Introduction to Photography Studio Lighting
I want to share with you some of my experiences with studio lighting to save you all the trial and error that I’ve been through over the years. I’ll refer to the subject you are lighting as ‘the model’ even though it may not be an actual model, I just mean whoever or whatever you are photographing.
As I see it there are two distinct skill sets:
1) Using available light. This is all about arranging the model to make the most of lighting you can’t control. For example, shooting outdoors. You can’t move the sun around, but you can move the model and your position relative to the model, so that the sun is in front, behind, or wherever. So there are clearly lots of skills involved in making the most of available light. What this article is about, though, is the other skill set:
2) Using studio light. Now it doesn’t necessarily have to involve a studio, but this skill set is about how to work with lights that you can move around. Studio Lighting can be daunting because you have complete control. You can’t blame external factors like the overcast sky. But the flip side is, once you do know what you’re doing with studio lighting, you can really create some amazing photos.
Here’s a brief history of my experiences with studio lighting. When I first got interested in doing photo shoots, I had no lights, and used ambient room light. The immediate downside to that is the lack of light – unless you have a really good lens which lets you have a wide open aperture like F1.8, or set the film speed (ISO) to something high (which makes the picture grainy), then to get a good exposure requires a slow shutter speed. Hand holding the camera was impossible like that, so I used to use a tripod and had to tell the model to hold very still every time I took a shot. Needless to say, the photos weren’t very good!
Next I invested in the cheapest lighting kit I could find, which consisted of two Portaflash DL1000 lights. These were a huge step forward because now I could actually hand hold the camera plus I could move the lights around. There was a downside, though… Those lights are continuous rather than strobe, which means they don’t flash. So the 1000w bulbs are blasting out light all the way through the shoot. That meant the model got hot – there’s nothing less appealing than a sweaty model with her spray tan melting! Plus the Portaflash lights weren’t ‘daylight balanced’, which meant that the pictures all come out with an orange hue.
After a year or two with those, I then invested in a kit consisting of two Bowens Esprit Gemini 500s. These are daylight balanced strobe lights, so colors came out properly, it wasn’t killing my electricity bill quite as much, and the models weren’t being slowly cooked by the lights. I still use these same lights today, several years later, and thoroughly recommend them.
A brief note on strobe lighting… Strobe lights (also called flash lights, because they flash) actually have two bulbs in them. One is similar to a household bulb and shines constantly so you can see how the light falls on your model. This is called the ‘modeling light’. This gives you a good idea of what the photo should look like when you take it; however the modeling light isn’t bright enough to give you enough light for a hand held shot, in the same way that ambient room lights aren’t bright enough. So the second light, the flash, kicks in at the moment you take the photo and blasts out loads of light in that split second, meaning that you can have a nice quick shutter speed and thus you can hand hold it, or even have the model jumping mid-air. Any motion will be frozen.
So having tried both, I definitely recommend strobe lights rather than continuous lights. One thing to bear in mind with strobe lights, is to turn off all ambient room lights while you’re doing the shoot. This is because the modeling bulb is about the same brightness as the normal room light, and the two will combine to give you a false impression of what the photo will look like when you take it. False because when the flash goes off, it will completely drown out non-flash light as it’s much brighter. So the modeling light, which is designed to show you how the lighting will look in the photo, shouldn’t be combined with ambient room light, because the ambient light will not appear in the actual photo due to the flash being so much brighter.
Enough for now… If you found this useful, please check out my photography e-book, “How to Start a Successful Photography Business” at the link below, which is packed with useful tips to take your photography to the next level.
