Studio Lighting Suggestions

[JR92]

I am about to start doing indoor photography (portraits)and I have no idea(s) about lighting. I would like to eliminate using a flash and still get enough light with no shadows. Does anyone have any suggestions, I am lame on this subject and need some advise. Thank You.

[hodgy]

Are you looking for lighting techniques? Or lights?

[JR92]

I am looking for lights then techniques.

[Dans_D60]

Dear JR:

Lighting techniques for photography or video is a vast topic. There are numerous books and courses available. I’m sure your local bookstore will have a good supply of books covering this subject. As a tip, the simplest method to reduce shadows (by no means the only method) is to place two studio strobe units at 45 degrees directly in front of the subject. In theory, the light from each strobe will cancel the rear shadow from the other. Also, the further your subject is from the background the better. Using “large� light is also helpful with large umbrellas or softboxes. I started down the studio lighting learning curve by attending classes and reading many books. In addition, I did purchase an inexpensive studio lighting setup to practice. There are many starter kits to choose from. I purchased a pair of JTL 110 monolight strobe units, light stands, and two large umbrellas. Although these units are not very powerful, the entire setup was less than $350. After many trial and error sessions, I could setup and produce predictable and very acceptable portrait results. I have since invested in additional and more powerful lighting equipment. Having a lot of fun and recently I have actually requested payment for my services! Still a hobby, however. You can see some of my lighting work at:
http://www.dpcg.com/photo

Just remember that using the external PC connector on the D60 for your studio strobe setup should have the trigger voltage at six volts or less. Most modern new studio strobe setups are “digital� compatible, but make sure to ask before your purchase.

Have fun … practice and practice! … Dan

[Kevin Connery]

While it may seem intuitive to get the equipment then learn the technique, one problem arises. Without knowing how you will be using the lighting gear, it's difficult to make a well-informed decision as to which lights to choose.

I wrote a little article on choosing studio lighting, where the key areas are discussed: total power, adjustability, reliability, portability, etc., but the final decision really needs to be based on how you will be using them. Not just what your subjects are, which camera equipment you're using, but also your working style.

The article can be seen at http://www.keradwc.com/articles/studiolights.html

Some good online sources for lighting techniques for portraiture are http://www.zuga.net (See Joe Zeltsman's articles in the archived information section), http://www.lightingmagic.com (See Scott's FAQ section). There's a lot of others, but these two are pretty good and very approachable.

[JR92]

Thanks for all of the input. I just ordered a Britek Traveling Studio with three lights (two large with umbrellas and one to help reduce shadows or highlight hair-backlight) It sounds like an all-in-one package and should work great while I get started. I also ordered a jet black muslin (9x18) and a 9x12 white muslin with a heavy duty support system. I hope I can figure everything out, if not I will be back and learn from simple mistakes. Thanks guys, JR.

[tphvid]

JR... was wondering what you thought of the Britek Traveling Studio you indicated you were going to purchase. I am looking into the Compact Travel Kit
(1620 w/s Three Lights) setup. This would also be my first exposure (excuse the pun) to studio level lighting.

Thanks... any comments or feedback on these would be appreciated!

[JR92]

I think it is great, though I don't use it. I have only used it a few times and got execellent results. Despite being brandnew it did not come with any instructions, so just kind of spent time learning. Since I don't use it I am selling it all, if interested I will make you a heck of a deal.
JR92

[tphvid]

Tell me what kit you purchased, where you are located, and what you would like for it.

My email is tphvid@hotmail.com if you prefer to talk via email.

Thanks.

[LightingMan]

I am about to start doing indoor photography (portraits)and I have no idea(s) about lighting. I would like to eliminate using a flash and still get enough light with no shadows. Does anyone have any suggestions, I am lame on this subject and need some advise. Thank You.
Hi JR92

Portrait lighting is a topic disussed and speculated on by countless photographers as if it were exceedingly complex and difficult to grasp. This is simply not true. If one learns the most basic elements of the science of light, then one by one the things that once seemed impossibly complex melt down into basic ideas that are not only understandable but downright simple in most situations.

By definition, portrait lighting is directional light with a highlight side and shadow side to the subject, frequently with additional accent lights used to enhance the look of the subject, aid in separating the subject from the background or to just add more three dimensional contrast to the subject. This is what photography is. Creating three dimensional contrast on a two dimensional medium. The images will ultimately be seen as a two dimensional photograph but hopefully have a three dimensional appearance created by proper lighting. Adding depth and dimension to the subject using highlight and shadow is what makes this possible.

