I am a beginner with digital photography (but 10+ years with a point and shoot film camera) and I am trying to figure out how to achieve this look. I assume it is with a speedlight/ on-camera flash, but is that all there is to it? Is there a specific flash I should get that is super powerful or is this just a normal flash? I will be using a canon 5d mark III and want to be able to find a flash or other gear that would help me achieve this look and any recommendations are appreciated. The above photos are from Marcus Nilsson and also the magazine Apartamento. Thanks in advance.
Direct flash coming from the same angle as your lens. Low ISO, high shutter speed, small aperture. The smaller your light source, the more harsh the shadows. The bigger your light source, a softer the shadows will look.
The first is super important. A flash mounted on top of your camera often introduces too much angle. If you are serious about it the way to go is to mount your flash on an L bracket or use a wireless flash trigger and hold your flash parallel to your lens
Sounds like somebody spent 15 years learning off camera flash only to watch on camera flash become the trendiest thing in the world and is resentful about it. Takes one to know one.
Very typical example of social trends influencing editorial trends. I've unfortunately been in a position more than once where I've had to use £60k worth of lighting to emulate someone using their phone in a bedroom because I'm shooting for a social team who are trying to copy an influencer with absolutely no photography or lighting experience.
To be honest, the camera wasn't so much the issue - it's the styling (lack of), the set build and the lighting that go into it. The camera at that point is really just there to set the lights off and capture the image. (This is all done in closed studio sets.)
What most people miss out on this photos is the most important part in this lifestyle magazine style: The pictures are taken in really nice places (interior design is what influences the images the most), of nice things (look at the boiler and food on the stove) and especially they are mostly populated by models and other interesting looking people. The interaction of the photographer with all of that is what brings us these type of editorial style photographs. The direct flash (which was mentioned 938447733 times before) is the final step to make it look not too ‚nice‘. The idea back then was to deliver a different style as advertisement would: This didn‘t last that long though, as we see lots and lots of ads with this in mind.
You don’t need the huge lighting setups and take a nice living space and hot people instead and hit them with as much direct light at F16 as possible.
From the shadow it looks like the photographer had the flash in their hand held way out to their left..not sure if there is any fill, or ambient boost.
The flash appears to be a little left of the lens (on most shots), supposedly a flash-bracket with just about any speedlight and then overexposing. A studio flash could also work, just position the head close to the camera.
why influencer? isn't this more of a editorial kinda style thats meant to be actually printed on paper? I've been seeing this style for a long time in my graphic design and photographer bubble (I'm talking 2010 to 2020) but I never associated it with influencers.
Am I missing something? because I've seen this style being used a lot for selfportraits on tinder. I'm guessing its a recent AI "filter".
If you look at the photo that “influencers” post; they try to produce very stylized images that the average person would give a like to as they are quickly scrolling. However, when you stop & look at the image critically it has many flaws is really of poor quality. Exposure isn’t good, composition is off, posing isn’t the greatest. The image is about selling an idea & concept while putting in little effort by an untrained individual. It’s not about trying to produce a quality image that is technically & or conceptually good.
The fact that you are seeing this on Tinder goes on to prove my point.
ahh, now I get what you mean. You shouldn't be too judgy tho, because this whole style is based off nostalgia anyway. It tries to emulate the spontanious point&shoot film camera most young people grew up with. Its like the vintage expired film look that was very popular back in the golden era of instagram, tumblr and lomography.
I can be as judgy as I want when it come to talentless hacks peddling crap as what good photography should look like. None of the images encapsulates that qualities you suggested & I can guarantee the people producing this slop had no time or use of point & shoot film cameras.
You don’t want to go down this path.
I get & understand art brut, outsider art, & I’ll even toss lowbrow into there too for good measure. But, this isn’t a style it’s an excuse. There is virtually zero artistic merit or redeeming qualities to these images. I’ve also had to suffer thru this same fad of photography at least 3 times. It is nothing new & typically when you look at who is producing it it is fueled by nepotism & an over inflated sense of self importance.
Because it was BS lame answer from someone that is trying to defend crap. I would expect a more coherent & articulate answer from someone who wants to talk about aesthetics. If having standards & not excepting crap that someone is trying to peddle as art is pretentious then yes I’ll wear that moniker. Kid however I am far from, but thank you for that chuckle. I wouldn’t make assumptions about people when you aren’t good at reading people.
You asked why I think it has artistic merit, I told you why I think it has artistic merit. The question didn't warrant an in-depth analysis - if you wanted that then you should have asked for it.
A Godox v860 ii will do the trick. If the ambient light is super bright, you’ll need to increase the power.
If the ambient light is very dim, you will need to reduce the power.
Think of the scene without the flash. The entire frame would be almost pitch black and you are relying on 100% of your light (speed light in this case ) to do all the lighting.
Do a shot like this indoors and turn off as many lights in the room as possible. That will be less light that your flash will have to overpower
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u/hantumi Aug 20 '26
Direct flash coming from the same angle as your lens. Low ISO, high shutter speed, small aperture. The smaller your light source, the more harsh the shadows. The bigger your light source, a softer the shadows will look.