For many photographers, arriving to the shoot location to find only a seven-foot dark basement corner sounds like the start of a nightmare. But for photographer Teri Hofford (@terihofford), that sounded like the start of dreamy portraits. Hofford, who believes all light is good light, recently met with Rangefinder to share how she captured these dream-like shots using a $6 thrift store find, a chandelier bowl, and a seven-foot square of basement space. 

Hofford explained that the shoot was a personal project. She wanted to play around with a $6 fringe cape she found at a thrift store while taking portraits of her friend. Hofford’s style is consistently inconsistent because her work is inspired by the human in front of her lens. While her work favors movement, blur, strength, and confidence, other elements change in order to create a portrait that’s as individual as the person in it. “I change my lighting and editing with my subjects because each person is individual, so should their portraits be,” she says. 

For this image, Hofford visualized warmth and movement, playing off the colors of the cape and the tones of her friend’s skin and hair. The challenge was to capture that in a small seven-foot by seven-foot basement room, while still getting a variety of images.  

The room was lit by a small rectangular window behind the photographer, plus a bare lightbulb above and slightly behind the subject. In order to scatter some of the light from that bulb while also adding some blur, Hofford took a glass cover from a chandelier and held it over her lens. 

Hofford says that any light source can be a good light source. “Practice is the only way to train yourself to ‘see’ the light and direct your subjects to get the shot in camera,” she says. 

The entire shoot took about 45 minutes. While the small space made it a challenge to capture variety, the limited light and glass over the lens created warmth and softness for a striking portrait. “Our goal for the shoot was to give her an uplifting experience with some beautiful images,” Hofford says. 

Four Lighting Tips from Terri Hofford 

1. Any light source is a good light source. 

2. Practice is the only way to train yourself to “see” the light and direct your subjects to get the shot in camera. 

3. Use additional things in front of the lens, facing a light source, to maximize/shift/change the light you are using. 

4. Use gels/fabrics in front of your lights to change the color in camera (make sure if you are using studio lighting that you use heat resistant items to cover so nothing starts on fire/melts!) 

 

Teri Hofford is a body image educator, photographer & author who encourages individuals to move towards self and body acceptance. Hofford specializes in boudoir and empowerment photography with a mission of diversifying the bodies we see in the photography industry. 

At WPPI in March, she’ll teach Empowerment for All Bodies and The Business of Body Image. 

[Read: A Photo Education Supreme: WPPI 2024 Educator Highlights]

The Successful Small Photography Studio

Outdoor and On-Location Photography: How to Create Better Portraits and Make More Money

The Lighting Series

The Portrait Collection Photoshop Actions by Felix Kunze

Painterly Portraits