Studio Photography with "Les Essentiels PHOTO" – Part 1 of 2

Film Noir in the Studio
Every Portrait I Create Begins with the Light

Guest article by Fabrizio Dei Tos-Navalesi, professional photographer and photography trainer

From Idea to Image: Building a Film Noir Portrait in the Studio

When I’m preparing a studio portrait, the camera is almost never the first thing I reach for.
Before I think about focal lengths, camera settings, or where to place my strobes, I start by imagining the finished photograph.

For this first lighting setup, I had the atmosphere of classic American film noir from the 1950s and 1960s in mind. I wanted strong graphic contrast, deep shadows, a subject emerging from darkness, and lighting that tells almost the entire story on its own.
Once that final image is clear in my mind, everything else becomes much easier.

Every decision that follows, from the choice of light modifiers to the position of each light and the power settings, serves one purpose: bringing that vision to life.

That’s what fascinates me most about studio photography. Unlike natural light, a studio gives me complete creative control. Nothing happens by accident.
In this two-part series, I’d like to show you how I created two completely different portraits using the same studio, the same model, and almost exactly the same equipment.

As you’ll see, what transforms an image is not the number of lights, but how we choose to shape the light.

Every Portrait Starts with an Idea

Whenever I teach a workshop, I notice that many photographers begin by setting up their lights and only afterward ask themselves what kind of photograph they actually want to create.

I work the other way around. The first question I always ask myself is:

What story do I want this portrait to tell?

Only then do I start thinking about how to make that story visible through light.

For this first portrait, I wanted to create a mysterious, cinematic atmosphere. I wanted the viewer’s attention to be drawn toward just a few illuminated areas, while other parts of the face gradually disappear into shadow.

To me, light is far more than simple illumination. It guides the viewer’s eye, sculpts facial features, and defines the emotional tone of an image.

In other words, light becomes its own visual language.

Film Noir: Telling a Story with as Little Light as Possible

For this portrait, I deliberately chose a very simple lighting setup.

The principle couldn’t really be simpler.

I use only a few light sources—but each one has a very specific purpose. The key light shapes the face. Two rim lights create a subtle outline around the model, separating her from the background.

Everything else is intentionally left in darkness.

Nikon Z7 II
Nikkor Z24-120 f4
1/125 – f4 – ISO 400
67 mm

What I particularly love about this style of lighting is that the shadows become just as important as the illuminated areas. They don’t hide the subject. They tell part of the story.

To better understand how this portrait was created, let’s take a look at the lighting diagram.

In this first setup, every light has a clearly defined role. The key light sculpts the face, while the rim lights define the model’s outline without unnecessarily illuminating the background.

At this point, many photographers assume the portrait was taken against a black backdrop. It wasn’t. In fact, the model is standing in front of a standard white paper background. That’s usually one of the biggest surprises during my workshops. Because what I want to demonstrate is that the nearly black background isn’t created by using black paper. It’s created entirely through lighting.

“The most versatile tool you can have in a studio is a white background. With a white background, you can create almost any look you want.”

That idea often surprises photographers. The color of the background isn’t what determines its appearance. The way you light it does.

Nikon Z7 II
Nikkor Z24 – 120 f4
1/125 – f4 – ISO 400
24 mm

Behind this dramatic, dark-looking portrait is nothing more than an ordinary white paper backdrop. Careful light control and preventing unwanted spill makes it appear almost completely black in the final image.

Measuring Light Means Controlling Light

This is exactly where measuring light becomes incredibly valuable. Once I know precisely how much light each individual source contributes, I can recreate the same atmosphere anytime even weeks later. That’s where the Datacolor LightColor Meter has become an important part of my workflow. Rather than relying on guesswork, I can measure each light individually, balance the ratios, and reproduce the same lighting with confidence whenever I need it again.

The result isn’t just greater technical consistency. It also gives me more freedom to concentrate on what really matters: working with my subject.

Coming Up in Part Two

In the second part of this series, I’ll show you why creating a compelling portrait isn’t about using more lights.

With the same model, the same camera, and the same studio, we’ll build a completely different lighting setup to create an entirely new mood. Because light doesn’t simply illuminate a subject. It tells the story.

About Fabrizio Dei Tos-Navalesi

Fabrizio Dei Tos-Navalesi is a professional photographer, photography educator, and expert in digital imaging technologies. His career bridges photography, visual storytelling, and imaging technology. He also taught photography and digital image processing at the renowned GOBELINS Paris.

As Product Director at DxO, he played a key role in developing innovative software solutions for photographers. Today, he shares his expertise through his YouTube channel, Les Essentiels PHOTO, where he helps photographers improve every aspect of their craft—from capture to digital post-processing.

Looking for more inspiration?

Explore all the ways to connect with the Fabrizio Dei Tos-Navalesi