Studio Lighting Help

[MelissaBailey]

Hi! I have always used natural light but we just moved and I am moving my studio and I am going to start using studio lighting. I am so confused on what to buy and over-whelmed too! I photography newborns only and wondering if anyone has any advice on what pieces of equipment I need to purchase for studio lighting. I am looking for something that mimics a large window. Do I need a flash or will a softbox be enough. Please help! Thank you!

 

[Hatch1921]

Hi there,

I put this together... might be useful?

I want to buy studio strobes, how many should I buy? 1, 2, 10?

It's a big leap to move in to studio lighting... for location or in a studio. Lots to think about...

Hope this helps.
Hatch

 

[KmH]

Using available and ambient lighting requires having a good understanding of photographic lighting theory and technique, along with how the size and color temperature of the light source effects the light quality and light wrap.

The larger a light source is the softer the light and the more wrap it has. That's why umbrellas and softboxes are used to modify smaller light sources like studio monolioghts, or continuous lighting, to make them apparently larger.

So you need a pretty good sized modifier to mimic light from a source as large as a window.

However, in the studio you can get the light source and it's modifier very close to where you need the light, so the modifier can be smaller than the window and delibver the same light quality, because it is closer to the subject than a window would be.

The modifier can be very close, like just outside the image frame.

 

[Derrel]

KmH's post above has several basic, accurate statements. Every statement he makes is factually correct. I'll just add a couple items for thought. First, if you want to mimic window lighting, a square or rectangular-shaped softbox or light panel will give the same shape of catchlights. If you wish to mimic the old-time "north light studio" window look, then one of the easier ways to do that is to create a very LARGE light source, and one that is NOT so doggone close to the subjects...that helps in two ways. First, a really large light source, like an entire wall lighted by 3 or 4 diffused lights, creates a very soft (with soft-edged shadows) qualirty of light that has a lot of wrap-around effect, and is also fairly constant in its output across the shooting area.

There is a scientific fact or principle in the way light behaves, and it's called the Inverse Square Law. The practical aspect is this: when a light is pulled in really,really close to a subject, "like just outside the image frame", the large size of the light in relation to the subject does create a fairly soft lighting effect; BUT, and this is a huge BUT, that light drops off in intensity with AMAZING rapidity. From one side of a horizontal frame to the other, there will be a massive drop-off in light intensity, meaning the shadowed side of people will be quite dark. So, if you are trying to create a studio environment where you have this wonderful, natural lighitng quality, where you can pose a group of kids and just shoot away, then you are going to need to light the ENTIRE shooting area pretty evenly, and the easiest way to do that is to create a very LARGE panel covered with translucent white fabric and to shine 3 to 4 lights through that, or to create a huge "wall of light" by literally, creating a wall-sized light source.

 

[Big Mike]

Do I need a flash or will a softbox be enough.

Flash [strobe] is a type of lighting/bulb and a softbox is a light modifier.

First, you need to decide what type of lights you want. Continuous or strobe/flash.
Continuous lights will be more similar to using natural light in that you control your exposure via the shutter speed, aperture & ISO. But because you are reliant on the shutter speed for exposure, and shooting subjects that move, you may be hamstrung. You can use a softbox or other modifier with these lights, but heat may be an issue with big, powerful lights.

With strobes, the shutter speed is largely irrelevant and the flash freezes the movement, so you get nice sharp shots. That's why strobes are the recommended way to go when you'll be shooting people.

So once you decide of the type of lighting (lets say strobe/flash) then you can decide on the type of units. You could go with 'Speedlight' (hot shoe mountable) flash units. They can be used on-camera or off, which is handy. In off-camera situations, they can be used with umbrellas or softboxes to give you studio quality light. They don't have modeling lights and they are less powerful than good studio strobes. Studio strobes (monolights or pack & head) are typically what you would call 'studio lights'. They will have a modeling lamp (so you can see what you're doing) and good ones will have plenty of power. You can attach all sorts of modifiers to them...umbrellas, softboxes, snoots, barn doors etc.