HI Guys!
Life as a Freelance photographer can be very ... free sometimes haha.
So i'd like t o make use of my time and post some thoughts and tips on lighting and stuff around the studio and i hope newbies can benefit from it!
one question i get alot from interns and young assistants is.
Jeff!.. how to light ah?!
and i always tell them that lighting is a simple matter of addition and subtraction.
if there is no light, add one, and if its too bright, subtract from it.
its just that simple.
in commercial photography, its important to replicate the same lighting at will.
so therefore we tend to have it down to a formula.
a simple one that i learnt thru my assisting days is such
for a typical studio shot its a safe bet to set your camera at M mode 1/125th f11-16 (this depends on how strong your flash heads are).
now u got one variable fixed. lets move onto lighting.
a good way to get good with lighting fast, is to memorize the whole setup or schematic.
a good gauge for me during a fashion shoot for me , is to have the light about 4-5 feet away from the models face. that light is usually a hardlight for me recently.
have your model stand in and you do the lighting, tweak till you like it.
the key is to switch place with her, and stand in and "feel" the light.
try to notice and remember where the light is pointing at you.
is the hottest spot falling on your face?
where do you feel the bulb is pointing at, your eye?
note how far is it away from your face.
when it comes to shooting people, a rough idea of the distance is enough.
you dont have to get into the decimals.
Hope these helps!
feel free to ask and i'll do my best to answer!
Jeff Chen
www.jeffchen.asia
Life as a Freelance photographer can be very ... free sometimes haha.
So i'd like t o make use of my time and post some thoughts and tips on lighting and stuff around the studio and i hope newbies can benefit from it!
one question i get alot from interns and young assistants is.
Jeff!.. how to light ah?!
and i always tell them that lighting is a simple matter of addition and subtraction.
if there is no light, add one, and if its too bright, subtract from it.
its just that simple.
in commercial photography, its important to replicate the same lighting at will.
so therefore we tend to have it down to a formula.
a simple one that i learnt thru my assisting days is such
for a typical studio shot its a safe bet to set your camera at M mode 1/125th f11-16 (this depends on how strong your flash heads are).
now u got one variable fixed. lets move onto lighting.
a good way to get good with lighting fast, is to memorize the whole setup or schematic.
a good gauge for me during a fashion shoot for me , is to have the light about 4-5 feet away from the models face. that light is usually a hardlight for me recently.
have your model stand in and you do the lighting, tweak till you like it.
the key is to switch place with her, and stand in and "feel" the light.
try to notice and remember where the light is pointing at you.
is the hottest spot falling on your face?
where do you feel the bulb is pointing at, your eye?
note how far is it away from your face.
when it comes to shooting people, a rough idea of the distance is enough.
you dont have to get into the decimals.
Hope these helps!
feel free to ask and i'll do my best to answer!
Jeff Chen
www.jeffchen.asia