Photography is all about light and in the studio you have the ability not only to make light but to control it, shape it and make amazing images along the way.

It’s easy to grab your camera, head outside, and shoot a few landscapes. You might even tinker with your camera settings and learn something new.

But there’s no better classroom than a photography studio.

Sure, it can feel like jumping into the deep end. But that’s where your creativity and technical knowledge will start working together, rather than against each other. The good news? It’s much easier than you may think!

Types of studio lighting

Speedlites

For many, speedlites provide an introduction to using flash because they're easy to use and relatively inexpensive. They can be used on or off-camera, but because they aren’t as easily modified as studio lights, they don’t offer the same level of control or creativity. They also don't provide the same sort of power as studio lights. However, they do offer a fairly fast flash duration, which means they can be great for freezing motion.

Studio lights

Also referred to as strobe lighting, studio lights offer the most versatility when it comes to photography. Although they’re more expensive than speedlites, studio lights offer much more versatility and control. They have a far greater power output than speedlites and some brands even allow you to control the temperature of the lights. They’re also available with a range of modifiers; from simple umbrellas to more professional-level fresnels.

Continuous light

As the name suggests, continuous lights offer a continuous light source, unlike studio lights, which provide a flash to illuminate the subject. Although they’re commonly used for many genres of photography, I personally don’t find continuous light nearly as precise or versatile as studio lights.

How Important is Studio Lighting in Photography?

Studio lighting is the most important aspect of photography. If a client can’t see what is in their photo then it doesn’t matter how good the composition is, or how sharp the photo is, they will reject your work. You don’t need the newest camera model available to get fantastic photos, but you do need to understand what your camera’s limitations are so that you can work around them. If your older model camera doesn’t handle low light situations well, then schedule your photo sessions during bright daylight hours. Even photos taken during daylight hours can turn out poorly if you’re not using the right camera settings. What newer photographers sometimes call poor light is actually problems with exposure. Take the time to learn how ISO, shutter speed and aperture work together to get you properly exposed photos. Once you master exposure settings, study how the available light is interacting with your subject. Are you getting shadows around your client’s eyes? Are there bright patches of light only hitting certain parts of your subject’s face? Here you need to figure out where your light is coming from and move your client around accordingly.

What are the Different Light Techniques?

Now that you know what different lights do and what to look for in lighting kits, we can talk about how to place them to achieve certain looks. Some of these lights techniques are dramatic and others soft. There are no rules stating which situations you can or can’t use them in, however certain industries use certain light techniques more than others.

Split Light

Place your light 90 degrees to your subject’s face. You will end up with one side of the face lit up and the other in dark shadow. The shadow line will fall vertically down your subject’s face, creating a very dramatic portrait.

Rembrandt Lighting

Place your subject slightly more than 90 degrees away from the light source. Your light source will also be slightly the head height of your subject. One side of the face will still be in shadow but one triangle of light should fall on the cheek, no wider than the eye and not longer than the nose.

The shadows cast by this type of light help round faces look slimmer. This light technique is named after the painter Rembrandt because he used this type of light on many of his subjects.

Loop Lighting

Place your light source at a 30-45 degree angle from the back of your subject. A reflector is placed on the opposite side of the subject facing the light to bounce the light back onto your subject’s face.

When the light is placed slightly higher than eye level, it gives a slight contouring look to your subject’s face. This type of light is very flattering on most people so it tends to be used a lot in portrait work.

Butterfly Lighting

Place your light directly behind and above your camera, shining directly on your subject facing the camera head-on. This light casts a butterfly wing-shaped shadow directly beneath the subject's nose.

When the light is placed high enough using lighting stands, you may get shadows cast off the cheeks of subjects with prominent cheekbones.

Broad / Short lighting

This isn’t exactly a technique as is more or less used to describe how much of the face is in the light. When your subject's face is turned slightly in one direction, your light is broad if it casts the side of the face closest to the camera in light.

Alternatively, if the side of the face closest to the camera is partially in shadow, your light is classified as short.