Studio Lighting
Lighting your photography studio does not need to be expensive. You can spend thousands on lighting equipment and specialized flashes, but it is best to start out with a more basic design of a few lights and umbrellas before investing in the "bells and whistles."
Instructions
1. Decide whether you want a ceiling-lit studio or a floor-based studio. Floor-based studios allow you to move the lighting around with greater freedom than a ceiling-lit studio would. Floor-based lighting offers a cost savings compared to a ceiling-based studio because you can start by purchasing a few simple pieces and expand from there. For the purpose of this article, we will be talking about a floor-based studio.
2. Decide if you will use natural light in your studio or not. If you have available natural light, you can get away with buying a smaller collection of lighting gear. If this is your plan, you must arrange your photo sessions according to when the natural light will be coming in.
3. Buy two light stands with umbrellas attached. The umbrellas will be used to diffuse the light for a softer look. Decide upon what level of light you will want to use with these light stands. Choose two different-strength bulbs to allow for variety in your studio.
4. Arrange the lighting in the manner most pleasing to your subject. Use the umbrellas to diffuse the light by either shining the light through the umbrellas or shooting the light off the umbrella so it bounces back onto the subject. You do not want the light going directly on the subject. The results will be too harsh and cast shadows.
5. Set up a backlight behind your backdrop to remove any shadows. The easiest way to do this is to set the backlight on the ground behind your background and shoot it upward, behind the subject. Don't let the backlight be too bright. You are simply using it to remove any shadows that the subject may cast on your background.
Tags: natural light, behind your, ceiling-lit studio, diffuse light, floor-based studio, light stands, light will