The first thing one must begin to realize is that shadows are not the enemy. They are the very thing that makes portrait lighting look like portrait lighting. Eliminating shadows is not the answer to great portraiture. Understanding where the shadows are supposed to be and where they are not supposed to be and how to control them is a large part of doing studio portrait lighting well.

Sadly, much information that new portrait photographers receive is guesswork and simply wrong info passed down from person to person believing it to be true because others before them believed it were true. There is no element of professional lighting that cannot be verified, proven, and duplicated again and again with totally predictable results. I tell my students to not believe anything they are taught including what they learn from me until the have tested it, verified it and used it with the full understanding of how and why it works. This is not a "just trust me, it works" sort of business. If someone says that, run in the other direction.

Professional studio portraiture and lighting is not some experimental thing. It is a precise and exact science that blends with artistic and creative thinking to create images that are truly worth looking at and enjoying. One of the first things new studio photographers do is to take two lights and put one on each side of the camera believing that this is the answer to the issues of shadows. This could not be further from the truth. In no way is that technique any kind of portrait lighting. It will produce mostly non directional light with cross shadows that conflict with each other not to mention adding considerably weight to the subject since you are lighting them from ear to ear.

Portrait light has direction so that the subject is flattered and in most cases made to look slimmer rather than fatter. Lighting can easily do both and it's up to the photographer to control the light by understanding how and why it works the way it does.

If we light a subject from ear to ear think about the brightness levels across the face. You have lit everything the camera sees more or less equially. The subject looks considerably heavier than if you light the subject from one side where the main light sources illuminates the eyes, cheeks, forehead, nose and chin.

If the light is so far to the side that these areas are not fully lit then we are moving away from proper portrait lighting. The eyes are paramount and should be studied carefully to observe how fully lit they are and how similar they are in brightness.

If your main light is very near the camera, it no longer creates much three dimensional highlight and shadow rendering the subect flatter than heavier than is generally though of as desireable.

For a beginning lesson, let me suggest that you make your living room into a temporary studio by placing a chair in the middle of the room. Do this at night so that you can make the room very dark. Once you have done this, find a subject willing to sit for you and have them sit in the chair.

Now for your light source to practice with, find a desk lamp or other simple light source that has a light bulb in it. Perhaps even the lamp on the end table next to the couch. Remove the shade and you have your light source. Be sure that other room lights are switched off so your movable light is the only significant light source lighting the subject.

Now, using this one source of light, move it around in front of your subjects face keeping a safe distance of several feet. Observe how the shadows and highlights move as freely as you move the light source. Never be affraid to move that light around. It won't break. Don't be timmid. Also observe that when you move the light to your right that the shadows move to your left and vice versa.

Once you have a few minutes of observing and providing your subject is willing to continue as your object to light begin looking at the subject's face. Imagine that they are wearing one of those little plastic halloween masks that came with the inexpensive kid's halloween costumes. The kind of mask that covers only the front features of the face leaving the sides and ears exposed. The portion of the subject's face that would be covered by the mask is the area we wish to light in order to create a basic portrait lighting pattern.

We light what we call the "mask" of the face. What are the portions of the face that are covered by the mask? The forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks and chin. Those are the areas we wish to light. Move your hand held light to the side of the subject (facing into their ear) and a bit above them. Now slowly begin to bring the light toward you so that it begins to light more and more of the frontal features of the face. Observe carefully. Look at the eyes first. Bring the light source around to the front of the subject and stop when both eyes are fully lit.

At this point your light source should be roughly 45 degress between directly in front of the subject and directly to the side. Study the light and see if you are lighting both eyes equially, both cheeks fairly equially, the forehead, nose and chin. The light source should cause the nose to cast a shadow that points somewhat down toward the corner of the mouth roughly following the natural light that we have running from the nose to the corner of the mouth. Pay attention to the eyes because there is nothing more important than keeping the eyes well and evenly lit.

If you have followed this basic set of instructions, you will have the basic lighting pattern used for most portraits. The light on the face will seem harsh because it is a small light source. You practice using a small light source because the highlights and shadows are more clearly defined making the learning process faster. If your room is quite dark as it should be, you will observe that the shadow side of the subject's face is quite dark.

