Detailed Studio Lighting Tutorial for the Photographer in You

Do you love to capture each and every candid moment going in your surroundings? Do you secretly love professional cameras more than your crush? If your answer is yes; you certainly have a hidden photographer in you. Regardless of your age, you can start your photography career at any point of time. You just need to have that passion and zeal in you. Although this might seem to you as a mere theory; but, this is actually the basic truth. If you follow your passion religiously, you can transform from a beginner to a professional photographer. Furthermore, you do not need to attend any classes or a crash course to polish your skill. You can start practicing at your home itself.

So, here’s a complete tutorial that will help you capture those picture-perfect candid moments. But, before we start, you need to understand that a flawless click is the one that has proper lightning effects. Without optimum usage of lighting (and its tricks), you cannot end up getting a fine-tuned photograph.

Let’s just now get started with the tutorial. Read it carefully and practice it at home:

Step 1 – Assemble the Equipment

First of all, you must have a complete kit of tools and equipment at home. Obviously, you won’t prefer to spend big dollars on the equipment at the learning stage. So, you can purchase the ones that fit well within your budget. Make sure you purchase the following for an ideal home studio:

• Flash heads
• Softbox
• Umbrella
• Reflector
• Snoot or honeycomb
• Light stands

Step 2 – The Techniques

After you have assembled all the equipment at home, it is now time to gain an insight into several home studio lighting techniques that will help you learn the photography or lighting tricks at an instant:

a) Clamshell Lighting

Clamshell lighting is often used in the fashion industry. It is generally performed to capture a classic headshot. In short, it is used for beauty images, when the subject is to be captured with precise detailing. For the setup, you would require two softboxes, one reflector, two light heads and two flash heads. Place the softboxes at equal distance and angle from the subject. You can place them at any side of the subject. Further, place the reflector under the face of the subject. The light will bounce to the face and provide room for a perfect click.

b) Rembrandt Lighting

Rembrandt(popularly known as Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn) was a Dutch painter who used this technique quite often. You can easily create the setup for this lighting technique by using a reflector and one light. The motto of this technique is to bounce the light back to the subject and cover any areas with hard shadows. For the setup, adjust the flash head at six feet height making a 45° angle to the subject. This produces a key light that acts as a direct source of light from above and sideways. Now, place a reflector on the other side of the subject. This will make the light even and bounce on the side of shadow.

Other easy and popular techniques include rim lighting and backlight. But since, you are a beginner; it is advisable for you to start your journey with some baby steps. Hence, go to the market today or shop the equipment online to practice the above lighting techniques. Once, you gain expertise over these techniques, you can then, switch to the latter ones. Keep clicking..Keep exploring..!!