How to Light My Portrait Studio
Portrait studios allow photographers to have complete control over their images. Whether it's for a family shoot, a yearbook, or any other occasion, portrait photographers are popular and clients depend on them to make images with great lighting and composition. Setting up a portrait studio can be achieved with natural or artificial lighting.
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Instructions
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Natural Studio Lighting
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Select a studio space with a large window for the best natural studio lighting. Ideally the window will face north, keeping out direct sunlight. However this is not essential. You can position your subjects close to the window to illuminate them with large, soft light.
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Lighten the shadows cast by the window light with a reflector, if you wish. Reflectors are not a requirement for great portraiture, because many fine arts photographers prefer heavy shadows in their work. Most traditional portraiture, however, benefits from reflected fill light because it creates a fresh, happy look. Reflectors are available at photography shops, but foam core-board, covered with crumpled tin foil is an effective substitute.
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Manipulate the size of the window light with black paper. The size of the window light, relative to the subject, determines how soft or harsh the shadows are in portraiture. The size of the catchlights reflected onto the subject's eyes also determine the amount of light coming in the window. Different subjects may look better or worse with different light sizes, so having the ability to alter a window's size can be quite useful in a natural portrait studio.
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Cover the window with a white sheet to block harsh light from unevenly lighting your subjects. Harsh like is produced from the sun when it is close to noon. The sheet will diffuse the sun's light and soften it, making for a more flattering picture.
Artificial Light Studio
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Establish a key light at a 45 degree angle from either side of the subject's eye line. Key lights are also known as main lights and are the cardinal light source in portraiture. The key light should illuminate about three quarters of the subject's face and cast a shadow on one cheek or the other.
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Place a fill light at the opposite angle of the key light. Adjust the height of the fill light's stand so that it is not at the same level as the key light. The fill light lightens shadows cast by the main light. Fill lights are optional as some portrait photographers prefer to use heavy shadows.
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Set up a back light, or rim light, from behind and to the side of the subject. The back light adds another dimension to portraiture. The light contours the face, shoulder, hair and body of the subject, making them appear to pop out of the frame. The side at which the back light shines is up to the photographer.
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Set up a background light to add tonal variation to the backdrop and help to separate the subject from its context.The positioning of the background light is up to the photographer, but they are commonly placed directly behind the the subject, creating a gradient effect.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