To demonstrate the most basic concept in portrait lighting, find any large white object. A white poster board, a white T shirt, any object that is a couple square feet of white surface. While you hold your main light in place by letting it sit on a stand or table of some sort. While it is in position giving you even lighting to the eyes and other facial features as we have already discussed, bring the white reflective surface toward the subject from the side opposite the main light. Position it so that it is more in front of the subject than the side. This white reflective surface will now be returning some of the main light into the shadow side of the subject's face elevating the brightness level of the shadows. By adjusting the distance from the reflector to the subject you have control over how much fill light reaches the shadow side of the face thereby give you great control over the look of your portrait lighting. More fill light for a more conservative look or less fill light for something more dramatic.

When you watch movies, observe how shadow and light are used to light the subject's face. Simply by observing, you can learn a great deal.

I hope this is helpful for you beginning efforts in portrait lighting. If you followed my instructions, you should be able to create some pretty nice basic portrait lighting.

Best wishes,

[tim]

Scott, welcome to POTN, i'm very happy to have a true expert here :) I've recommended your studio lighting book a few times, I found it very valuable for cutting through all the rubbish you find in many books :)

I'll read your post later, it's a biiiig block of text to digest :)

[SkipD]

Scott - can you please edit your post, breaking it up into paragraphs so that it is easier to read? It is a real challenge the way it is.

Thanks.

[Jon]

Scott - can you please edit your post, breaking it up into paragraphs so that it is easier to read? It is a real challenge the way it is.

Thanks.
Amen!

[PhotosGuy]

Scott - can you please edit your post, breaking it up into paragraphs so that it is easier to read? It is a real challenge the way it is. :D :D I was just about to suggest the liberal use of the Enter key, too!

[PacAce]

I've formatted Scott's post (content not changed other than adding white spaces) to make it easier to read.

Now that I've had a chance to read it, the content is very good and very helpful. Thanks, Scott.

[Edit: I'll sticky this thread for a while and then move it into "FAQ: Studio Lighting".]

[joner]

Scott, Your info will be very helpful...I have been having some trouble with my lighting...however, I believe I have incorrect settings on my 20D as well....do you
have any suggestions on what is the best setting for portrait shots ...I have several
lights already...recently purchased a 500watt JTL photo light with hopes of eliminating
my strobes....but no such luck yet...pics still to dark having to use strobes too...causing harsh pics.......If I set my ISO higher will I need less light.....

[LightingMan]

Dear Joner: I am anxious to help but you left a fair number unanswered questions such as what settings you ARE currently using. You never said. You said you have several lights already but didn't say what they all were.

Asking what settings to use is a bit like asking for bullets to fit a gun before you know what kind of gun they are for. It's just not that simple. If you want to learn about what you are practicing then you need to get your camera off of any program or automatic exposure mode. As long as it's thinking for you, you will never learn. You must be the one making decisions so when you see the results you will learn from them. We call that practical experience. Letting the camera do the thinking for you will never prepare you for the unexpected shoot that you have never done before. You must know how to use your camera and your lighting equipment.

From what you say it sounds like you are trying to mix strobes of some kind (you didn't say) with your 500 watt hot light. This is not the thing to do. Strobes and hot lights are not the same color temperature and they don’t work the same way. You need to use one or the other. Mixing them will only give you grief. Aside from the color miss match, strobes emit a very brief pulse of light while the hot lights are continuous. Trying to work with two entirely different kinds of lights is just not going to get you anywhere but frustrated.

You said yo are having trouble with your lighting but that's all you said. What trouble? You need to describe what you feel are the problems and perhaps I could shed more light on what's best to do. Are you wanting to do portraits using hot lights? You didn't say what you were photographing so I am guessing.

You say your images are harsh because of the strobes. I must take a stab in the dark and guess that you are probably trying to use small portable flash units. The kind that slip into your hot shoe.

