5 Simple One Light Setups with Mind-Blowing Results!

In today’s video, I’m going to show you five dramatic lighting setups using just one light source. These setups are designed to help you create stunning, impactful images. Some of these techniques are featured in my One Light Lighting Handbook which you can check out at the link below if you want to take your lighting skills to the next level!

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Click here for a full list of all the gear I use in the studio – https://shop.howl.me/JohnGress

Lighting Handbooks

The Academy with John Gress

GEAR USED

Lights:

Elinchrom FIVE
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnmmUpjV1
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3Um6V61
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3LcypYZ
Bowens 200mm Fresnel Lens
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3RViwdR
NiceFoto SN-29 Flash Concentrator Conical Snoot Kit
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3aCtOM0

Modifiers:

Elinchrom Rotalux Deep Octabox (100cm / 39”)
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnv90VNi5
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3fRG5AH
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3oSg0cy
Elinchrom Rotalux Go Octa Softbox 60 cm (24’’)
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3g66TR9
- Elinchrom Rotalux Go Adapter for Elinchrom https://amzn.to/3T1a2jC
Elinchrom Softlite White Beauty Dish Reflector (27.6″, 64°)
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnv9Msdmw
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3etOUn6
Bowens 200mm Fresnel Lens
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3RViwdR
Elinchrom Indirect Litemotiv Octa Softbox 190cm (75”)
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnmmmWLgl
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3GZa45L
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3oOM4Oq

Other Equipment:

Canon EOS R5
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnaWpm8UM
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3vPGmeb
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3VbPdUw
Canon BG-R10
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnaWADdkp
- Amazon https://amzn.to/2OUmRQY
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3niVtNI
Canon RF70-200mm F4 L IS USM
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjCnaWi7o2f
- Amazon https://amzn.to/2Z4GOd5
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3HkgKNY
Studio Titan Camera Stand STA-01-360 MK2
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjGcfVD3aCG
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3cf4RfL
V-FLAT WORLD Foldable V-Flat, Set of 2, Black/White
- Adorama https://howl.me/cjGcCZBleDO
- Amazon https://amzn.to/3NI0f29
- B&H https://bhpho.to/3VD8tKR
- V-Flat World https://bit.ly/3fXqaid

Segments:

Using HSS Outdoors: Capturing dynamic motion of a triathlete with a sunrise backdrop using the Elinchrom Five and a 100 cm Rotalux Deep Octabox. The Balancing flash with ambient light for stunning sunset portraits on a boat with the Rotalux Go 24-inch softbox.
Behind-the-Scenes Look with Derek – Using a 27-inch white beauty dish boomed over the set to create high-contrast, dramatic portraits.
Old Hollywood Style – Creating a vintage look with a Bowens 200mm Fresnel lens for focused, sunlight-like illumination.
Hard Light with an Optical Snoot – Sculpting muscles with hard light and gobos for precise, shadowed patterns.
Rim Lighting – Creating a dramatic outline around the subject with a 190cm Octabox for a striking silhouette.

Referenced Videos:

#PhotographyLighting
#StudioPhotography
#PortraitLighting
#PhotographyTips
#LightingSetup

Transcript:

Welcome back, everyone! If you could take just a moment to like, subscribe, and sign up for the bell, I would really appreciate it. Your support helps the channel grow and allows me to continue bringing you high-quality tutorials and tips. If you find the video helpful and want to show your appreciation, consider sending a Super Thanks below and also please click on the links in the description or on screen as that will help support me to make more videos like this!

For years I wanted to photograph triathletes running out of Lake Michigan at sunrise. So we headed out to the beach before dawn with an Elinchrom 5 in a 100cm Rotolux Deep Octabox, one of my favorite modifiers because it’s versatile and perfect for both full-body shots and closeups.

To capture the action, I set my camera to 1/5000th of a second at f2 at ISO, which was fast enough to freeze every droplet of water in motion. High-speed sync was crucial here to balance the bright sunrise with my strobe.

When you’re shooting outside, the first thing you want to think about is what f-stop you want to use to get the depth of field you’re looking for. Then, pick your shutter speed and ISO combination so that the sky is exposed correctly. Finally, add in your flash and adjust the power until your subjects look the right brightness. You can probably get close with TTL and then switch over to manual and fine tune things.

Now, it’s essential to keep your light source protected, especially near water. I had to be careful not to let the equipment get wet, but the results were worth it. The dramatic backlighting made the athletes look powerful and dynamic. The early morning light can change quickly, so be prepared to adjust your settings as the sun rises.

If you’re going to do a shoot like this around water, now is not the time to use a flimsy lightstand. I used my beefiest steel stand that isnt on wheels and I got an assist here from my friend Jon.

This image as well as the next one, was captured as part of a marketing campaign for the Elinchrom FIVE so if you want to check out more shoots from this project please click on the video up here

Next up, we have a beautiful sunset portrait on a sailboat with the Chicago skyline as the backdrop. For this shoot, I used the Elinchrom 5 and the Rotalux Go 24-inch softbox. Our model, Sana, was positioned on the front of the sailboat, creating a stunning silhouette with the setting sun behind her. In stead off using HSS to stop the water droplets, were going to use it on this shoot so what we can use shallow depth of field and isolate Sana in the shot.

To ensure the light was just right, I had my friend David holding the softbox steady. We started shooting as the sun was setting, and the light from the Elinchrom 5 blended perfectly with the natural light, creating a beautiful, dramatic portrait.

No matter what I did during the shoot, the Elinchrom 5 kept up with me. Its recycling time was quick, and it allowed me to capture frame after frame as the light changed. As the sun dipped below the horizon, I switched to using the modeling light on the Elinchrom 5 to continue shooting in the dim light of dusk.

