Studio Lighting Lessons in Basic Photography
Lighting is one of the most important elements in any photograph. Although cameras are getting better at accommodating less than ideal lighting conditions, and more fixes can be made in postproduction, there is still no substitute for good lighting. Studio photography lighting is based on some simple rules that any beginner should be able to follow.
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How Much Light?
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It is better to err a little on the side of too much light when equipping a studio. If you have too little light, you will have to run out and rent more equipment if on a shoot where you need more light. A good place to start is with a lighting system that provides 2000 watts-seconds. You probably only need a quarter of that if you are just shooting single-person portraits with a digital camera and a flash.
Umbrellas
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The use of lighting umbrellas is a very affordable and effective way of making the light much softer on your subject. Direct lighting is harsh and creates shadows and sharp edges. Use lighting umbrellas to reflect light at your subjects instead of lighting them with a direct source, unless you are specifically aiming for a deeply shadowed or harsh look. For regular portraits, an umbrella makes a small light source larger, and therefore softer and more pleasing.
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Controlling Light
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It is important when setting up studio lights that you only allow light to go where you want it to. Barn doors and shutters provide ways to focus lights so that you don't have extra light anywhere that you don't want it. A lens hood is also a very valuable tool. This ensures that none of the light on the shot is hitting your lens directly. If this happens, flares and other artifacts may ruin your shots.
Light Placement
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A single light source creates harsh shadows on a subject, so the normal studio lighting method is to utilize several lights to create a complete lighting effect. The strongest light source is called the main light, and it should be shone from the front at a roughly 45-degree angle onto the subject. Then, a softer light called the fill should be placed at an opposing angle to fill in the shadows created by the first light. Additional lights can be placed beside or behind the subject to create effects and fill in light differently, but the two forward lights are the primary tools of studio lighting.
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