Setting your ISO to a higher number will allow you to use less light but at the expense of added noise which is not a good thing unless you absolutely have to. Having enough light is pretty important. I cannot suggest using hot lights for portraiture. Imagine having 3 or 4 of those JTL's going. That's like turning on a 1500 to 2000 watt space heater. It's going to heat up your room quite a bit not to mention heating up your subjects with radiant heat making them uncomfortable and probably anxious to get finished with the sitting. Portrait subjects should be pampered and looked after so they are totally comfortable with you, what you are doing and their surroundings which includes working in a cool, comfortable environment. A set of cool, matched studio strobes would give you a big improvement in many areas not to mention making your learning curve improve as well. Having the correct tools for the job always makes doing the job and learning the job easier and more productive. Even if you only start with two identical lights, you are on the right road and can add more when finances allow.

It also sounds like you may not have a hand held flash meter to take readings of both flash and continuous light. It's a really important tool for the portrait photographer. If you don't have one then you will be spending a great deal of time testing, with lots of trial and error. Why not make life a lot easier and try to obtain the right tools for the job? You can get good stuff used if you shop carefully.

It sounds like you also may need some training in how to light portrait subjects assuming that is what you are doing. Knowing where the light goes and where it doesn't go, how to control your fill light relative to the main light, how to use and control a hair or accent light as well as a background light are all important components in understanding how to light for portraits. If you wish you can visit my web site and study some of my images. There are over 50 different ones in a number of different categories Some of them even have detailed diagrams and if you need help, you can e-mail me with your questions. I am always happy to help someone get on the right road. Life is too short to keep taking wrong turns.
Best wishes,

[PhotosGuy]

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008bWl
http://www.montezucker.com/content.html?page=7

[gravespinner]

Thanks Lightingman - Although there is not much time before Christmas, my birthday is fast approaching and self-bought presents work very well. I was looking at starter systems today, but one phrase in your second post sprang to my eye. A set of cool matched studio strobes... but by that do you mean complementary rather than the same?
Is this something that is explained somewhere other than the advice of a sales person?

gravespinner

[LightingMan]

Dear Gravespinner: When I use the word "matched" I am referring to having what I more frequently call a "balanced" set of lights. Almost no emphasis is ever placed on the need to get what you see and I have always wondered why that is. Photography is a visual art form. When a painter wants a particular shade of blue oil paint for his painting, he doesn't squeeze some out on his pallet and then measure the color temperature of the paint so be certain of the color. What does he do? He looks at it. As simple as that. He looks to see if he LIKES the color he has selected. Why should we not be able to do the same? Yet we still have almost no discussion of the importance of having a set of lights that will get you precisely what you see.

Before the digital revolution began, I worked for 17 years with film and had no way to do Polaroid test prints with my Mamiya 645 to see how my lighting was looking. One day it hit me. Why would anyone want to have to make tests to see what they are getting when it's right in front of them? Most photographers would answer, "So we know what it's going to look like." Now that just never made any sense to me. We can see, right? Why shouldn't we be able to walk into our camera rooms, look at our subject, grab our light stands and move lights around until the subject is painted with wonderful light that looks precisely as we want them to, make the exposure and KNOW that the image will look JUST like we remember? I felt that the answer shouldn't be anything but yes. We have eyes. We have creativity. We have style. Why would we want to rely on a meter to tell us that something is going to look a certain way (sort of) when we should be able to trust our eyes? I never understood that so I rejected it completely.

Photographers repeatedly told me that they HAVE to take new readings all the time for each light so they know that it’s not too bright or too dim. “Why?” I asked. Why can you not rely on what you see? “Because it always looks different”. Again I said “Why?”

I thought about all this for a moment and said, "What are the modeling lights for, anyway?" Are they not there to show us what the lighting will look like when the strobes fire during our exposure? I asked another question. "Why is it that we need to keep measuring all these lights so we know we have the exposure where we want it? I couldn't think of a good answer. None of the laborious business of turning one light off to measure the other one, and then the reverse the process. My goodness! What a laborious waste of time just to find out how bright one side of the face is compared to the other. When we are in the camera room, we should be thinking about posing, creative lighting, colorful gel effects, smoke effects, smiles, expressions and all of the things that make up the finished portrait. We shouldn't make the subject sit there while we take endless readings? Someone said, "We take our readings before they get there...". I thought about that and asked "What will you do when you get finished with the first lighting set up and want to move on to another one, or do you just want to do things one way during the entire sitting?" I never got a good answer because there wasn't one. If a new lighting style and setup was to be used during the same sitting, then everything has to be measured all over again, turning lights on and off while the subject sat there waiting. What a killer of creativity, energy and excitement. The problem is that some of us want to be creative and free to do what we want. We need to feel liberated to create on the fly as it comes to us without any of the stumbling blocks and pot holes that slow us down.

