How to take edgy fashion portraits with one light, part one: The shoot

(Image credit: Alistair Campbell)

For quite some time after I picked up my first DSLR (a Canon EOS 5D Mark II) I saw some great images knocking around, and remember thinking to myself, “Do these people just have a better camera than me?” 

In the end, the penny dropped and I began to understand that their success came down to the lighting setups. I now shoot images with a combination of natural light and off-camera flash. While neither style is better than the other, introducing artificial light if you haven’t done so before can add another arrow to your photography arsenal. 

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Lauren Scott
Freelance contributor/former Managing Editor

Lauren is a writer, reviewer, and photographer with ten years of experience in the camera industry. She's the former Managing Editor of Digital Camera World, and previously served as Editor of Digital Photographer magazine, Technique editor for PhotoPlus: The Canon Magazine, and Deputy Editor of our sister publication, Digital Camera Magazine. An experienced journalist and freelance photographer, Lauren also has bylines at Tech Radar, Space.com, Canon Europe, PCGamesN, T3, Stuff, and British Airways' in-flight magazine (among others). When she's not testing gear for DCW, she's probably in the kitchen testing yet another new curry recipe or walking in the Cotswolds with her Flat-coated Retriever.