In How To Set Up a Home Photo Studio Parta we looked at different light modifiers like soft boxes and umbrellas as well as how shooting through vs reflecting off a translucent umbrella affects lighting.
Initially I’m going to show you how to achieve flat lighting. That’s a very even light without side shadows. To do it you have to set the flash output so both lights are the same. Meter each of your home studio lights separately first – then once again with them both firing together to get the exposure.
Then we’ll so another with some soft shadows going on. To do it I’m going to show you a basic key and fill lighting set up. One light is the main key light and the other set slightly lower to fill the shadows just a little. Hence key and Fill lighting.
How To Set Up a Home Photo Studio (Part 1a) has the info you need about how the light can make a portrait look.
Mike Browne
In the small space using those Bowens 800w how was the heat coming from the strobes? as mine are hot and my friend said to change 275w bulbs to 60w spots. I've bought my pair for practice, as I'm new to strobes.
Hi Numpty, if you grab a chance for a simple reply to a long winded question:
mucked about shooting though an umbrella…then it became quite boring, so I thought it a fun experiment shooting outdoors.
Looked and read a bunch of bollocks online about how, my shoot through umbrella outdoors. Lazy enough not to do too much of the math. Just experimented with my meter and worked it out for shooting in doors.
Shooting through at 45 degrees, only using my flash gun, or my uncle's flash gun if I need more power or two umbrellas (often don't, but he gave me his brolie and gun from his days shooting). Now that is inside…
What is driving me haywire is: if I am shooting outside on a beach or whatever, my control of the light has drastically changed, through my common sense. Do I need to use both brolie's and both guns to knock out the wrinkles on a female model of say, 35 years old and up? a sort of flat light really i suppose or a soft-ish light…and using 85mm in the name of my Uncle. Flash fanatic and 85mm fanatic.
Tried this a few times now using one brolie, where I have shot no make-up and then make-up, and obviously the make-up makes a difference, but sometimes the cameras made these days draw in so much detail (in my opinion) they still catch the spots where the make up fails. What on earth do i do to rectify this?
Yes, I know I could kill the whole flash bit and not have too much trouble, but I am trying to gain a tiny bit more knowledge of flash…former pro uncle Al said I may not like it, but it is good to know if you keep this crazy hobby going:)
cheers
How will a backdrop ,such as you see in photographing children, affect the lighting…or better yet I should just experiment with it.
Been told you do your own painting and decorating. Have a small bedroom in my loft, if I paint it white, (to use as studio) should that be Gloss Eggshell or Matt 🙂 Oh and next time you are up in the Lake District could you pop in and do the painting. Will treat you to a takeaway and a glass of Ribena. Seriously Matt Gloss or Eggshell?
even though its a few years old this is a really great tutorial video mike
Would you get the same results if you take a picture with the modelling lights on instead of having the flashes go off? And if not then how is it different?
My first studio lights many years ago were Bowens. Brings back memories. Don't see them around anymore.
Great lesson. Tasha is a cutie pie.
I am so happy that I've happened across your channel. You have helped me tremendously and for that I am eternally grateful! Thank you so very much
Really informative and helpful, thanks Mike :).
Thanks again Mike. Very educational.
and are you using camera flash to trigger the lights? thanks
whats the lead called your using thanks andy 🙂
Fantastic tutorials, I am hooked. Thank you. 🙂
These are by far the best videos on this subject I've seen. Thx Mike for the great effort! And hey: Talking about sweating :-D. Regards from Switzerland
The histogram will reflect the colours of the clothes/background. So are you ever tempted to push your camera exposure to the right edge of the histogram to extract every last drop of detail from the shadows then post process the high & mid keys (tones) back a bit?
I would like to know what your shutter speed was used for these portraits. ISO 200?
Very informative video….
Great video. I really understood what you was explaining. My question is, if I want to use an aperture of f/5.6 for shallow dof, how would I work it with 2 x softboxes.
i got a question for you… when using an umbrella should i leave a short or big distance between the bulb and the umbrella?
This is amazing tutorial… thank you very very much 🙂 It was very helpful and I love how friendly you are explaining it. I had good time watching it… keep up your great videos <3Â
Thank you
great video
Thank you – yes it's the same. Worth getting a flash meter if your not shooting tethered TTL to your flash
Tasha's cool!
Is it just me or is Tasha gorgeous! He face and her eyes are almost angelic.
Pleasure 🙂 Not sure of the make and model but I think it's a Bowens umbrella – but it's a very old one I bought second hand about 20 years ago. I like it because the fabric can be reversed – white / silver and gold etc.. If anyone knows what it is please reply and let us know…
Hi, what type of umbrella is that? square umbrella. Did you make it from standard umbrella by combining 2 shaft together, or there is product like there on the store? Thanks a lot for this sharing video!
very nice
Thank you
Thank you Ana. Glad I met you too 🙂
I am glad I met you! Thank´s!
I really like your videos ,you are such a great teacher .
Also thanks to Tasha pacha who has a beautiful nice smile 🙂
Cheers
Thank you Kerrie. The meter connects into the flash with whats called a PC cable so you can trigger the flash from the meter.
I love your videos 🙂 I am a photographer and still learning and was gonna sell my soft box lights to get the umbrella ones, because it looks like it makes light better and spreads it alot more, with the meter do you have to have to have any special thing to have one? or do they just connect just into the back of a umbrella or soft box?
Thank you. I use Bowens lights and a Minolta light meter, Seconic are excellent meters too. You don't have to buy the same as me though and if you're starting out at a hobby level with family just go with whatever you can afford for now. Provided the flash flashes and the light meter meters you'll be fine. Make sure the meter you buy is a Flash meter or Flash and ambient light meter. Have fun 🙂
I'm looking for a light meter as well as those big light-lamp thingys. Just beginning (obviously) but I would like to begin learning portrait photography, just for family stuff. Could you please tell me what brand/model meter and lights you used in this video? Or if they're very costly, are there brands/models you could recommend? There are thousands of options out there, and this makes my head hurt. 🙂 You present and teach like no other. Thanks to you and your family. What a crew!
🙂