How To Use Strobes And Studio Lighting Pt 3
White & Gray Card Balance
You will get a reliable daylight substitute from most flashes and photographic strobes. Using an automatic setting on your camera is not recommended when you are in the studio.
Room lighting can trigger auto adjustments. This could result in a skewed adjustment.
Tungsten lights are hot lights. Be cautious about setting them too close to your seamless paper backdrops. Use only gels and film that are suitable for the high temperature. They can be shaded blue to produce more natural lighting.
Use a gray or white card to manually take a reading on your white balance. Snap a photo of the card and keep it as a reference card for later. Editing will be easier if you have a place to start with a record of the settings. It is more efficient to shoot with these settings rather than editing later.
Eye Catch lights
Eye Catch lights—those tiny reflections in subjects’ eyes—can help you recall how your studio lighting was setup. Just by examining your portraits closely, you can discover how many lights you used and which ones were more dominant. Don’t attempt this with another person’s work. With editing software and digital manipulation, you can never be certain that the photograph is untouched unless it is your own. Remember to keep it simple. A single light source will deliver a more natural catchlight
Fashion Photography Lighting: Soft Boxes!
Because soft lighting is the preference during fashion photography, rather than stark hard over-head lighting, photographic soft boxes are generally a staple in most photographers’ studios. The soft box not only affects the model, but the photographic backdrop as well.
Photo : Krazy Kev Cool
Step One:
Light that is considered soft is diffused, and is more flattering. When light doesn’t travel in the same direction, it is softer. However, direct light is harder. Think of what it’s like on a cloudy day, where the light is softer because the sun’s rays are shining through the clouds. However, when the day is sunny, the light is stark and hard.
Step Two:
Creating soft light lamps is simple. Shine light through material in order to create diffusion. Materials include seamless paper, muslins, and silks. Choose materials that will not sacrifice light intensity when diffusing.
To add the material to diffuse your lights, you can attach the fabric right to the light. This isn’t recommended, though, because it could catch fire. Another option is to build a frame, attach the material to it, and shine the light through. Using a photographic soft box, though, is the easiest option.
Step Three:
Soft boxes a specifically designed to create and diffuse soft light. These attach directly to lamps, and aren’t fire hazards. Even though they’re referred to as boxes, they actually aren’t boxes at all. The soft box is constructed from a ring, four sticks, a black box, and diffusion material.
The outside of the soft box is black, that way bouncing light isn’t an issue. Inside the soft box is reflective material used for maximum light creation out of the box from the bulb. The spread of light is further maximized through use of a design where the box widens at the end where diffusion occurs.
Step Four:
If you’re in need of a soft box for one day’s work, you can construct one easily. Purchase a large piece of foam that is black on one side and white on the other, black tape, a light stand, and material. Cut the foam into four pieces, each equal in size, and tape them together so the white is on the inside. Tape the material the front of the box, and mount it to a stand. Place your box in front of the light.
