When I first heard the abbreviation SQIBB, I thought we were talking about the Harry Potter term for a non-magical person trying to learn magic on their own, but that’s definitely not the case! A SQIBB portrait is an incredible way of creating a Studio Quality Invisible Black Background in any lighting, any setting, with just your camera, a speedlight flash, and a flash bender. So I set up my models in my living room during the height of the sun and bright light and set up my flash with the rogue flash bender – I made sure to partially ‘snoot’ the flash bender to direct the light and I also used the diffuser to diffuse the flash just a little bit. I then tested my settings and flash until I found a good exposure with a f/9, 250th exposure, and an 1/8 on my flash. I was trying to accomplish a dramatic, but also soft light to accentuate the different styles of dramatic lighting.
