Studio Lighting 101

Yesterday I attended the Photowalking Utah annual Studio Lighting event. And I realized it's not hard to take good photos when you are working with expensive lighting equipment and professional models. :)

Actually it was a really fabulous event. I must say that photographers are quite an eclectic bunch. But they are also amazingly giving people. There was 9 different lighting set ups and a host photographer at each setup to guide and instruct. And every single one of them was extremely patient with my many MANY questions. I learned not only about lighting but about how to use my camera better in different lighting scenarios as well as a wealth of information about how to work with models. Everybody was so kind and generous with their time and talent.

And so now this is the part where I shameless post a bunch of the pictures I took so you can all tell me how good they are. :)

In one corner they had set up a trampoline and you could shoot your subject from the top of a ladder while they jumped. It made for some fun images.





This was a natural lighting set up. The outside light from the window lit them from one side and a reflector on the opposite side smoothed the harsh shadows. No lights or flash used.



This was Rembrandt Lighting.





A high key lighting set up



This set up was similar-the white background is the same. But there is no light on the backdrop itself. All the lighting is focused on the model for this look.



I liked this set up because it used just one light. Very enticing to an amateur like me who currently owns no lighting equipment of my own.



Okay, I won't torture you anymore. (although if you want to torture yourself you can see a few more shots on flickr page)

And now that I've made you look at my pictures, you can also go to the Photowalking Utah Group Pool on flickr and see pictures from some real photographers. Including pictures of Andrew the Rock star on the trampoline.