Nighttime portraits can be a highly effective way to add a bit of drama to your images and open up entirely new creative avenues. If you are interested in learning how to shoot portraits after dark, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show what you need to know to get up and running. 

Coming to you from Ashley Boring with Westcott Lighting, this awesome video tutorial will show you the ins and outs of shooting portraits at night. One of the most basic struggles you will have when photographing people at night is getting enough light for your autofocus to work reliably. If your strobe has a modeling light, this can take care of the issue, but if it does not, one easy fix I used when I only had basic lights was to bring along a small handheld light. I would hold this with my left hand and my camera in my right, then turn it on for a few seconds to get my focus, then turn it off again just before I clicked the shutter. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Boring. 

If you would like to continue learning about how to light a portrait, be sure to check out “Illuminating The Face: Lighting for Headshots and Portraits With Peter Hurley!”