5 Different Lighting Looks from ONE Studio Setup with Ab Sesay

Imagine being on a shoot where your client wants variety – something dramatic, something soft, maybe even a high-key fashion look – but you don’t have time to keep moving lights around. That’s exactly the challenge Ab Sesay tackles in this session. Instead of tearing down and rebuilding setups, he shows how one smart arrangement of lights can be tweaked into five totally different looks. It’s like having a full toolbox of styles without ever dragging a stand across the floor.

The Gear Behind the Setup

For this demo, Ab builds his foundation for five different lighting looks using three key elements:

• Main Light: A Mola Rayo silver reflector

• Fill Light: A Profoto D3 with zoom reflector firing through an 8×8 frame

• Background Lights: Two Glow ParaSnap 1×4 strip softboxes

Each light sits on its own channel and group, making it easy for Ab to toggle them on and off while demonstrating the different looks.

Look 1 – Hard and Dramatic with the Main Light

Ab starts with just the Mola Rayo Silver reflector as the main light. It delivers bold contrast, deep shadows, and a very sculpted look on the model’s face. This is the kind of lighting that immediately grabs attention, perfect for dramatic portraits. By simply adjusting the model’s head position, Ab controls where those shadows fall, creating variety even within this single setup.

Look 2 – Softer Contrast with Fill Light

Next, Ab reduces the drama by adding the 8×8 frame and fill light. He dials the fill in two stops below the main, balancing the shadows without flattening them completely. Suddenly, the image softens, catchlights appear in the eyes, and the overall mood feels more approachable while still retaining dimension.

Look 3 – High-Key with Background Lights

For the third look, Ab brings in the strip softboxes behind the subject, metering them about 1 to 1.5 stops over the main light. This brightens the seamless background and pushes the image toward a high-key style. When all three lights are combined, the results feel clean, polished, and full of energy – an ideal setup for fashion or commercial work.

Look 4 – Shadowless Wraparound with Fill as Main

Here’s where Ab flips expectations. He turns up the fill to match the main light at f/8, essentially transforming it into the new key. Because of its position, the fill wraps evenly around the subject, creating a nearly shadowless, flat look. This lighting look is soft, flattering on almost everyone, and shows off clothing beautifully. Think of it as a hybrid between a giant softbox and a ring light.

Look 5 – Ethereal Silhouette with Background as Main

For the final variation, Ab turns off everything except the background strips. Metered at f/11 behind the subject but f/4 in front, they create a glowing silhouette. The subject becomes softly rim-lit with wraparound accents, while the front falls two stops underexposed. Ab notes you can boost the glow by bouncing light forward with V-Flats or even re-introducing the fill, which turns the look into a dreamy, almost ethereal portrait.

A Bonus Twist – Negative Fill for Extra Drama