Studio Photography used to be a expensive business. Because of this, this kind of photography was relatively unknown to many photographers.
Studio photography is easy because you can get exactly what you want. Studio photography is hard because you can get exactly what you want.
Soft light, hard light, hair light, background. Everything is under your control. If you are a tremendously creative person who knows how to use studio equipment, you'll get wonderful results. If you are uncreative, you'll have very flat and boring results. If anything is wrong with the lighting balance or exposure, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself.
Soft light, hard light, hair light, background. Everything is under your control. If you are a tremendously creative person who knows how to use studio equipment, you'll get wonderful results. If you are uncreative, you'll have very flat and boring results. If anything is wrong with the lighting balance or exposure, you'll have nobody to blame but yourself.
Diffusors
The purpose of a diffusor is to evenly spread the light, like clouds do with sunlight on a cloudy day. Another benefit is the reduction of reflections on glass objects and on faces, which for example makes a person look sweaty.
A softbox is the most common solution. It has a reflecting silver layer on the inside, which bundles the light before it is emitted forward through a diffuser. This make the best use of the available light.
The main advantage of an umbrella diffuser is the little time it takes to set it up. This makes it ideal for a portable studio. Compared to a softbox, however, more light is scattered so the lighting efficiency is less optimal. This can be compensated by turning the flash’s power up, or repositioning it closer to the subject.
The purpose of a diffusor is to evenly spread the light, like clouds do with sunlight on a cloudy day. Another benefit is the reduction of reflections on glass objects and on faces, which for example makes a person look sweaty.
A softbox is the most common solution. It has a reflecting silver layer on the inside, which bundles the light before it is emitted forward through a diffuser. This make the best use of the available light.
The main advantage of an umbrella diffuser is the little time it takes to set it up. This makes it ideal for a portable studio. Compared to a softbox, however, more light is scattered so the lighting efficiency is less optimal. This can be compensated by turning the flash’s power up, or repositioning it closer to the subject.
Reflectors
Reflectors are one of the most widely used tools in studio photography.
You can use them to lighten up shadows, or to reflected a slightly colored light onto the subject. They come in various sizes and shapes, some are 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 with multiple colors you can choose from.
They also enable you to make the best use of available daylight, when you don’t want to use lighting equipment.
Reflectors are one of the most widely used tools in studio photography.
You can use them to lighten up shadows, or to reflected a slightly colored light onto the subject. They come in various sizes and shapes, some are 5-in-1 or 7-in-1 with multiple colors you can choose from.
They also enable you to make the best use of available daylight, when you don’t want to use lighting equipment.
What camera should you use?
You don’t need an ultra high-tech camera. Basically, any camera that lets you enter the shutter speed, aperture and ISO manually is suitable for studio photography. A good starting point is to set ISO value on 100 and the shutter speed on 1/125.
You can then experiment with the aperture and power setting on the flash head to find the desired lighting values. Alternatively, a flash light meter can be used to quickly find the best values.
You can then experiment with the aperture and power setting on the flash head to find the desired lighting values. Alternatively, a flash light meter can be used to quickly find the best values.
What is a modeling lamp?
All studio flashes come equipped with a modeling lamp. This is helpful for creating your composition. You can turn it on to see where shadows will be, if there are any undesired reflections, and so on.
When you have found a setup that works, you can turn if off if you want. The bulb that actually produces the flash, is called a flash tube.
All studio flashes come equipped with a modeling lamp. This is helpful for creating your composition. You can turn it on to see where shadows will be, if there are any undesired reflections, and so on.
When you have found a setup that works, you can turn if off if you want. The bulb that actually produces the flash, is called a flash tube.
Sources:
http://www.falconeyes.eu/introduction-to-studio-photography/
http://www.falconeyes.eu/introduction-to-studio-photography/