Studio newbie question

I'm a total studio lighting virgin so please keep that in mind if this sounds like a dumb question

I've just bought into a partnership in a studio. There are 5 other photographers and we can just book time slots throughout the week. I've booked my first slot for next Tuesday evening but being a newbie I'm not sure about the camera settings for the lighting.

I'll be bringing one of my kids as my guinea pig. So I was wondering if it's just a case of selecting some settings on the camera and shooting away, adjusting the settings based on the results of the shots?

Any advice on setting up for a first timer would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

You are going to have to use your camera in Manual mode. Your shutter speed will need to be below max sync and above minimum handheld so somewhere between 1/100 and 1/250 should work for you. It doesnt really matter because shutter speed makes little difference in the final image in studio work. Your aperture and ISO will depend on the power of your studio lights. Since you will have a background there is no need to try to use large apertures for shallow depth of field.

IF you're using strobes, of course. Otherwise, that's good advice.
Look at image 5S here, to see a quick way to expose for the whites without a hand held meter:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=128857

casp3r wrote in post #11942148
I'm a total studio lighting virgin so please keep that in mind if this sounds like a dumb question

I've just bought into a partnership in a studio. There are 5 other photographers and we can just book time slots throughout the week. I've booked my first slot for next Tuesday evening but being a newbie I'm not sure about the camera settings for the lighting.

I'll be bringing one of my kids as my guinea pig. So I was wondering if it's just a case of selecting some settings on the camera and shooting away, adjusting the settings based on the results of the shots?

Any advice on setting up for a first timer would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

That is one way to go about it. The trial and error process is excellent for learning. Adjust and then look at the screen to see the new results.

I would also recommend two books "Light, Science, Magic" and "Understanding Exposure". Both are excellent books.

Many thanks for the comments and advice. I haven't shot a single frame yet and already my wife is offering my services to family and friends I've asked her not to until I have had a lot of practise and am confident enough. Her argument is that I need subjects to practise on. I suppose in a sense that is correct - I'm sure my kids are going to get bored having to pose for daddy

casp3r wrote in post #11947136
Many thanks for the comments and advice. I haven't shot a single frame yet and already my wife is offering my services to family and friends I've asked her not to until I have had a lot of practise and am confident enough. Her argument is that I need subjects to practise on. I suppose in a sense that is correct - I'm sure my kids are going to get bored having to pose for daddy

You can always use a mannequin or a teddy bear for the initial experimentation.

Purchase a good handheld light meter such as the Sekonic L-358. That tool will make a HUGE difference in your efforts, as you can measure the light from individual sources and adjust the balance as well as make measurements that will help you choose the camera's exposure settings. Without a good flash meter (which your camera does NOT have), you would be simply guessing.

I agree with Skip 100%. A hand held meter takes all the guess work out of getting a perfect exposure EVERY time. Shooting, looking at the LCD screen, adjusting the camera, shooting again, looking at the screen adjusting again, shooting again, makes you look like a total newbie, and will damage any confidence the subjects may have in your abilities. For some strange reason I have always preferred to look and act like I knew what I was doing when shooting.

Benji

It's a studio shot, & one should know his lights well enough & what he's going to do before the client arrives. So there's no need for all that when the client is sitting there?

I'd have thought that was the case. I've been practicing with OCF and have an idea of what can be done with it and what settings will produce what results so I'm hoping that additional trial and error will give me a basic understanding of studio lighting.

casp3r wrote in post #11947858
I'd have thought that was the case. I've been practicing with OCF and have an idea of what can be done with it and what settings will produce what results so I'm hoping that additional trial and error will give me a basic understanding of studio lighting.

EVERY change that you make with the lights - intensity settings, positions, different modifiers, etc. - will potentially change what you want for exposure settings at the camera. You cannot beat having and using a light meter.

I'll agree with Frank that the fully experienced studio photographer will probably not need to use a meter for setups that he/she uses all the time. However, when setting up for a shoot that is very different from the typical day-to-day work that the photographer will probably grab the light meter to speed up fine tuning the setup.

For a newbie who's just starting out with lighting, there's absolutely no better way to work with lighting than to use a meter.

Skip many thanks for the advice and I do take it all onboard but at the minute paying for the studio this month has left no extra for extras It'll just have to be trial and error for now

Just got the keys and a look round the studio. Three heads - two free-standing and one wall mounted on a boom arm. The owner is trying to source a fourth light to be wall mounted also. Full range of modifiers - umbrellas, softboxes, beauty dishes etc. Even a wireless trigger for the lights. Also two rollable backdrops mounted to the wall.

A seasoned pro mightn't be impressed but I was and can't wait to get into tomorrow night

PhotosGuy wrote in post #11947834
It's a studio shot, & one should know his lights well enough & what he's going to do before the client arrives. So there's no need for all that when the client is sitting there?

I do but I also have 30 years behind the camera, with 20 years in my current camera room. I could set everything up and shoot 50 shots without using my light meter and none would be off by more than a stop. The Op said he is a total newbie so he needs all the help he can get.

Benji

So very true Benji and I appreciate everything that yourself and the rest have said

Again many thanks for the advice. Posted a few shots from my session this evening here
https://photography-on-the.net …showthread.php?​p=11981853