Using V-Flats as Backgrounds on Location | Lindsay Adler (Video)

Lindsay Adler shares her innovative use of V-Flats on location to create clean backgrounds and craft beautiful lighting in her photography. She loves bold, graphic imagery, whether shooting portraits, beauty images, or in the studio or on location. Instead of traditional approaches to natural light, such as shooting in the shade or using reflectors, Lindsay uses V-Flats to break the mold and achieve striking results that suit her style.

She explains that V-Flats are portable and versatile, folding up easily and fitting in a car, making them convenient photography backgrounds on location. Lindsay demonstrates three different ways she utilizes V-Flats:

1. Multi-Purpose High Key Background and Fill Light 

By positioning the subject in direct sunlight and placing the white side of the V-Flat behind them, she creates a glowing high key background. Part of the V-Flat also wraps around to the side of the subject, bouncing light to fill in shadows on the face.

2. Dramatic Low Key Look 

Flipping the V-Flat around to use the black side, Lindsay achieves a more dramatic, low key effect. This setup emphasizes graphic shadows on the subject's face, allowing her to capture high contrast black and white images.

3. Graphic Shadows 

Lindsay manipulates a V-Flat to cast interesting, graphic shadows on the subject and background. By closing one part of the flat, she creates a split-light effect, with half of the subject and background in shadow and the other half lit by the sun.

Through careful manipulation of a single V-Flat, Lindsay achieves visually compelling results that align with her bold and graphic style. She emphasizes that using V-Flats as both backgrounds and light sources has become a go-to technique for her on location, providing her with control and creative possibilities.