The answer came to me as something incredibly simple. The concept was just this: The modeling lights should accurately represent what the related strobe will do when it fires. If they did, then I would know what I was getting without all the new readings. Imagine that. Actually making critical decisions on lighting techniques and styles as often as you want with no more concern about turning things on and off and measuring all these lights again and again. The only reading that need be taken is the taking aperture with the dome of your meter facing the main light. That’s it.

Having the modeling lights proportionately identical to the strobes they represent was the critical factor. Having two lights with identical modeling bulbs in them but one with twice the power of the other one in the strobe department would never look the same in the image as it did to the eye. It couldn’t. The modeling lights were telling one story and the strobes were telling a very different story. How imprecise can you get? It’s like having a LASER sight on your gun that is not lined up with the place where the bullet will go. What good will it do other than helping you hit the side of the barn but nothing more precise than that. It will only get you in the neighborhood and maybe not even very close to the neighborhood.

Lighting companies continue to offer kits of lights with mixed power ratings. If they are all frrm the same company it’s nearly a certainty that they are using the same modeling bulb. Frequently I see a set something like this. 4 mono light setup. One light at 800 WS each and one at 400 WS and two at 200 WS. The excuse they use is “...because you don’t need all that much power for your background or hair lights so you use the 200 WS units for those positions and then the 400 WS for the fill light which is never as powerful as the main light which will be the 800 WS unit. It almost sounds logical and tons of these types of kits are sold every day. I get calls, e-mails galore from people who all say the very same thing. Almost word for word. “No matter what I do, it never seems to look the way I want it...it just doesn’t look like it did when I set it up”. I hear this again and again and again.

The situation is even worse when you have mixed brands on top of the other problem. Then you don’t even have consistent modeling lights. Everything is different and you have no clue as to what it will look like until you do a bunch of trial and error, again and again and again. “But we can turn the controls down and make the modeling light match the output of the strobe head.” Maybe, but rarely is it just that easy. If you wanted to turn down, say the 800 WS so the strobe portion was now at 400 like the fill, leaving the modeling bulbs on full power. Then you would get what you see with those two lights. Of course you have wasted half of the power of the 800 WS unit. “But” you say, “I can turn down the modeling light at the same time as the strobe output. They call it the “tracking feature”. Will that give you what you see? Not quite. As you reduce power to a modeling light bulb what happens? The AC current is reduced and the light goes form white to yellow to orange to red to brown to black. It’s difficult to see where the light is going when turning it down makes the modeling light burn so dimly. As a result, most photographers keep the modeling lights on full power regardless of the power setting for the strobe output. Of course this will never give them what they see.

Next question. When we turn down the strobe and modeling light’s output at the same time using the tracking control is the change linear? That means when we reduce the strobe by one stop does the modeling light go down one stop? It might get fairly close in the first stop or so but keep turning it down and take readings and watch what happens. The output of the modeling light is tapered off more gradually in order to provide more usable modeling light even when you have reduced the strobe output significantly. Is it still the same proportions as before? Of course not. We no longer get what we see and are back at the very problem we are trying to resolve.

Because of all this, many, many studio owners have their lights setup in their camera room at very precise levels and they never change them. They have the hair light set so that it provides some light for dark hair but not too much for blond hair. No variation however is possible or he will not know what he is getting. It’s adjusted that way from much trial and error. The same things are done for the other lights. They are tested and tested and refined and then “bolted” into place so to speak. Spontaneous creativity of lighting is out the window.

I just couldn’t have it like that. I am too interested in being spontaneous in the camera room so building a setup of balanced lights where all the strobes put out the same amount of power and the modeling lights do the same thing so I will always get what I see. I can adjust each light very precisely in true “what you see is what you get” fashion using simple methods like barn doors, neutral density gels, fill umbrella feathering while using a special design highly reflective silver umbrella and so on. I have no light that I cannot control the output of quickly, simply and reliably. I work quickly and only need to take a single meter reading for any setup change that I do. The reading toward the main light to determine my taking aperture. My students are always amazed at how much time I spend working with the subject, and how little time I spend metering lights. I don’t need to because when I close down that set of barn doors to just a little slit and bring it in to the subject’s hair until it is providing JUST a kiss of hair light, I don’t have to measure it, because I KNOW that the modeling light is accurately representing what the strobes will do when they fire.

