How to Set Up Studio Lighting

Setting up studio lighting is a process of approximation and adjustment. Four basic light sources are involved: the main light, fill light, side light and background light. You can use these lights in combination with standard light diffusers, light reflectors and other light modifiers to create just the right effect and bring out the best in your subject. It depends on how far you want to go with it. Let's start with the basics. Read on to learn how to set up studio lighting.

Things You'll Need

• Main light
• Fill light
• Background light
• Hair light
• Back light
• Diffusers
• Reflectors
• A variety of light attachments and accessories

Instructions

1. Position the main light. For the classic short lighting method, position the main light behind and above the camera, just above the level of your subject's face. From there, move the light left or right until it is set off about 45 degrees from the subject. The light should shine on the side of the face, not the front. There are other basic accepted positions for the main light, depending on your purpose. Broad lighting, for example, is where you place the main light directly in front of the subject. This flattens the face and washes blemishes out. Butterfly or glamor lighting is the use of two main lights, one lower and one higher, positioned directly in front of the subject. Look for the subtle butterfly shape appearing just under the subject's nose. Rembrandt lighting is just like short lighting but placed much higher over the subject, for an artistic, starkly shadowed effect. Finally, there is split lighting, in which the main light is placed directly to the left or right of the subject, set off 90 degrees from the subject-camera axis. This is another way to create stark, dramatic contrast. Try all these different methods with varying subjects.

2. Position the fill light. This is a soft light used for washing the entire scene in light so that all details can be seen. Position the fill light so that its light falls directly into the shadows created by the main light. Then you can move the light forward or back on the axis, and adjust the brightness, so that the right amount of contrast is created between the pools of light and the shadows. If necessary, you can also move the fill light around the studio to experiment with the relationship between main light and fill light.

3. Place a background light on the floor between the subject and the backdrop. Aim the light upwards and at the backdrop to liven it up a bit.

4. Place a hair light so that its pool of light falls on the top of the head of the subject. Make sure the light does not fall into the face. This creates extra depth and dimension, and separates the subject from the background. Many studio photographers swear by the hair light for creating three-dimensionality.

5. Understand that a back light can be used by advanced photographers to create a subtle outline around the subject--a silver lining, if you will. This one is challenging. Experiment with it.

6. Use light reflectors and diffusers to manipulate existing studio light and adjust the overall light palette in the scene. Place a reflector to the side of the scene to reflect light from the main light back into the scene. Place a diffuser over the main light, or between the main light and the scene, to soften the quality of light.

7. Keep in mind that barn doors, grids, snoots, gobos, filters and gels are all accessories you can place over light sources to adjust the shape, size, intensity or quality of the light coming into the scene. Once you have mastered the four basic lights along with diffusers and reflectors, you can start adding these gadgets to your studio photography arsenal.

Tips & Warnings

• Setting up studio lighting is science and an art. You should start out by following these basic rules, but then allow yourself to break rules according to your sense of adventure. Experimentation and technical practice are key.

• Some lights can get hot. That's why they call non-flashing lights "hot lights." Be careful.