Learning Studio

Posted on April 21, 2011

I decided to take a studio lighting class because I wanted to be able to manage lighting set-ups when necessary in people’s homes. But I honestly never thought I’d like working with studio shooting. It seemed too much like The Picture People or that crappy studio in Babies R Us. (Yeah, I said it!) Little did I know that fun that awaited me in my basement studio.

I learned the difference between short and broad lighting:
20110213-DSC_4230web
20110213-DSC_4235web-2

I think he looks better in short lighting. Our instructor says that most people do.

I did some inadvertent high-key (meaning overexposed) photos as I got the hang of metering:
20110206-DSC_4204web
20110206-DSC_4202enlargedweb

Then I managed to get the kidlet into the act with him as I did some plays with dramatic light.
20110213-DSC_4244web-2
20110213-DSC_4243web-2
20110213-DSC_4245web-2

I love the shadowing on her face as she blew air onto her favorite daddy:
20110213-DSC_4250web-2

Then I got a Thunder Grey background and started having a ball (though I’m not so sure that Zeus the kitty is having as much fun in these):
20110227-DSC_4280web
20110227-DSC_4282web

Other than constantly fighting with my reflector, I was starting to get into the fun of studio work. When you control the light, you end up having oodles more fun with your subjects. This does not mean that you will see me anytime soon working at the Sears Portrait Studio, but hey, I’ll have fun creating interesting magic in my basement studio!