Studio Lighting question

[cordek]

I know NOTHING about studio lighting. I've been using natural light and am

opening a studio around December using my 503cw. Would someone kindly direct

me to the ABCs (book, whatever, etc) of umbrellas, strobes, etc and

positioning. Consider me dumber than dumb :). Thanks for everyone who

replies. I do very much appreciate it. Ron

[michael_madio]

Since you are comfortable using natural light, half the battle is already won. Use a flash+umbrella to emulate the sun, and a reflector to emulate the natural environment for fill. Regarding flashes, you can choose between a monolight (self-contained unit) or a pack/head system (single power pack, multiple heads). You will want a minimum 400 watt-seconds of power. For a reflector, pretty much anything white will work ... foam-core is cheap and works well. Have a look at the photo.net tutorials for more extensive information.

[eimages]

I use only two lights, one with a softbox and one with either an umbrella or a snoot. Move the lights are and experiment. Otherwise there are tons of lighting books at your local big box book store or one line. Try the liberary for books. I never find the books very useful as the type of light and the equipment and the experience of the photographer all contribute to a distinct look.

 

Have fun and just try different things, Alex

[ellis_vener_photography]

There are others which are more explicit cookbooks but a fundamental book for me is "Matters of Light and Depth" by Ross Lowell.

 

The main thing to rememebr is that what works for one person won't necessarily work for you and yur subject and that the recipes in the lighting cookbooks tend to leave something out --more for presentation of clarity of presentation than anything else -- and that the drawings of set ups are rarely if ever to scale. The basic rule of lightign is don't stop until the results look good to you for a specific photograph and effect.

[allen_friday]

Try "Light Science and Magic."

[kevinconnery]

I'm with Allan and Ellis.<p>

<i>Light: Science and Magic</i> for the technique and physical aspects, <i>Matters of Light and Depth</i> for the emotional, compositional, and some technical issues.<p>

Those two books are the ones I recommend--almost always as a set--to people who want to learn about lighting.

[john_murphy1]

There is some great stuff in the <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00BjHh&tag=">Administration</a> section of the Lighting Forum right here at photo.net.

For instance, <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=008XTe&tag=">a guide to light modifiers</a>,</p>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Futx&tag=">a guide to studio lighting gear</a>,</p>

as well as many others.</p>

You also might find the "Videos" section of photo.net useful as well.