"In photography there are no shadows that cannot be illuminated" August Sander.
A recent aspect of our course was a practical day workshop focusing on the use of studio lighting for both still life and portraiture. Although the prospect seemed rather daunting to someone who had never used studios lights before, it was a great opportunity to try out the use of lighting in photography and being very ably supported by our tutor who had provided a plethora of resources, the class enjoyed a fun-filled practical learning day in the various studio workstations which he had set up for the class.
Resources included light stands which position the light sources away from the camera and support the flash heads. It is usual to work with more than one flash head, with the modelling light connected to the camera by a cable from the hot-shoe which in turn triggers of the 'slave' light. A brolly is used into which the light is directed from the flash and then reflected on to the subject, with a brolly having a white, gold or silver reflective surface. A soft-box is a tent-like device and is more advanced than a brolly, giving better illumination and a softer light.
Other tools available were a snoot which narrows the distribution of light and a honeycomb grid which spreads the distribution, both which help in focusing light and isolating part of an image being photographed. I found it useful to learn the labels for the various studio lighting items by having hands-on experience in using them.
 |
| changing a background for a still life |
Backgrounds were also set up using stands and different backdrops provided in the form of specialist material as well as simple materials brought from home (e.g. table linen, shawls, sheets) in addition to card, white paper and perspex.
 |
| miniature china teaset on black shawl background |
Students were asked to bring along appropriate items artefacts to photograph.
 |
| Corgi model truck photographed in light tent on table-top |
A small light tent, which is translucent and sits on the table-top, which creates even light for small product photography was also provided.
When using studio flash your camera should be set to manual mode and the shutter speed set to the fastest flash sync speed available own your camera, which for most cameras is 1/200. A low ISO such as 100 should be used and an aperture middle value such as f/8 chosen, though this is usually adjusted in accordance with the overall exposure.
 |
| Blue glass photographed on white background using side lighting from soft-box |
 |
| Flowers in ice reflected on black perspex using snoot to focus light |
 |
| Tutor posing for low-key portraiture |
 |
| Crofting artefacts on black velvet background |
I found this workshop very valuable as it was a great introduction to the use of lighting equipment for studio photography with the interactive experience enhancing the learning process. I now wish to add a light tent to my photography kit as an inexpensive way to harness even natural light but also to make me consider lighting more in the photographic process.
"Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography." George Eastman
No comments:
Post a Comment