It has been a little while since I updated this Photo Tips Blog, and I apologies to those who follow it but things have been rather hectic this summer. As things have quietened down a little now I thought I would share a few studio lighting tips with you, especially if you are fairly new to the studio.
The very obvious reason why many photographers prefer to work in the studio is that they are totally in control of the whole creative environment, although there are a lot of studio images on the web which show to me a total lack of any control or understanding of the studio environment. So whether you are starting out or a seasoned studio user, think about the image you want to create and then use what is available to you to create it, and that doesn’t mean loads of studio equipment, it means careful consideration and set up including pre-shoot planning. If your photography involves a model you need to communicate effectively what they are required to do and what wardrobe they will need. It is always good to share images of what you want to achieve with everyone involved, as people will otherwise come to the shoot with their own interpretation, which may not be your vision. Where possible use an experienced model with the exact look you want, and select them yourself or give an agency very specific guidelines, otherwise the six foot blond you were expecting may turn up as a 5 foot brunette. It is also recommended to have a make up artist who can do some styling and give assistance on set with any final touches.
The most important thing to me is to be minimalist in your approach. A studio isn’t a real environment, it is one that allows for isolation of the subject and there are plenty of ways to do this without using the obligatory white paper background. Instead, I think about your subject and how they are to be lit. Start with one light not every one that is available to you in the studio, you aren’t lighting a major sports event, but often a subtle single item. Learn from those who have been producing consistently good studio images and find out how they have done this, buy their books, attend their workshops etc, don’t expect to be able to do it without this level of help, you will waste years trying to perfect techniques that have taken decades to perfect. I was an experienced photographer when I had the late Monte Zucker make me feel about 6 inches tall during a three day workshop because I wasn’t consistent in my approach, ever since that workshop I have strived to always be consistent as I not only owe it to my clients and myself, but to the lineage of photography that goes right back to the 1850’s.
The one real tip is to start with just one light, it may be all you need. If you were outdoors it would be all you have, so why should the studio be different or the angle and direction of that light, you are looking to create an image with depth so ideally the light should be angled to the subject at somewhere between about 20 & 60 degrees depending on the results that you want. Using a modelling light with a studio flash head you will see exactly the effect you want, if there are shadows you don’t like, that is then the time to consider using a reflector to bounce some of the light you are already using to lift those shadows but not remove them, shadow is an important part of photography, it allows us to give our images a 3 dimensional look.
The image below is created with quite a lot of lights ….? No it isn’t it is actually created with just one light and reflector. As we look at the model the main light is to our right, the reflector is to out left and the three lights we see in the frame are there to be part of the image, although their angling also helps as what is referred to as “kicker” lights to edge light the subject, lifting it from the surrounding environment. There is also obviously some post production editing of this image, but this image represents the image I had in my head that I knew could be created it in the studio.
If you wish to attend one of my studio workshops these are run monthly and you can find out more by visiting this link : >>> Tuition & Workshops <<<
Thank you for looking
Marc;-)
The very obvious reason why many photographers prefer to work in the studio is that they are totally in control of the whole creative environment, although there are a lot of studio images on the web which show to me a total lack of any control or understanding of the studio environment. So whether you are starting out or a seasoned studio user, think about the image you want to create and then use what is available to you to create it, and that doesn’t mean loads of studio equipment, it means careful consideration and set up including pre-shoot planning. If your photography involves a model you need to communicate effectively what they are required to do and what wardrobe they will need. It is always good to share images of what you want to achieve with everyone involved, as people will otherwise come to the shoot with their own interpretation, which may not be your vision. Where possible use an experienced model with the exact look you want, and select them yourself or give an agency very specific guidelines, otherwise the six foot blond you were expecting may turn up as a 5 foot brunette. It is also recommended to have a make up artist who can do some styling and give assistance on set with any final touches.
The most important thing to me is to be minimalist in your approach. A studio isn’t a real environment, it is one that allows for isolation of the subject and there are plenty of ways to do this without using the obligatory white paper background. Instead, I think about your subject and how they are to be lit. Start with one light not every one that is available to you in the studio, you aren’t lighting a major sports event, but often a subtle single item. Learn from those who have been producing consistently good studio images and find out how they have done this, buy their books, attend their workshops etc, don’t expect to be able to do it without this level of help, you will waste years trying to perfect techniques that have taken decades to perfect. I was an experienced photographer when I had the late Monte Zucker make me feel about 6 inches tall during a three day workshop because I wasn’t consistent in my approach, ever since that workshop I have strived to always be consistent as I not only owe it to my clients and myself, but to the lineage of photography that goes right back to the 1850’s.
The one real tip is to start with just one light, it may be all you need. If you were outdoors it would be all you have, so why should the studio be different or the angle and direction of that light, you are looking to create an image with depth so ideally the light should be angled to the subject at somewhere between about 20 & 60 degrees depending on the results that you want. Using a modelling light with a studio flash head you will see exactly the effect you want, if there are shadows you don’t like, that is then the time to consider using a reflector to bounce some of the light you are already using to lift those shadows but not remove them, shadow is an important part of photography, it allows us to give our images a 3 dimensional look.
The image below is created with quite a lot of lights ….? No it isn’t it is actually created with just one light and reflector. As we look at the model the main light is to our right, the reflector is to out left and the three lights we see in the frame are there to be part of the image, although their angling also helps as what is referred to as “kicker” lights to edge light the subject, lifting it from the surrounding environment. There is also obviously some post production editing of this image, but this image represents the image I had in my head that I knew could be created it in the studio.
If you wish to attend one of my studio workshops these are run monthly and you can find out more by visiting this link : >>> Tuition & Workshops <<<
Thank you for looking
Marc;-)
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