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If you already have a camera and assortment of lenses, then your shopping list is going to be smaller than someone who’s starting from scratch. James Trent is an artist, entrepreneur, and photography lover. He runs Canon Lens Reviews, doing video reviews of popular Canon lenses. In effect, you’re only allowing the very edge of the light to reach the model. You may have to adjust your exposure slightly, as we may have lost a little light here. First, move your lights closer to the subject, and off to the sides a little.
Some of it won’t work, but some of it will, and that’s where you get your best images. Minor adjustments make a world of difference, including the direction you’re looking. If you look right at the light source, your glasses will reflect it at the camera. Instead, place the light overhead and to the right or left, depending on which way you’re looking. For example, if you’re sitting in a chair and looking to the left, place the light to the right.
How to Choose (and Use!) Hard Light vs Soft Light
You can also make your own DIY reflector easily at home. To harness the full power, you will need to diffuse or even flag the light. There will be many times where you’ll want to capture more ambient light in a scene. Photographing indoors means low light, and slow shutter speed is necessary. To get to know more about different lighting methods, read our article about 12 photography lighting facts.
This feature makes your subject appear more authentic and makes them stand out and vibrant during shooting sessions. This compact lighting kit is highly lightweight and suitable for various types of shooting sessions. It features a continuous lighting system that can be customized up to 180 degrees to give you a different lighting experience. Besides, it is equipped with 66 power-saving LED bulbs that provide maximum brightness without generating substantial heat.
Types of Artificial Studio Lights – Fluorescent, Strobe, LED or Tungsten?
Now that you know the three steps to professionally light your studio, here are five tips you’ll want to keep in mind as you set up. Location can be as crucial to your video as the lighting is. In fact, location can often play a major role in the lighting of the video. When deciding your location, you want to choose a place that gives you the most control over the lighting. I’d encourage every enthusiast to consider setting up a space to use as a studio. Even if you only want to share your best images on social media.
You’ll need a key light, a fill light, and a backlight. Each type of light is going to serve a different purpose for your overall video. If you’ve chosen a studio location with a lot of windows or uses a lot of natural lighting, this doesn’t mean you’ve chosen a bad location. Taking small steps to set up a home photography studio makes the journey more enjoyable – especially if you add a few DIY projects into the mix. You don’t have to be a pro running a business to set up a home photography studio.
Use the Light Source as the Background
Unless you have an advanced speedlight with high-speed sync, you're limited to using 1/200 or 1/250 as your shutter speed. This can be a problem if you're trying to freeze motion. Fill light is the light you use to fill in the shadows cast by your subject.
If you don’t, you’ll notice challenges when trying to colour correct it through white balance. A fill light can be a separate light, but why spend the extra money? A reflective surface in the form of white foam boards or a dedicated reflector works perfectly.
The Home Studio, Part 3: Continuous Lighting
This process will let you play with the lights until you have the best setup for your glasses. One is natural light, which is the most widely used because it’s already there. The sun gives it to us for free, so it would be silly not to take advantage. The other is artificial light, added to our scene from flash or continuous lighting. However, finding one in this saturated marketplace is highly challenging.
However, it’s not nearly as scary as most people think. By using a simple home studio kit with just a couple of flash heads and a few basic accessories, you can get great results in no time at all. One of the quickest ways to soften a harsh light is to use a white shower curtain. Place the curtain in front of your light and let it shine through onto your subject. The white of the curtain is perfect for allowing just enough light through, and it removes the harsh lines on your subject. Another way to do it is to bounce the lights off the walls of the ceiling.
Of course, you need to make sure the backlight isn’t visible in the shot. As mentioned above, you’re going to have different types of lights providing different kinds of lighting effects on your subjects. What’s important to know is where these lights need to go. Placing the lights in the wrong places can result in shadows in the wrong places or harsh lines on your subject’s face.
Place both lights slightly behind the subject, pointing back towards the camera. This setup requires some tweaking and can work really well with nudes as it helps define body shape. You’ll need to watch out for lens flare, though, as the lights are pointing back towards the camera. A set of ‘barn doors’, a lens hood or a shield can help prevent this. An assistant who can hold a carefully positioned reflector is useful – this will help fill in those areas of deep shadow. Hopefully, this article has helped you learn how to professionally light your own video studio.
A studio is a great way to photograph a product as you have complete control over the setting and the light. This is by far the most expensive option as you will need to buy all the equipment yourself. You might see scores of tutorials telling you how to take a ‘correct’ portrait. They involve many lights through complex lighting setups.
Another valuable addition to your studio set is a collection of props. As they don’t need to be very large, you can buy the black, white or coloured card from a craft store. These make excellent backdrops that are easy to swap out and are non-reflective. If you have an exposed brick wall or concrete wall, they look amazing as portrait backdrops. However, most of us don’t have a blank or attractive wall for portrait shots.
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