D’Ann Boal of Smitten & Swoon is an award-winning photographer and photography teacher from Boulder, Colorado. She specializes in portraits of children and families. She loves to introduce into her works the effect of beautiful, golden light that floods her home surroundings, intertwining with her artistic style.
“I love when my photos impact viewers through beautiful, natural light. And thanks to Profoto equipment, I am no longer limited by the weather, the place where I photograph or the direction of light in the sky. And since the most beautiful places to photograph in Colorado require a bit of hiking, I love Profoto gear because it’s small and light. I can easily pack it in my camera bag, where it has a permanent place. Regardless of whether I take photos on the top of a mountain or in my studio, I always have a light with me, with which I can create warm and diffused light, a golden glow or a romantic atmosphere in just a few seconds.
The golden hour effect
The golden hour effect in photography is a phenomenal moment just before sunset or just after sunrise. Then the natural light is soft, warm and beautifully golden. It is characterized by delicate shadows that add three-dimensionality and give photos a moody, romantic look. Achieving this effect requires skillful use of the angle of light, which leads to a perfect balance between light and dark areas, creating a unique atmosphere and emphasizing details in portrait, landscape and other genres of photography.
Photographing against the sun creates golden light that beautifully covers the outline of the photographed figure, but requires additional lighting for the model. That’s why it’s so important to use flash lighting. Discover the four steps in which D’Ann Boal creates this striking portrait.
Step 1
Position the model with her back to the ambient light so that it covers her silhouette with counter light.
Step 2
Put an additional modifier on the Clic Softbox Octa in the form of a Clic Softgrid Octa grid. This will allow you to properly direct the flash light towards the diffused lighting behind the model.
Step 3
Attach the Profoto A2 magnetic mount to the Clic Softbox Octa. Use the tripod as a boom to place the main light source slightly above the subject’s head, slightly next to it. You can use a dedicated tripod with an appropriate load or use an assistant who can hold an extended tripod with a lamp and a softbox in his hands.
Step 4
Take a few test photos and adjust the power of the lamp so that it penetrates the counter-light of the sun shining behind the model’s back. Thanks to the wireless connection of Connect Pro to the Profoto lamp, you can adjust its power directly on the trigger. This makes work much easier and allows you to remotely adjust the light settings.
