going to share some behind the scenes insight into how he lit a recent promotional video for Coleman Douglas Pearls. The shoot features some absolutely gorgeous soft lighting, making John's commentary a must-read for anybody intent on making their lighting as flattering as possible. So without any further ado, here's Contra's video for Coleman Douglas, and John's post.
This is a guest post by John Ford.
When approaching any form of beauty lighting, it is important to know your subject's facial structure, skin texture, and color. How does the light naturally fall on their face? What is the shape of their forehead, nose, chin, etc.? How does the light change as the subject turns?