Titus Powell
Professional photographer
Photography E-book: Make Money Photographing People
About the Author
Cowboy Studio Photography/Video Continuous Lighting Kit
|
|
Cowboystudio Full Spectrum Light Bulb- Four 45W Photography Photo CFL 5500K – Daylight balanced pure white light $21.00 * Wattage: 45 watts * Designed for our continuous video lighting * Approximate incandescent equivalent: 200 watts * Light output: 2,650 LM * Length: 6.37 inches * Diameter: 2.68 inches * Base height: 2.36 inches * Base width: 2.70 inches * CRI (color rendering index) > 84 * Color temperature: 5000 K, daylight * Designed for use at 120V/60 HZ * E26 standard screw-in base * UL listed, en… |
|
|
CowboyStudio 45W Compact Fluorescent CFL Daylight Balanced Bulb with 5500K Color Temperature for Photography & Video Studio Lighting $7.99 Compact fluorescent light bulbs use up to 75% less energy and last up to 10 times longer than standard light bulbs. The total cost of ownership of a compact fluorescent light bulb is typically substantially less than a standard light bulb that produces the same amount of light. Primary applications for compact fluorescent light bulbs include retail, hospitals, warehouses, workshops, churches, aren… |
|
|
Square Perfect Professional Quality 85 Watt Compact Fluorescent Full Spectrum Photo Bulb Photography $16.95 Discount Tommy is pleased to be the premier photographic supplier. We have combed the world over for the most robust, highest quality, full featured photo products available. These bulbs are no exception…. |
|
|
Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer (3295B002) $499.99 Canon… |
|
|
Smith Victor KSB-1250 Economy Softbox Three Light Kit, with 2 SBL-2436 & 1 SBL-1024 Softbox Lights, Light Stands, Mini Boom & Photoflood Lamps – 120V AC $569.95 The Smith Victor economically-priced line all-in-one SoftBox Lights combine a softbox with the light fixture, all in one unit! Can be used with fluorescent lamps, photoflood lamps, and Smith Victors new quartz halogen lamps. The Economy Softbox Light is a great way to take advantage of softbox lighting quality at very reasonable prices. The silver metalic lining inside the softbox is designed for … |
|
|
Smith Victor Thrifty Cordset with Clamp Mount $14.99 Thrifty cordset with clamp mount. Use to mount screw-base photoflood lamps or AC slave units. (Lamp not included.)… |
|
|
NEEWER® Macro Ring LED Light – Works with Canon/Sony/Nikon/Sigma lenses $29.35 This LED Macro Ring Light is specifically designed for close shots. It will constantly emit light and provide permanent lighting for subjects. With the LED lamp mode controller, you can adjust the three modes: all light, half left light, and half right light; With the power mode controller, you can choose two different power input modes to offers you continuous light: 2 AA batteries that is conven… |
|
|
Cowboystudio Photography/Video Portrait Umbrella Continuous Triple Lighting Kit with Three Day Light CFL Bulbs, Umbrellas, Stands, and Carrying Case For Product, Portrait, and Video Shoots $50.00 This kit provides 375 Watts of continuous lighting and it is a very good start for beginners. Entire kit sets up in minutes, and very easy to operate. Light Stand: |
|
|
2 PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO CONTINUOUS LIGHTING KITS W/ TWO FREE Day-Light CFL LIGHTS & UMBRELLAS FOR PRODUCT, PORTRAIT, & VIDEO SHOOT $32.49 This continuous lighting kits are ideal for small to medium photo studio. For portraits or larger product photography, one light kit can be used as your main light that defines the subject and the second light can be use as the fill light to reduce your contrast levels. The light is soft. You could move it easily to any photo place and setup them quickly. … |
|
|
420W Photography Studio 3 Umbrella Lighting Light Kit with Double White Muslin Kit, LimoStudio $130.91 Double Muslin (Muslin Backdrop + Muslin Protector)Muslin Protector Specially Designed by Professional Photographers’ Needs Helps Protect from Dust (Back, Front, and Floorside) Controlling Light Source & Enriching Muslin’s Color No Hot Pointson Light Beam (Not like Vinyl or Reflective Materials)(1) x LimoStudio 10 x 10 ft. White Muslin Backdrop Background(1) x LimoStudio 10 x 10 ft. Whi… |
Here Are Some Other Continuous Lighting Related Sites For You to Browse
Best Continuous Lighting Studio Setup? - Yahoo! Answers
Flickr: Discussing In Studio shots/flash in Twin Lens Reflex
Edison:The Life of Thomas A. Edison
CowboyStudio 2275 Watt Digital Video Continuous Softbox Lighting ...
One-Button Studio/Presentation Practice Room | Media Commons at ...
artisticaction : Message: Continuous
Cowboy Studio 2275 Watt Digital Video Continuous Lighting Review ...
photography: Definition from Answers.com
What kind of lights do real fashion photographers use for their ...
lighting and lighting equipment: Information from Answers.com
