Studio Lighting

In this weeks learning assignment we’ve learned about studio lights and different light sources. To learn the difference between the different lights and the effects they give i’ve done some reading and answered the given questions about the subject.

Question 1

1. Write three different light sources and their functions.

There’s a lot of different light sources but one of the most natural ones is Daylight. This light source varies with the weather and time. You can take advantage of beautiful sunshine or a overcast evening. We also have artificial light that include normal light, photoflood lights, flashlights and many more. You can control these light sources much more and use them however you like for your photos. Another light source is a bright/brief photographic flash from 1 position. This can give you a really dramatic feel and create harsh contrast in the photos.

2. Name two light modifiers and explain the difference between them.

The most common light modifiers are the umbrellas and softboxes. The reflecting umbrellas produce a diffuse and soft light because of it’s size and reflection surface. The light flies from the strobe head, hitting the inside of the umbrella and bounces back towards the subject. There are different types of umbrellas that create different effects. There are white, silver lined and gold tinted umbrellas. White umbrella (wider spread of reflection light.) silver lined umbrella (efficient, focused light that’s more narrow.) Gold tinted umbrella (warmer light tone).

The softboxes come in squares or rectangles. They are lightweight boxes with a reflective inside and a translucent front attached in front of the strobe light. The light gets reflected inside the walls and diffuse through the transparent front. This creates a soft, focused light illuminating the subject. The sofboxes and ubrellas have different light boundries and the softboxes are easier to controll.

3. Draw a diagram of and describe the three-point lighting setup.

The three-point lighting setup is one of the most common setups when it comes to illuminating a subject. The setup contains three lights and a camera that surround the subject. It is effective and pleasing by using by using the three different light sources. The setup consists of a main light on the right front creating the most light. Then you have the fill light on the left side, and the hair light in the back. By using this setup you get a lot of control over how the light shall look on the model. You can easily modify the light by moving them around or closer to the model. Taking away the fill light for example, can create some great contrast with shadows.

Question 2

1. Draw three studio setups for the following subject matters and list all the equipment that you would use to light your subjects:-Portrait-Fashion-Beauty

2. In a magazine or on the Internet, find one fashion shot, a beauty shot and a portrait shot and explain how you think the lighting was set up in each shot

Fashion Shot

Looking at this photo I think they have the main light on the right side illuminating the model. I don’t think they have used a fill light on the other side considering the shadows and contrast shown in the shoot. They do have a backdrop and I think they might have used a hair light filling in light at the top on the right side.

Beauty shot

Here I think they have the main light on the left side of the model. I think they have a little fill light on the right side creating a little light on the other side of the model.

Portrait shot

This shoot was interesting because they’ve used some really pretty colored lights. They have used a main blue light to illuminate the top and face of the model on the right side. On the left side they have a red fill light illuminating the side of her hair.

Question 3

The last assignment was a practical task where I had to take some portrait photos and focus on the lights illuminating the subject. I had to take one photo with a soft light and another one with more contrast and harsh light. Here are the two portraits I took:

I set up a little home studio and used a main light and a fill light to illuminate the subject. This was the perfect combination to create the soft light you see in the photo below. There’s also some natural light from the windows behind her that also helps the lighting.

To create a more dramatic feeling with the lights I decided to turn off the fill light and only use the main light as the light source. This created some really dark shadows on her face that made a good contrast.