I couldn’t imagine working without that kind of freedom and spontaneous creativity. If you look at the 50 or so images on my web site, you will see images that were made using one and only one meter reading. That’s it. I didn’t need to measure anything else. I knew what was going to look like just by looking at the subject in the light I created. This concept in lighting has been the centerpiece of my books and seminars for over 20 years. It’s not some experiment. It’s real, reliable and based on simple principles.

Sorry for the length of this but there was no way to properly answer your question in just a few lines. I hope it all makes sense to you. Feel free to e-mail me if there is any aspect of it that you don’t quite get and I will be happy to help you fully grasp the concept.
Best wishes,

[PhotosGuy]

If a new lighting style and setup was to be used during the same sitting, then everything has to be measured all over again, turning lights on and off while the subject sat there waiting. What a killer of creativity, energy and excitement. Possibly for the same reason they hang a light meter around their neck AND a strobe meter and "do the dance" for the client? A year ago someone posted here that they needed a light meter to "look more professional". Nothing was said about being one. ;)

[tim]

Scott, it look like you're giving away half the contents of your book here! Your answers are always very simple and helpful, I learn a lot every time you post :)

[LightingMan]

Thanks for your kind words Tim. I have never believed in trade secrets If I know it, I will share. I have encountered many people along the way telling stories about the photographers down the street or across town who would not give them the time of day let alone any helpful advice to the new photographer in town. Kind of sad. It would have been better to be generous and make a friend. Some day the informational tight wad will need a friend in the business to pitch in during some kind of difficulty and they might not be there for them. Give and foget. Receive and remember.
best wishes,

[Ronald S. Jr.]

Hmm..however helpful, surprising that someone felt the need to post in a thread....

almost four...years...old.

Very helpful, though. thanks for your responses, "lightingman".

[PhotosGuy]

Well, you did too! ;)

[sqjaw]

There is so much one can learn if one puts his mind to it, and I truly believe in this quote :

[ "It's not what you own that makes you a great image maker. It's what you know." - Scott Smith ]

and the more you work at it the better you will get ,you may not end up as a great photographer, but you will be doing it right:

Thank you Mr. Scott Smith

Sqjaw:D

[Mike6158]

This is quite possibly the most informative and useful thread on this site.

[PhotosGuy]

Don't forget the lighting "Sticky"s, Mike. ;)

[Mike6158]

Whew... there is A LOT of reading material for lighting here (all of the sticky's)... THANKS!

[NickSimcheck]

Hats off to lightingman for taking the time to share his thoughts, I know I'm buying his book.

[Richard51]

This is the most indepth advice I've seen. Thanks Scott. My wife doesn't know it yet, but she has been chosen to "sit"!!!

[Wilt]

It also sounds like you may not have a hand held flash meter to take readings of both flash and continuous light. It's a really important tool for the portrait photographer. If you don't have one then you will be spending a great deal of time testing, with lots of trial and error. Why not make life a lot easier and try to obtain the right tools for the job?


I hope all the guys who insist that a handheld meter is pointless ("I can do better with my histogram") read the above point and it sticks in their minds!

Yet in your later post, you basically make the point that you don't need a meter, you should use your eyes. So it undermines the importance of the meter that you made in the earlier post. Care to elaborate?

[splitfyre]

I am trying to find a light meter on Craiglist as I'm tired of renting them, and find myself in the studio almost every second weekend.

[PhotosGuy]

I hope all the guys who insist that a handheld meter is pointless ("I can do better with my histogram") read the above point and it sticks in their minds! I don't think I've said that they're pointless, just that most people can get good results without spending money for one? Lightingman's post is excellent from the viewpoint of a pro, and clearly meters belong in his workflow.

But do 99% of the members here need one? I'm still saying "No."

[Wilt]

I don't think I've said that they're pointless, just that most people can get good results without spending money for one? Lightingman's post is excellent from the viewpoint of a pro, and clearly meters belong in his workflow.

But do 99% of the members here need one? I'm still saying "No."

