Studio lighting is both controllable and predictable, but often takes more preparation than working with natural light. It is a combination of where to put lights, control them and how much lighting to apply. However, studio lighting is under your full control, and can be adjusted to suit your needs and meet your visual goals. Read on to learn to how place, configure and adjust your studio lighting equipment.
Instructions
1. Position each light. Assemble each lighting rig, which will vary based upon what type of lights you are using. But at a bare minimum there will be a light stand, the light itself and a power source for the light. Add a modifier such as a softbox or umbrella as needed and place the whole assembly in the proper location. Exactly where you place each light will be based upon the look you are trying to achieve and the location of your subject.
2. Setup triggering for each flash. Most, if not all of your lighting will be non-continuous lighting. These types of lights must be synchronized with the camera and will need to be triggered in some way. Most professional studios utilize radio triggers, and to a lesser degree, optical slave units. Slave or provide triggering to each light by wiring an optical slave or radio trigger to it. Once each light has some way of being triggered, test to ensure that all of your flashes are firing consistently.
3. Set the output of each light. Set the output level of each light to achieve the lighting ratios you would like to see in the final image. The values do not have to be perfect as they will be adjusted accordingly after you meter each one.
4. Meter and adjust the key light. Begin by turning on just the main light, also known as the key light. Using an incident-type flash meter, take a reading of the main light where the subject will be. Adjust the output level or location of the key light to obtain the aperture you are looking for.
5. Meter and adjust the fill light. In the same way that you metered and adjusted the key light, adjust your fill light. A good starting point is to set your fill light to be one stop less than your key light.
6. Meter any background or hair lights. If you are using any lights beyond a key and fill light, such as background lights, hair lights, rim lights or separation lights, meter these sources now. Remember to keep any other potential sources of light from affecting your measurement when metering a flash.
7. Take a test shot. Now that all of your lights are in place and adjusted, take a test shot. Preview the image and look for any issues such as blown highlights, underexposure, undesirable shadows and other lighting defects. Adjust your lighting accordingly by once again adjusting output levels and placement of lights until the lighting is technically sound and fulfills your aesthetic aims.
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