Studio Lighting

Studio Lighting

Studio lighting is the process of using lights inside the studio to improve the look of your pictures. While pictures can look good with just basic house or establishment lights, there are many things you can do to make them look even better. There are many options and tools when it comes to studio lighting. You can use big lights that look like umbrellas, and the purpose of these is to deflect and reflect the light from and to the subject at the same time. The light inside these is very bright, so the ‘umbrella’ is behind it to first absorb some of the light, and the light that is absorbed is thrown back onto the subject. You can also use large blunt lights that bring the light directly onto the subject. When photographing people, you want to be very careful with the position of your lighting. For example, if you have the subject’s face light too high, this can create a dark shadow under the eyes, and can give unsatisfactory results upon the look of your photo, unless you’re driving for this look. You can always experiment, though, especially if you’ve got a digital professional camera. You don’t want to waste film on experimenting!

Studio Lighting Setup

If you know what you’re looking for, as well as the types of photos you’re trying to get, it’s time to set up the lights. A question may come to mind. Where do I start? This question is common, as it can be confusing as to where exactly to begin. Well, first off, you always want your main light to be something such as a fill light, which focuses mainly on your subject. You’ll also probably want to have smaller, dimmer lights upon your background. You always want to have at least two lights; one for helping the lighting itself, faced at the camera or to the side. The second light you want would be focused on your subject. This light evens out the effects and takes away shadows. It is also helpful to have hair lights and background shading lights. This just makes for giving the picture a better look. Of course, every photographer is different. These are just some stepping-stone ideas for the start. It all depends on what you want.

Studio Lighting Tips

First off, you should always make sure your lights aren’t too bright; this will put a glare on the camera and make the subject look bright and unfocused. The background lighting should blend in well with the subject lighting, with the subject still being the main focus of the photo. Don’t always do the same thing; try different positions for light. You might discover something new and better! You can ask other photographers for tips and advice, or visit other studios to check out their photos and lighting techniques. But remember: be unique! Do your own thing.