There are so many places these days to look for photography tutorials, and now you can add Instagram stories to that list. Adobe has released a short tutorial via Instagram story on their Lightroom account, with tips and images furnished by Aundre Larrow. This particular IG story tutorial teaches some nuance for lighting and photographing subjects with deep skin tones.
It’s important to represent and make visible the entire spectrum of skin tones this world has to offer, and when doing so to make sure you can present them at their best. Dating back to the film days, light skin tones have been the default in photography. We’ve come a long way since then, but we’ve still got room to grow, and Adobe and Larrow have set out to help.
Larrow’s story provides three quick tips on photographing subjects with darker skin tones, and he’s also offered an in-depth look at the history of darker skin in photography and tips for working with darker skin today for Adobe Create Magazine which can be found here.
#1 – When Shooting Use A Hair Light
If your subject has dark hair, it will absorb a lot of light. Adding a hair light adds separation and helps bring out detail and texture in the hair that could otherwise be lost if only working with a single light.
#2 – Be Aware Of Undertones
Skin tones come in warm and cool variations, and which group your subject fits into will determine what colors of backgrounds, outfits, makeup, and accessories will complement them. You can tell a subject’s undertones by looking at their wrist. A person with cool undertones will have veins in their wrist that appear blue, while someone with warm undertones will have veins that look green.
For best results, pair warmer colors with subjects with warm undertones and cooler colors for those with cooler undertones.
#3 – Embrace The Highlights And Shadows Sliders
Boosting highlight and shadow sliders can help bring out detail in the features of a subject with darker skin that lighting alone may have not successfully revealed. Take care to give a faithful representation of your subject’s skin without over-lightening.
If you’d like to see the story in its native environment, you can spot it in a more permanent locale on Aundre Larrow’s Instagram via the app.