Ok, your viewpoint clarified...it agrees with my position that digital camera histograms can eliminate the large portion of the reason for a meter for majority of enthusiasts, but having a meter does have its place.
I do think that its role is closer to 10-20% of cases, not 1%. A meter provides a much more efficient workflow than total reliance on histrogram peeping. And so much time can be wasted, in comparison, that even enthusiasts waste too much of their still-precious time without a meter.

[PhotosGuy]

I Find it so much simplier and faster to begin with a good reading from a flash meter and then make adjustmentments based on the Histogram So, you're a belt AND suspenders guy, Mike? And so much time can be wasted, in comparison, that even enthusiasts waste too much of their still-precious time without a meter. I swear that I don't understand what people are doing that takes a lot of time? Set up the lights. Take 2-3 readings. Maybe move a light. Done in 2 minutes.
I suspect that most of the waste is because they don't know where they want the lights in the first place.
I'm done with this & soon outa' here for the Holidays. http://photo.klein-jensen.dk/smilies/0027.gif

[Cherepashka]

Can somebody please help me? I am just starting a new studio specialising in glamour photography, and do not know what lights to use? Should I use continuas lighting or flash lighting? Any recommendations? I am living in the UK. Thank you in advance.

[splitfyre]

Continuous lighting versus strobes have their pros and cons. You should be able to easily google for info on the pros and cons. I prefer strobes over continuous due to the heat output from the latter of the two setups.

[GAinGa]

Hi JR92

Portrait lighting is a topic disussed and speculated on by countless photographers as if it were exceedingly complex and difficult to grasp. This is simply not true. If one learns the most basic elements of the science of light, then one by one the things that once seemed impossibly complex melt down into basic ideas that are not only understandable but downright simple in most situations.

By definition, portrait lighting is directional light with a highlight side and shadow side to the subject, frequently with additional accent lights used to enhance the look of the subject, aid in separating the subject from the background or to just add more three dimensional contrast to the subject. This is what photography is. Creating three dimensional contrast on a two dimensional medium. The images will ultimately be seen as a two dimensional photograph but hopefully have a three dimensional appearance created by proper lighting. Adding depth and dimension to the subject using highlight and shadow is what makes this possible.

The first thing one must begin to realize is that shadows are not the enemy. They are the very thing that makes portrait lighting look like portrait lighting. Eliminating shadows is not the answer to great portraiture. Understanding where the shadows are supposed to be and where they are not supposed to be and how to control them is a large part of doing studio portrait lighting well.

Sadly, much information that new portrait photographers receive is guesswork and simply wrong info passed down from person to person believing it to be true because others before them believed it were true. There is no element of professional lighting that cannot be verified, proven, and duplicated again and again with totally predictable results. I tell my students to not believe anything they are taught including what they learn from me until the have tested it, verified it and used it with the full understanding of how and why it works. This is not a "just trust me, it works" sort of business. If someone says that, run in the other direction.

Professional studio portraiture and lighting is not some experimental thing. It is a precise and exact science that blends with artistic and creative thinking to create images that are truly worth looking at and enjoying. One of the first things new studio photographers do is to take two lights and put one on each side of the camera believing that this is the answer to the issues of shadows. This could not be further from the truth. In no way is that technique any kind of portrait lighting. It will produce mostly non directional light with cross shadows that conflict with each other not to mention adding considerably weight to the subject since you are lighting them from ear to ear.

Portrait light has direction so that the subject is flattered and in most cases made to look slimmer rather than fatter. Lighting can easily do both and it's up to the photographer to control the light by understanding how and why it works the way it does.

If we light a subject from ear to ear think about the brightness levels across the face. You have lit everything the camera sees more or less equially. The subject looks considerably heavier than if you light the subject from one side where the main light sources illuminates the eyes, cheeks, forehead, nose and chin.

If the light is so far to the side that these areas are not fully lit then we are moving away from proper portrait lighting. The eyes are paramount and should be studied carefully to observe how fully lit they are and how similar they are in brightness.

If your main light is very near the camera, it no longer creates much three dimensional highlight and shadow rendering the subect flatter than heavier than is generally though of as desireable.

For a beginning lesson, let me suggest that you make your living room into a temporary studio by placing a chair in the middle of the room. Do this at night so that you can make the room very dark. Once you have done this, find a subject willing to sit for you and have them sit in the chair.

