Studio Lighting

A professional photographer would never dare undermine to power of perfect lighting, as the very meaning of photography essentially means “writing with light”. Years are spent studying proper lighting angles to perfectly set off the beauty of a certain subject, whether animate or still objects. The general rule of the thumb in studio lighting to play the available light to the very best advantage in order to achieve the very best possible effect.

The basic photography studio lighting schemes usually consist of three strobe lights and the fourth light, called the ‘ hair light’ is only used when needed. The main source of studio lighting is called the key light, which is basically used to contour a person’s face and add more depth and appeal to a subject. The key light also enables a 3-dimensional subject to be easily rendered into a 2-dimensional plane, as is often mounted on a studio sidekick stand. The important feature of the stand is it provides stability along with some lockable casters that allows the photographer to reposition it when on certain situations. The light from the main source is then modified through the utilization of a parabolic reflector that enables one to shoot through a reflecting umbrella, or a soft box just to achieve the desired effect. However, you can also use light modifiers to decrease the contrast, depending on the particular lighting effect you want to achieve.

The second important part of the studio lighting system is called the fill light that also serves as a contrast control. This is done through filling in the crevices and pockets of the subject. Among all studios lights, the fill light is the only one that is permanently in position at exactly 15 feet from the photography subject and is elevated to a height of approximately 10-11 feet above the floor level. This allows photographers to take photo shots even from directly underneath the fill lights if the situation calls for it. The fill lights are effectively diffused using a larger soft box, which is angled directly towards the subject’s face. This will provide you with a light ratio of 1:4 on your subject.

The third piece of strobe studio lighting is called the background light, which can be mounted on a shorter stand and placed behind the subject with an upward angle to illuminate the backdrops. This will also effectively eliminate shadows that are usually present on the background. If you want to have that vignette effect, use a parabolic reflector on a low-key ground usage. If you prefer the mid key backdrop for a more even light, use a soft box that is angled downward and directly towards the backdrop. This particular adjustment may vary from one photographer to another and would also largely depend on what effect you want to achieve in a certain shoot.

As mentioned earlier, the fourth studio lighting is known as the hair light, which is actually used to split the subject away from the background and to effectively accentuate the person’s shoulders and hair. It can be positioned either low or high, depending on the hair color of the subject. Dark hair would usually require a separator as in tends to disappear against a dark backdrop.

While the proper placement of the subject in a flattering way can greatly help in the result of your subject, proper lighting is still the most important skill that you need to learn. It will understandably take awhile for you to hone your skills but developing a keen understanding on the certain uses of different lighting fixtures is definitely one of the biggest steps towards your goal.

Photography, in essence is an art and a keen eye to details and the passion for the craft would definitely a good springboard towards a highly rewarding career.