Studio Lighting Workbook

This simple, straightforward workbook will be sure to get you off and running in the world of studio photography. It includes detailed diagrams and descriptions of how to light people and products. The book is available for download as a .pdf format and will open in Adobe Acrobat, a free reader program available for download here. To purchase the book for $25.00 USD, click the Buy button below.

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The other option for learning this material is to go to the Photo Tips and Tricks Advanced Lesson set Web site. There you will find multiple lessons that include one-on-one help from me. I will respond to any questions you have via emails while you are learning the procedures.

Table of Contents

Introduction
•Learning to See Light
•Light Types
•Camera Positions
•Subjects
•Backgrounds
•Props

Building a Studio
•Scrim Soft Box and White Tent
•Backdrop and Table Studio
•Flat-Reflector

People Photography
•Emotional Power Portrait
•Creating a Sullen Emotion
•Staging People

Product Photography
•Lighting Multiple Glass Products
•Using Props with Products
•Multiple Exposures
•Making Reflections Work for You
•Using a Product for a Background
•Floating a Product
•Boring Product
•Interesting Design

Still Life
•Mixing Texture, Shape and Color
•Arranging a Set
•Photographing Beautiful Glass
•Messages in Still Life
•Creating a Mood
•Selling a Product

Introduction

Photography is all about light. When you are outside shooting you are at the mercy of the ambient or existing light, typically sunlight and whatever source that reflects sunlight. Studio lighting on the other hand will let the photographer control the light, its source, and the objects that reflect light on a set. This book covers the ins and outs of strobe lights, how to use them and how to control them on a set. It also covers how and why advertising images are created, stylized, and designed, as well as set construction.

What you will learn:
1. The power of strobe lights
2. Control with strobe lights
3. Advertising effects using strobe lights
4. Concept designs created for use in advertising
5. Lighting glass objects
6. Manipulation of reflective surfaces to enhance the image style like in a professional studio

Using many different types of strobe lights, you will recreate lighting effects that other photographers have used. There are many factors that affect the final images you will create. The type of light you use, the direction, the distance of light to subject, fill lights and reflectors, lens depth-of-field, and product position all play an important role in creating an image style. These are only a few factors that will affect your final image. Experience will teach you how to see light and how the subject responds. In the studio there are so many choices for lighting objects. Mastering how the strobes light objects will be the first objective. The power of the lights, their height and the angle of the lights are only a few things to consider in the studio.

After your idea is developed and sketched you will position your subject on the set that you have created. This all happens before you touch any lights. Studio lighting is far more complex than shooting outside because you have many more opportunities. Using the studio lights you will emphasize some areas of the subject while downplaying other areas. For example, in a portrait shot, ask yourself, Which is the best side of the face? Is shallow depth-of-field required for this product shot? What will my background do if it is in or out of focus in this photograph? You should be aware of how light can set a mood and portray a unique emotion. Using colored gels over the lights or different color balanced lights such as tungsten lights using daylight film you can manipulate the mood of the image by making it warmer or cooler. By paying attention to your subject's positioning, personal interpretation of your subject whether it is human or inanimate will help you create your own unique vision.

After each setup you should tear down the set and pack away the lights. This should force you to think fresh when you go back into the studio.

In the example below for the Building a Studio section of the book you can see that detailed diagrams are included in the book to help explain the process visually.

Below is an example of the People Photography section of the book. The page shows the camera format, including the light source and other details used to create the shot.

Below are two examples of the Product Photography section of the book. As you can see, detailed diagrams show you exactly how to re-create the same lighting situation.