Photographic Studio Lighting Training

Professional Still Photography Studio Lighting can make all the difference.

Does your studio lighting look flat and boring?

If you are using a single light near the camera like an on-camera flash, then you'll produce images with flat lighting. By moving the main light off axis from the camera (ex. to the left or right) will add depth to your subject. This will produce a strong shadow on the opposite side of the main light. In some cases, this may be what you want, but in most cases the shadows are too strong, so you need to either introduce a second weaker light source on the opposite side of the camera as a fill light to brighten up the shadows. The amount of fill light depends on what you are looking for:

Deep shadows: Dark and mysterious with a 4:1 lighting ratio
Pleasant shadows with a 2:1 lighting ratio
Glamorous with a 1.5:1 lighting ratio

Images Harsh Even With a Main and Fill?

You can utilize a main and a fill light with good ratios, but the images may still seem to be harsh and strong. The solution is a larger light source that is closer to your subject. This may be what you need, but if it isn't, you'll want to learn how to adjust it. This is controlled by the quality of light; whether the light source is small (specular) or large (diffuse). In general, the larger the light source, the more diffuse the light is, thus the softer the lighting appears. However, you can have the largest light source (mid-day sun) and still have harsh lighting because distance is a factor. The larger the light source and the distance from the subject determine the relative diffusion of light. Using a lighting umbrella or a softbox makes the light source bigger and moving that closer to your subject will increase the softness of the light. In fact, I've had subjects put their cheek against a 6 foot softbox for a very soft diffuse look.

To take it a step further, you can add two softboxes side by side to 'wrap' the light around your subject with very pleasing results. We use this when dealling with multiple subjects where we vary the output in each softbox to give the right amount of light to each individual (ex. softer for a female and stronger for a male).

If you use a spot light source off-axis from the camera (a bare bulb far from your subject), you will produce stronger h specular lighting with a heavier shadow. This can be useful to simulate a night scene, to mimic the 1940's style holywood lighting, or to add drama.

Fumbling With Lights While the Client Waits?

Understanding the key lighting variables and the set of steps to efficiently attain your final settings can transform a critical shoot from mediocre to a smashing success that results in additional sales. We can teach you how to pre-plan the upcoming sets by considering the mood and characteristics of the subject to emphasize or de-emphasize as needed. With this knowledge, you can select a specific lighting setup, then during the shoot, you mimic that lighting setup and decide if it is correct. If not, then you methodically adjust the lighting to efficiently zero in on the desired look.

Too Much Glare on Your Subject?

During a product shoot, you may adjust the main and fill lighting up/down, left/right, forward/backward and still have excessive glare. This is where indirect lighting and the use of barriers to block light should be employed. Figure out which light source and from what direction the glare is coming from. If your reflect the light source of a wall or reflector panel, then you can reduce or eliminate the glare. If reflecting the light indirectly doesn't work, then use an opague object between the light source and the subject to block the light along the angle of the glare to reduce or eliminate it.

Want to Become a Master of Studio Lighting and Command Higher Prices?

We'll work with you one-on-one in the studio to learn the concepts of lighting and how to efficiently setup light to get just what your looking for. We'll take the guesswork out of lighting and increase your profits!

You'll learn how to introduce subtle lighting to:

Add depth
Highlight features
Set a mood
Make a statement

Customers have come to know us for our careful attention to lighting, the photographers that go the extra mile to set just the right lighting for the job, but also how to do that efficiently during the pressure of a shoot.