How to set up lighting in a photo studio is one of the main questions that beginner photographers face. It can be difficult for beginners to choose the right equipment, decide on the number of light sources, and set them up and balance them correctly. In this article, we have compiled tips to help you achieve beautiful lighting in the studio without stress.
Start with continuous light sources
Pulse light sources (flashes) fire when the shutter is released. Continuous light sources are always on. Therefore, if you have little experience, it is better to start working in the studio with continuous light sources.
Yes, as a rule, good pulsed light sources have pilot lamps that show the direction of the light and help to build diagrams. But this does not completely solve the problem. A pilot light only shows the direction; it does not give an idea of the power of the sources and does not help to balance them with each other.
There is no such problem with continuous lights. In addition to the fact that the light from them is clearly visible, there are other advantages:
- it is often possible to change the temperature of the light — make it colder or warmer. This feature is available in many models;
- They are suitable for shooting video. This is very convenient if you want to shoot backstage footage at the same time. This trick won’t work with flashes. A flash is a burst of light that only illuminates at the moment the shutter is released. Continuous light shines like any household lamp or lantern.
- Less powerful, so they are better suited for small spaces. This type of light will not flood the entire space or reflect off all the walls at once, giving you more control.
Allow time for setting up the lighting and don’t rush
Some novice photographers are embarrassed that they need 10-15 minutes to set up and adjust the lighting. They think that the model will lose patience or decide that they are completely incompetent. This is a big mistake.
It is better to start shooting a little later, but with well-set lighting. It is difficult to correct poor lighting in post-processing. And the processing itself will take you more time than you would have spent on setup before shooting.
It is important to give yourself time to prepare and set everything up
If you feel uncomfortable with strangers watching you set up the studio, it is better to invite the models a little later. Allow yourself 10 minutes for calm and thorough preparation for work. 45 minutes of shooting with 100% good lighting is better than an hour with poorly set lighting.
Use simple and versatile lighting setups
If you are just starting out in photography, we recommend using simple lighting setups with two or three light sources at most. The reason is simple: the more lights you have, the more difficult they are to work with. For good lighting, you will have to position the sources at the right angles and from the right sides, adjust their power relative to each other, and coordinate them with the camera settings. If there are few lamps, the problems disappear by themselves.
There are many options that allow you to get good lighting with a small number of sources. For example, a classic setup is Rembrandt lighting.
It is very useful to learn how to imitate normal daylight using artificial light. It is quite simple to do.
The main trick is that we direct the light source not at the models, but at the wall. Such reflected light is an excellent solution, for example, for family photos. Here you don’t need a clever setup, just good diffused light.
There are two main conditions for working with reflected light:
- There must be something large and white in the room. For example, a wall, curtains on the windows, a cyclorama (endless white background).
- The light source must be powerful. Pulse lamps are best suited for this purpose.
Place any softbox or octobox on the light source and direct it towards the wall (window, cyclorama). It is best to angle it slightly upwards, at about 45 degrees. As a result, we get calm, diffused light throughout the room.
When using this option, the wall turns into one large diffuser and essentially replaces a large window. This is very useful for photo shoots in winter, when it gets dark early and daylight is needed.
The main problem that can arise with this approach is insufficient brightness of the light source. Ideally, you need a powerful pulsed light source. If you are working with permanent lights and there is not enough light, it is worth removing the softbox. The light will become less soft and uniform, but more noticeable.