One light, three looks: inside a portrait session
How a single octabox gives soft, moody and bright pictures in one session (sample).
Portraits made in good light, in a small Springfield studio
Portraits, headshots, family and product photos by Ines Calder at Northlight Studio (sample). You see the lights before we start, and you choose the pictures you keep.
How this portrait was lit
K
Key light: a 120 cm octabox to camera left, 1.3 m from the face, a little above the eyes
R
Reflector: silver, camera right, lifts the shadow side of the face
B
Background light: a small spot that brightens the paper behind you
C
Camera: 85 mm lens at f/5.6 and 1/160 s, about 2.5 m away
Four kinds of session
Each one starts from a lighting setup that suits it. The drawing shows where the lights, the reflector and the camera stand, so you know what the room will look like.
Portrait sessions
For a new profile picture, a birthday or just for you. Two looks, one backdrop each.
Length
90 minutes in the studio
Pictures
10 edited
Headshots
Clean, even light for work: CVs, websites, speaker pages and the whole team.
Length
30 minutes
Pictures
3 edited
$120
Family sessions
Outdoors in the last light of the day, or in the studio when it rains.
Length
60 minutes
Pictures
15 edited
Product photos
Clear pictures for an online shop: white background shots and a few styled ones.
Length
Half a day
Pictures
Up to 15 products
$450
Example prices.
Recent work
A few pictures from the last months, each with a note on how it was lit.
Daniel, headshot for a new job
Studio, 100 mm, beauty dish and reflector (sample)
Ana and Leo, engagement portraits
Riverside park, 85 mm, late sun and a white reflector (sample)
The Okafor family, an evening walk
Mill Road fields, 135 mm, the sun behind them (sample)
Stoneware cups for a pottery shop
Studio, 100 mm macro, two strip boxes (sample)
How a booking goes
Five steps from the first message to the finished files. Most people have their pictures within ten days.
1
Ask for a date
Send the booking form or call. Tell us what the pictures are for and who is in them.
2
A 15-minute planning call
We agree the look, the light and what to wear, and you get a confirmation by email.
3
The session
Arrive ten minutes early for a tea. You see the lights before we start, and we look at the first pictures together.
4
Choose your pictures
An online gallery of the best frames arrives within three days. Pick your favourites.
5
Get the finished files
Edited pictures within seven days, full size for print and smaller copies for the web.
Prices
Portrait session
90 minutes, two looks, 10 edited pictures
$240
Headshot
30 minutes, 3 edited pictures
$120
Family session
60 minutes outdoors or in the studio, 15 edited pictures
$280
Product photos
Half a day, up to 15 products
$450
Extra edited pictures
$20 each
Prints, 20 by 30 cm and up
From $35
Example prices.
Every session includes
- A planning call before the day
- Help with clothes and a changing room with a mirror
- An online gallery to choose from
- Full-size files for print and smaller copies for the web
- The right to print and share your pictures
“I hate having my picture taken. Ines showed me the lights first, told me exactly where to look, and it was over in twenty minutes. I use the photo everywhere now.”
Sample customer, headshot session
Northlight Studio from above (sample). The grid is 50 cm.
A
Shooting area: a curved white wall, 4 by 4 m
P
Paper backdrops on a rack: six colours, 2.7 m wide
D
Changing room with a mirror and a hanging rail
L
Lounge: sofa, tea and coffee, a table for choosing pictures
E
Entrance at street level: step-free, 1.2 m door
W
North window with a blackout blind
A small studio with daylight and room to change
Ground floor at 22 Foundry Row, Springfield (sample). Bring a friend, a change of clothes or the dog: there is space for all of them.
Size
9 by 6.5 m, ceiling 3.6 m
Parking
Two spaces in the yard, free
Access
Step-free from the street
Open
Tue to Sat, 10:00 to 18:00
Facts (sample).
From the journal
Why family sessions start 90 minutes before sunset
Low sun behind you, no squinting and warm edges: how we time outdoor sessions (sample).
Product photos for a small online shop: what to prepare
Clean products, a list of sizes and one styled idea: how to get the most from a half day (sample).
Ask for a date
Tell us what the photos are for and two or three dates that suit you. Ines replies within one working day (sample) and books a short planning call.