Jada and David Parrish
How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish

How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight

Blog by Jada Parrish | Behind The Scenes | 07/10/24


 

We've been wanting to use continuous light in our shoots for a while, and we finally got our hands on a Nanlite spotlight! David has a background in building theater sets, so we knew we wanted to reference a stage in this shoot and take some very theatrical portraits. We built a modular set out of wood and picked up some red fabric to create a DIY theatre curtain using a staple gun. It was super simple—we just folded the fabric over itself to create pleats and did it all by eye.

 

How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish  How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish

 

Once the set was finished, we lit it using a three-light setup. We used a Nanlite Forza 500B II with a Nanlite PJ-BM Projection Attachment as the key light and two Nanlite PavoSlims for fill.

 

How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish

 

The lighting blew us away. It was so dramatic, and the setup was relatively simple.

Conceptual portraits need a narrative and a story. The concept of the shoot was putting female sexuality on display and making a spectacle out of it. We played through so many poses and really explored both the positive and negative sides of that.

How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish

Here’s a breakdown of all the gear we used in the shoot:

Check out our Patreon to view all the photos from the shoot!

 

 

How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David ParrishHow To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish  How To Create a Theatrical Portrait Photoshoot Using a Spotlight - Jada And David Parrish 

Checkout our FREE Posing Guide filled with 22 posing prompts for authentic emotion! Click here to download.

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Jada + David Parrish are mixed media artists whose work explores the connection between painting, sculpture, motion, and photography.