Did someone say Studio flash photography?, Don't worry it's not as difficult or scary as it looks. There are just a few tips you need to know, then you'll be shooting like the cover of Vogue magazine in no time!
Image from Google
Flash lighting
There are 2 bulbs in the studio flash lighting that we use. One is the modelling light which allows you to postion and see where the light is and the second is the flash bulb which fires a quick burst of light when the flash is triggered. There is a digital control panel on the back of the light which allows you to change the brightness of the flash as well as three other buttons, the top one is the slave, the middle turns the sound on/off and the bottom one test fires the flash.
Image from Google
When shooting in a studio you must use a light meter to help you get the right exposure. The invacone must be out and the ISO and Shutter speed must be set to match your camera, usually ISO 200, shutter speed 125/s. The light meter will then calculate the correct aperture/F.stop you need.
The light meter has three settings:
Sun- shooting outdoors
Lightning- flash without cord
Lightning with C- flash with cord
Image from Google
There are also various different attachments you can get to change the way the flash affects your subject:
Softbox- diffuses/softens the light
Dish- gives a fairly harsh light
Snoot- small area of concentrated light
Reflective umbrella- reflects light back towards subject
Although working in the studio is great fun and a fabulous skill to learn it does have some health and safety risks:
Hitting your head- the studio lights hang from rails on the ceiling, you must be careful not to hit your head when moving .
Bright flash- the studio lights can be very bright and may cause damage to you or your models eyes
Hot lights- over a period of time the studio lights will become hot, if you are working with a model it is a good idea to give them regular breaks away from the lighting and camera.
So there you have it, a crash course in studio flash lighting!