Now for your light source to practice with, find a desk lamp or other simple light source that has a light bulb in it. Perhaps even the lamp on the end table next to the couch. Remove the shade and you have your light source. Be sure that other room lights are switched off so your movable light is the only significant light source lighting the subject.

Now, using this one source of light, move it around in front of your subjects face keeping a safe distance of several feet. Observe how the shadows and highlights move as freely as you move the light source. Never be affraid to move that light around. It won't break. Don't be timmid. Also observe that when you move the light to your right that the shadows move to your left and vice versa.

Once you have a few minutes of observing and providing your subject is willing to continue as your object to light begin looking at the subject's face. Imagine that they are wearing one of those little plastic halloween masks that came with the inexpensive kid's halloween costumes. The kind of mask that covers only the front features of the face leaving the sides and ears exposed. The portion of the subject's face that would be covered by the mask is the area we wish to light in order to create a basic portrait lighting pattern.

We light what we call the "mask" of the face. What are the portions of the face that are covered by the mask? The forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks and chin. Those are the areas we wish to light. Move your hand held light to the side of the subject (facing into their ear) and a bit above them. Now slowly begin to bring the light toward you so that it begins to light more and more of the frontal features of the face. Observe carefully. Look at the eyes first. Bring the light source around to the front of the subject and stop when both eyes are fully lit.

At this point your light source should be roughly 45 degress between directly in front of the subject and directly to the side. Study the light and see if you are lighting both eyes equially, both cheeks fairly equially, the forehead, nose and chin. The light source should cause the nose to cast a shadow that points somewhat down toward the corner of the mouth roughly following the natural light that we have running from the nose to the corner of the mouth. Pay attention to the eyes because there is nothing more important than keeping the eyes well and evenly lit.

If you have followed this basic set of instructions, you will have the basic lighting pattern used for most portraits. The light on the face will seem harsh because it is a small light source. You practice using a small light source because the highlights and shadows are more clearly defined making the learning process faster. If your room is quite dark as it should be, you will observe that the shadow side of the subject's face is quite dark.

To demonstrate the most basic concept in portrait lighting, find any large white object. A white poster board, a white T shirt, any object that is a couple square feet of white surface. While you hold your main light in place by letting it sit on a stand or table of some sort. While it is in position giving you even lighting to the eyes and other facial features as we have already discussed, bring the white reflective surface toward the subject from the side opposite the main light. Position it so that it is more in front of the subject than the side. This white reflective surface will now be returning some of the main light into the shadow side of the subject's face elevating the brightness level of the shadows. By adjusting the distance from the reflector to the subject you have control over how much fill light reaches the shadow side of the face thereby give you great control over the look of your portrait lighting. More fill light for a more conservative look or less fill light for something more dramatic.

When you watch movies, observe how shadow and light are used to light the subject's face. Simply by observing, you can learn a great deal.

I hope this is helpful for you beginning efforts in portrait lighting. If you followed my instructions, you should be able to create some pretty nice basic portrait lighting.

Best wishes,
You know what?? I have been reading and reading and reading...and ultimately get frustrated about indoor lighting. I have always taken outdoor portraits and am attempting to start indoor for clients who want that option as well....

I bought the First Studio Lighting Kit (2 umbrella 250 watt lights) and I am very disappointed at any results other than ONE person close-up. I am using a Canon Digital Rebel XT.

Either these lights are too weak or I am being ignorant with my camera settings... I have tried everything from auto, to changing ISO and shutter-speeds.....etc.

ANyway.... my point was that I appreciated your simply written note on lighting. You make it sound so much easier than I feel it is, but have given me hope!!!

Some of my work can be viewed at www.integrityportraits.net
(Caution: or should I say "disclaimer"...lol...the first folder with the indoor shots were a free practice run for me, knowing I didnt have proper lighting for more than one subject and I was under flourescent lighting...UGH!!!!) But anyway.... they are simply "OK".... everyone has different skin tones, etc.

I am going to look for more of your input on here.... I dont get much time away from 2 toddlers, but try to learn when I can.

I have a LARGE family shoot tomorrow (12 people) THANK GOD we are doing outdoor session.... but will have 3 kids for starters INDOORS tomorrow (earlier) for a formal session. I will shoot in RAW and see if I can get better tones this time around. I do pretty well in Photoshop! (LOL)

Again... my thanks ..........

Georgia Anne