For this setup with Derek, I used a 27-inch or 70cm white Elinchrom beauty dish boomed out over the set. The goal here was to create a behind-the-scenes image that doubles as our final image. One key tip for this setup is to ensure the beauty dish is exactly parallel to the ground left to right because its going to be part of your photo and you want everything lined up perfectly.

I positioned Derek so that the hard line from the edge of the reflector fell in the right place on the background. Adjusting his position forward and back which helped me to get the line just where I wanted it.

It’s important to get the elevation of your camera right, too. During the shoot, I experimented with different camera heights on my Studio Titan STA-01-360 MK2 camera stand, to see how the light line on the background interacted with Derek’s head and shoulders. Moving the camera higher or lower can dramatically change the look of the image.

After I captured these images, I had to, of course, retouch them, and that’s where Evoto, today’s sponsor, comes in. Evoto is a next-generation AI photo editor that simplifies your workflow and allows you to unleash your creativity. You can apply a preset in just seconds or retouch most images from scratch in only a few minutes, then you can sync your edits to other photos and save tons of time. Let me show you how fast it works on this photo of Derrick. One of the features that I love is their backgrounds adjustment tab, where you can clean solid backdrops with the click of a button. This removes most footprints and wrinkles while maintaining the shadows. You can also further refine the image by toggling on color banding removal, and we all know how long this would have taken us to do by hand. You can also retouch the skin in just a few clicks and speaking of clicks, please click on the link in the description to get a special offer from Evoto.

For this next setup, I used a Bowens 200mm Fresnel to create a focused light that mimics sunlight, perfect for an old Hollywood vibe. I shot this look with the Canon RF 70-200mm f4 lens at 70mm, my exposure was 1/200th of a second, f5.6, and ISO 100.

The Fresnel was placed about 10 feet or 3 meters from the subject, off to camera left. This distance allowed me to get just the right amount of coverage and detail in the frame, creating a dramatic and classic look.

Using a Fresnel lens gives you a hard, focused light that can create sharp shadows and highlights, perfect for dramatic portraits. The key is to position your light source carefully to sculpt your subject’s features with precision.

We positioned the Fresnel light at a slight angle to create deep shadows on one side of the subject’s face, enhancing the dramatic effect. It’s important to adjust the distance and angle of the light to achieve the desired look. We also used a reflector to bounce some light back into the shadows, adding a bit of detail without reducing the drama.

This particular fresnel has an iris inside that will let you focus the beam if needed and you can pick up a knock off up on Amazon, which I will link to below.

“For our next setup, we’re going to create dramatic hard light using an optical snoot. I used the Elinchrom Five along with a Nicefoto SN29 Optical Snoot. Optical snoots are fantastic for creating precise, hard light patterns. They often come with gobos, which are stencils that you can place inside the snoot to project shapes and patterns.

I paired the snoot with a palm tree gobo for this shoot. The lens on this particular snoot is a knockoff Yongnuo Canon nifty 50mm lens. It’s seen better days and exhibits some chromatic aberration, but it still serves its purpose well.

The key to using hard light on a model with a muscular physique, like Danny, is to create defined highlights and shadows. Shadows add depth and dimension, emphasizing the muscles. If you use flat light, you lose that definition.

For this shoot, I positioned the snoot at a lower angle and pointed it slightly upward to avoid an unnatural tilt in the focal plane. This positioning ensured that the gobo’s pattern focused correctly on Danny. As he moved through different poses, I adjusted the snoot’s angle and the position of the gobo to maintain the desired light pattern.

To keep Danny comfortable on set, I had a directional space heater aimed at him. This kept him warm and relaxed, which is crucial for getting the best poses.

Our final setup is all about rim lighting. I placed a giant 190cm / 74.5” Octabox behind the subject and aimed it towards the camera. Then, I leaned a 1m wide or 39”, V-flat World V-Flat against its face of the modifier and positioned the subject, Dyren, between the modifier and the camera. This setup transformed my single light source into three strip softboxes, creating a dramatic outline around the subject.

Positioning is key here. If the subject is too close to the softbox, the light won’t hit them correctly. If they’re too far, the light won’t create the desired rim effect because it cant wrap around and create a catch light on their eye. In order to make sure you have them in the right sport, stand in their position, close the eye closest to the softbox, and make sure you can see the white surface of the diffuser with the other eye. This ensures the light will hit the subject perfectly.

To control the amount of hair light, or in this case hat light, adjust the height of the softbox on the stand. Raising or lowering reviews more or less of the white surface, giving you control over the intensity of the rim light.

We’ve covered a lot of ground today, showcasing five incredible concepts that demonstrate the power of using just one light source. Let’s recap:

We had a triathlete in Action, capturing dynamic motion with a sunrise backdrop using the Elinchrom Five and a 100 cm Rotalux Deep Octabox; then a Sunset Portrait on a Boat, balancing flash with ambient light on location with the Rotalux Go 24-inch softbox; A behind-the-scenes look with Derrick and a 27-inch white beauty dish boomed over the set; An Old Hollywood Style hard light portrait with a Bowens 200mm Fresnel lens; an Optical Snoot, sculpting muscles while dressing put set with a palm tree gobo and lines leading into the model; and finally a Rim Light Setup with Dyren, creating a dramatic outline around the subject for a striking silhouette.

These setups show just a fraction of what you can achieve with one light. If you want to dive deeper and explore more techniques, be sure to check out my One Light Lighting Handbook. It’s packed with tips, setups, and insights that will take your lighting to the next level.

Thank you so much for watching. Let us know in the comments your favorite go-to one light set-up. Also please like, subscribe, and sign up for the bell to get notified about future videos. And don’t forget, if you found this helpful, consider sending a Super Thanks to support the channel. Have a fantastic day, and I’ll talk to you soon.