Studio Photography

For this week's entry, I thought I'd include a couple examples from a recent portrait shoot:

This was taken with the industry-standard method of subject lighting - the three-point system. Such a system consists of three light sources:

Key: the main light on the subject, and the one for which the shot is metered. In this shot, the "key" is a studio  strobe head with a beauty dish - a silver bowl-shaped light modifier - about 5 feet to the subject's right and about two feet closer to the camera than the subject. This light is stronger than the "fill"

Fill: A secondary light used to "fill" in the shadows created by the key light. In this shot, I used a strobe head with a softbox (like the one I included in the first post) about ten feet to the subject's left and as far from the camera as the subject.

Background: A third light used to illuminate the backdrop or the subject's environment. for this shot I "cheated" and used a silver reflector to bounce the key light towards the gray backdrop. If I'd had a third light I could have placed it beneath the area covered by the frame and behind the subject, then pointed it up at the backdrop, which would have turned the gray backdrop white.

This shot can be called "high-key" - there's a great deal of light in the image, and the few shadows cast are not terribly dark thanks to our fill light. This means a smooth, well-lit image that lends itself towards happier, calmer emotions.

Here's a less-conventional example:

For this shot, I used a strobe with a gridded softbox as the key. Grids, which are simply net-like strips of black fabric that are stretched across the face of a softbox, are used to make the light from the softbox more specular (rather than diffuse) - leaving shadows that are harder than a traditional softbox but still not as harsh as a beauty dish or a silver reflector or umbrella.

For the fill, I used a reflector disk - a foldable circle covered on one side in bronze-colored foil. This is what gives the left side of the subject's face a golden sheen.

This shot could be considered "low-key" - there isn't a whole lot of light in the image, and there's a great deal of contrast between the most-illuminated and least-illuminated parts of the subject. This kind of lighting begets uncertainty and intensity. Here's a diagram of the setup for this shot, including the aperture recommended by my light meter for proper exposure on either side of the subject. Because the key was on the subject's left side, I set my camera to expose for the light on that side of her face, giving an aperture of f/8.

As far as equipment goes, I departed from my usual speedlight setup to borrow a Speedotron-brand multilight system. This kind of system consists of a power supply - a single unit containing the capacitors that hold the charge for each flash - and multiple individual flash heads, each of which has its own strobe, modeling light, and cooling fan. The lights aren't powered on their own, so they all plug into the same power supply, which houses all of the controls and inputs required to trigger and adjust the lights.

Such a system is much more powerful in terms of output than any amount of portable speedlights, but it also means dealing with heavier equipment, longer setup and adjustment times, more fragile lights and a price tag that can reach into tens of thousands of dollars.

Lighting Equipment: My Current Setup

The purpose of this first post is to outline the kind of lighting equipment I'm using right now. I'm always in the process of acquiring new gear, so there's no doubt that the setup I'll be using for this blog will undergo some changes, but as of today, this is what I'm working with:

Nikon SB700 Speedlight: about $325

This is what I'd call the most capable piece of lighting equipment I own. I originally purchased it as a replacement for the built-in flash on my Nikon D7000, but it turned out to be even more useful as an off-camera flash. The built-in "slave" feature on this speedlight allows it to be triggered off-camera by the built-in flash on the D7000, and it was that feature that introduced me to the world of off-camera lighting. The electronic TTL (through-the-lens) metering capability of this flash means that it can automatically determine the output required for correct exposure, making it great for situations where I wouldn't have time to figure out the right manual setting.

NEEWER TT560 Speedlight: $40

This was the second light I purchased, and while it isn't eTTL compatible, it works just as well as my SB700 in situations where I have time to set up my flashes manually, and at about 1/8th of the price. This flash has a built-in slave as well, but unlike the SB700, it doesn't fire 100% of the time, making radio-based trigger systems a better option. It's less powerful than the SB700, but it still manages to output more than enough light for most applications, and when combined with a Pocket Wizard or CowboyStudio radio triggers (more on those later) the two flashes function identically. It feels a little cheap in construction, but it's an excellent bargain if you don't need eTTL or brand-name durability.

CowboyStudio 24" Softbox: $40

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best bang-for-your-buck in the world of light modifiers. Softboxes are designed to increase the size of the light source that a photographer uses to illuminate their subject, and this one does a great job of taking the small rectangular output of a speedlight and turning it into an evenly-lit square of light. It's deceptively well-constructed and easy to use, and the ball-head pivot system used to attach the softbox to a stand gives you as much control as possible. This model is made to be used with speedlights, and the mounting bracket works well, allowing you to line the open end of the softbox perfectly with the head of the flash unit.

CowboyStudio 43" White Reflective Umbrella: $11

Umbrellas are pretty straightforward, but this one holds up relatively well to abuse, and provides a nice even circle of illumination. The white surface is relatively specular, putting out a much harder light than the softbox. This makes the umbrella/softbox a great combo for simple key/fill light, respectively.

CowboyStudio Radio Triggers: $30 (one transmitter, two receivers)

These are simply the best way to trigger off-camera flash units without spending more than $100. You can't use the automatic-output feature of eTTL-compatible flashes with these, but for manual output, these work just as well as the industry-standard Pocket Wizard system for less than 1/10th of the price. I've used them from as far as 100 yards, and they fire consistently regardless of obstructions or the number of units used. Another great bargain.

CowboyStudio Aluminum Light Stands: $15 apiece

Lightweight, portable, and durable enough for indoor use. For a speedlight setup that puts very little weight stress on the stands, there's really no reason to pay more.

Total cost of equipment: $476 (or as little $191 if you replace the SB-700 with another TT560)

The above system is portable, versatile and relatively inexpensive, allowing a simple key/fill setup to be taken pretty much anywhere, with very low replacement costs for lost equipment. A professional lighting system with C-stands, booms, studio strobes and battery packs can cost upwards of several thousand dollars and take a couple of hours to transport to a shoot on-location. For aspiring photojournalists like myself, a lightweight speedlight system is quicker, cheaper and easier to use.