Grid spots are made of honeycombed metal that restrains the spread of light from the source to form a concentrated area of light on the subject. They are very useful in making pools of light around a set or dramatically lighting a subject. The effect can be varied with the tightness of the grid spot and the amount of fill light (always less in intensity than the spot light) you provide.

Grids, as they are commonly called, can create a variety of bright and dark areas of exposure in an image—directing the light so it is hottest in the in the center of the spot, while the edges of the spot fall off in intensity. When grids are used directly on someone’s face they can be very harsh, so they need to be positioned carefully to light the face in a more flattering way. One of the caveats of lighting faces with grids from just one side, for example, is that the side of the face that is closer to the light is usually too bright. This happens because that side of the face is both closer to the light, and is also in the center of the hot spot created by the grid. I use the differences in the exposure of the grid spot to throw the light to the far side of the face, thus making the far side slightly brighter and the close side slightly less so. This evens
out the exposure from side to side. Regardless of which degree of grid is used, one of your assistants should be watching the exact positioning of that grid as the subject moves and varies his or her position. Position is critical to an even exposure. Grids come in varying degrees from 40º to 3º, with 40º being the widest. In between there are 30º, 20º, and 10º metal grids. The 10º grid uses the tightest honeycomb pattern. The 3º is made of the same material but is twice as thick. The narrower the spot is, the tighter the honeycomb material (or the thickness of the grid) is, and the less light output it permits. Grids align the light into the little openings of the honeycomb throughout the entire surface of the source. This means the light with a grid can be “thrown” long distances.

Fabric grids or egg crates, such as those made by Lighttools, work much the same way for different sizes of softboxes. These egg crates restrict the direction of the light and how much it spreads across the entire surface of the softbox or subject. This point is important, because the egg crate works over the entire surface, yet simultaneously sets light output from different points on the softbox, creating a light surface large and soft, and spotting the shape of the light.

Keep in mind that because grids spread the light across the entire surface of the softbox or subject, there is less light output when grids are used. That loss of light must be taken into
account when you plan and position the lighting for your shot. You must determine exposure with the grids in consideration.

This was a personal project I did in Key West, Florida. I often travel to various places in the world to look for interesting people to photograph, usually just walking around to find them. This was one of those situations. I was hanging around Key West, “hunting” people down, when I found an escape artist, Michael Patrick, performing at Mallory Square. I asked him if, after his performance, we could set up the same shot, without all the people behind him. While watching the first performance, I figured out how I wanted to light Patrick and set the shot. The cool thing was that he was silhouetted against a brilliant sunset. The dark, silhouetted areas of his body were dramatic and worked well against the colorful sky. But, there was some information in the setup I did not want to see (the areas that go dark) because it would have interfered with the information I wanted to focus on (like his face). In thinking this out, I decided to use a 20º grid spot to light his face from underneath, and to let the light fall off in a soft, circular shape as it went up his body. This way, I was able to light his face while the legs of the frame holding him and the rest of his body went gradually dark. I also balanced the strobe exposure with an exposure for the background I liked.

Michael Grecco's clients include TIME magazine, GQ, People magazine, ABC, HBO, IBM, GE, ESPN and dozens of other top companies in entertainment, business and advertising; his subjects include many international superstars and household names. The winner of awards from Communication Arts, Photo Design, AR 100, the New York and Los Angeles Art Director Clubs, and numerous others, Grecco teaches many photography seminars across the country each year. His book is available from Cord Camera, as well as other retailers.