STUDIO LIGHTING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE
Once upon a time, only the rich and powerful could afford to hire a skilled portrait painter to labour over a stretched piece of canvas for hours on end.
The interesting thing is, we still look back to those classic painted portraits and wonder why on earth everyone looks so damn miserable, menacing or at least, slightly stuffy and stoic?
But now, thanks to photography and a bit of lighting know-how, almost anyone can afford to be immortalised beautifully on screen or in print in a matter of minutes.
This article will attempt to determine the lights you need, where to position them and how to interact with your subject for the best results.
THE LIGHTS
Apart from our sun, fire and, to a lesser extent, fireflies and those bizarre bioluminescent deep-sea creatures, every other light source is deemed to be “artificial”.
There are a number of strobe, natural and “constant” light sources, each having their own advantages and disadvantages.
SPEEDLIGHTS
Every self-respecting photographer should own at least one speedlight. The latest models have wireless radio transceivers (RT) built in to allow you
