Introduction to Studio Lighting

One of the main reasons I signed-up to do the Level Three course in the first place was because of its dedication to studio photography (after there was very little in levels one and two). I've never been particularly technical minded, so I thoroughly appreciated the 'recce' session John Kiely gave us, where he took us into the studio, and- without switching-on any of the lights- talked us through some of the main ones we would be using, not to mention the power packs (quads) and other bits and pieces. I don't think I will ever forget Mr. Kiely's famous line: "the most important thing in a studio are the clips and gaffer tape" [paraphrases].

For our very first hands-on practical session we were asked to use a series of different modifiers attached to a single flash-head directed at a single subject, the point being to gauge the different effects said modifier makes. A modifier is any device added to the flash head to direct/diffuse/shape the light falling upon the subject. Here we used a Beauty Dish (or Soft light in this country), Deep Reflector, Snoot, Soft Box and Umbrella. I will give an explanation of each of these, detailing their different effects upon the subject, followed by an example of this from out initial session.

Deep Reflector

The Deep reflectors we were using had a silver interior. White interiors are also available. These make for softer-edged highlights.

f8, 1/80th, ISO400, 50mm.
Prominent highlights on Andrea's face, not to mention the shadow cast to the back of the subject on her left (see below for lighting diagram)

Beauty Dish 

The beauty dish is basically a medium-sized parabolic (1) dish, often shallow with a silver interior. Inside the dish is a tube cover, used to cover the flash tube, which diffuses the light and softens the shadows. Without the the cover it would be more a "shallow reflector", with a harsher shadow behind the subject.

The beauty dish is basically a medium-sized parabolic (1) dish, often shallow with a silver interior. Inside the dish is a tube cover, used to cover the flash tube, which diffuses the light and softens the shadows. Without the the cover it would be more a "shallow reflector", with a harsher shadow behind the subject. f8, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. The Beauty Dish focusses the light at the subject and creates a sweet spot where in the centre with it dropping-off around towards the outer edges. I've used a tight crop here with my Sigma 50-200, meaning you cannot see a lot of the shadow behind my model. However, I can vouch that it is a lot softer than the Deep reflector. Snoot Looking at the shape of the thing, you'd think its effects are self-explanatory. The snoot is a full-on cone, meaning the light is directed and concentrated at a very small part of the model/subject, causing for an extremely harsh subject to fall behind. Way I like to see it, it is almost like shining a torch on the subject. f11, 1/80th, ISO100, 50mm. The snoot is used to highlight detail, in this case on the face of the model. It makes for a more intense look than the other modifiers, and as you can see above, the shadow is harsh with very clear edges, for nothing is softening/diffusing the light. Soft Box The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model. f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life. 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_dish 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-cQyJWNvLY 3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-cQyJWNvLY

  

The beauty dish is basically a medium-sized parabolic (1) dish, often shallow with a silver interior. Inside the dish is a tube cover, used to cover the flash tube, which diffuses the light and softens the shadows. Without the the cover it would be more a "shallow reflector", with a harsher shadow behind the subject.

f8, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. The Beauty Dish focusses the light at the subject and creates a sweet spot where in the centre with it dropping-off around towards the outer edges. I've used a tight crop here with my Sigma 50-200, meaning you cannot see a lot of the shadow behind my model. However, I can vouch that it is a lot softer than the Deep reflector. Snoot Looking at the shape of the thing, you'd think its effects are self-explanatory. The snoot is a full-on cone, meaning the light is directed and concentrated at a very small part of the model/subject, causing for an extremely harsh subject to fall behind. Way I like to see it, it is almost like shining a torch on the subject. f11, 1/80th, ISO100, 50mm. The snoot is used to highlight detail, in this case on the face of the model. It makes for a more intense look than the other modifiers, and as you can see above, the shadow is harsh with very clear edges, for nothing is softening/diffusing the light. Soft Box The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model. f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beauty_dish

2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-cQyJWNvLY

3) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-cQyJWNvLY

f8, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm.
The Beauty Dish focusses the light at the subject and creates a sweet spot where in the centre with it dropping-off around towards the outer edges. I've used a tight crop here with my Sigma 50-200, meaning you cannot see a lot of the shadow behind my model. However, I can vouch that it is a lot softer than the Deep reflector.

Snoot

Looking at the shape of the thing, you'd think its effects are self-explanatory. The snoot is a full-on cone, meaning the light is directed and concentrated at a very small part of the model/subject, causing for an extremely harsh subject to fall behind. Way I like to see it, it is almost like shining a torch on the subject. f11, 1/80th, ISO100, 50mm. The snoot is used to highlight detail, in this case on the face of the model. It makes for a more intense look than the other modifiers, and as you can see above, the shadow is harsh with very clear edges, for nothing is softening/diffusing the light. Soft Box The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model. f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

Looking at the shape of the thing, you'd think its effects are self-explanatory. The snoot is a full-on cone, meaning the light is directed and concentrated at a very small part of the model/subject, causing for an extremely harsh subject to fall behind. Way I like to see it, it is almost like shining a torch on the subject.

f11, 1/80th, ISO100, 50mm. The snoot is used to highlight detail, in this case on the face of the model. It makes for a more intense look than the other modifiers, and as you can see above, the shadow is harsh with very clear edges, for nothing is softening/diffusing the light. Soft Box The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model. f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

f11, 1/80th, ISO100, 50mm.
The snoot is used to highlight detail, in this case on the face of the model. It makes for a more intense look than the other modifiers, and as you can see above, the shadow is harsh with very clear edges, for nothing is softening/diffusing the light.

Soft Box

The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model. f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

The softbox does exactly what it says on the tin (softens light)... And it is quite literally a box. It also ensures there are very little shadows cast by the subject. The fact they are square means they can cover large areas (they come in different sizes depending on the scene you are shooting), and are easy to recognise when shooting portraits, for there will be an illuminated white square both eyes of the model.

f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm. Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light. Umbrella Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

f11, 1/60, ISO400, 38mm.
Note how the light appears evenly dispersed throughout the model's face, and how the shadow is hardly a shadow at all, but a mere "dropping off" of the directed light.

Umbrella

Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused. f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

Umbrellas can be used either as shoot through (where the flash head is covered by the umbrella) or reflected (where the head is aimed away from the model at the open umbrella). The latter is the most common, but the former gives a light very similar to a soft box because of the way the light is diffused.

f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm. Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect. In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.

f11, 1/80th, ISO200, 50mm.
Unfortunately, the tight crop means we cannot see the shadow (or lack thereof), but I think it is easy to tell how this gives a light very similar to that of the soft box. I actually really like this effect.

In subsequent studio posts I will discuss how I have used the modifiers mentioned here to light a range of subjects from models through to still life.