Ghoulish Underlighting with Kersten Luts
Halloween might only come once a year, but creative lighting experiments are forever! Photographer Kersten Luts turned his studio into a gothic playground to create this wonderfully spooky portrait—complete with underlighting, fangs, and just the right amount of blood. The key to the look? A Platypod-mounted strobe and a bit of Photoshop magic.
The Setup
Kersten placed a Godox AD200Pro on a Platypod eXtreme mounted flat on the table, positioning it below his subject to cast that unmistakable horror-movie glow. This technique, often called monster lighting, flips traditional portrait lighting on its head—literally—creating eerie shadows and dramatic contrast. It’s a classic move used in everything from campfire ghost stories to vampire flicks, and it works brilliantly here.
The Platypod gave Kersten a rock-solid, low-profile mounting solution that let him get the light exactly where he wanted it without a bulky stand in the way.
The Capture
The underlighting illuminated the model’s face from below, carving out strong cheek and jawline shadows that accentuate her fangs and expression. By keeping the background simple and dark, Kersten ensured all the drama stayed where it belonged—front and center on that menacing grin.
The Edit
In Adobe Photoshop, Kersten leaned into the classic horror aesthetic by converting the image to black and white, then adding a selective pop of color to the blood and lips. The process involved a few careful steps:
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Convert to Black and White: A gradient-based black and white adjustment layer gave him control over the tonal contrast.
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Masking the Lips: Using a soft brush on a layer mask, Kersten revealed just the lips and blood from the color layer beneath.
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Fine-Tuning: A touch of dodging and burning deepened the mood, and a slight vignette sealed the gothic atmosphere.
The result is a timeless, haunting portrait that feels cinematic—like a still from a lost vampire classic.
The Takeaway
Kersten’s shoot is a perfect example of how small adjustments in light placement can completely change the story of a portrait. By getting the strobe low and using Platypod’s stability and portability, he turned a simple setup into something spectacular.
If you’ve got a Platypod, try experimenting with underlighting this season. You don’t need a castle, a coffin, or even a full moon—just a flash, a little imagination, and maybe a pair of fangs.
