Studio Lighting Basics 1

So you’ve invested in some studio lighting but don’t know how to set up the lights or what the different qualities are. So we’ll start at the beginning by showing you the different light qualities of a soft box, shooting through and reflecting off an umbrella.

Both lighting methods produce a similar look but there are subtle differences which may not show up in the video so you can download them and have a look for yourself.

In both cases we're only going to use one light modifier at a time so there will be shadows. With someone young like Tasha that can look pretty good because it brings out the textures and shape of her face. Be aware that with someone older those textures (polite way of saying lines / wrinkles) will be made stronger.

This can look great on a man or someone younger but a slightly older woman will possibly beat you with a stick if you accentuate her wrinkles so in studio lighting basics part 2 we'll show you how to get rid of them.For more on using a flash meter have a look at Home Studio Flash 1 and we’ll explain all you need to know about metering flash lighting.

If you want to know more about how light behaves when it's direct, diffused or bounced take a look at the second half of our Flash Photography introduction video where I'll show you with the help of a hose pipe and the long suffering Lorna :-)

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