Studio Lighting I
Lighting in the studio from first principles: the studio space and qualities of light, strobes and continuous lights, flash power, duration, sync and triggers, metering, hard and soft light and the inverse square law, modifiers, classic portrait patterns, ratios and fill, backgrounds and separation, multi-light setups and gels, safety and power, and running a session.
PHOT-210 Year 2 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h
Offered by HSM University · Photography
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Set up a studio space and describe light by intensity, direction, quality, color, contrast and fall-off
- Compare speedlights, monolights, pack systems and continuous lights, and choose a suitable kit
- Control flash power, recycling, duration, sync speed, high-speed sync and radio triggering
- Meter studio flash with incident meters, guide numbers, histograms and gray cards for consistent exposure
- Apply apparent size, feathering and the inverse square law to control softness, fall-off and backgrounds
- Select and use umbrellas, softboxes, strip boxes, beauty dishes, grids, snoots, scrims, reflectors and flags
- Create flat, butterfly, clamshell, loop, Rembrandt, split, broad, short and rim lighting patterns
- Set and measure lighting ratios with fill lights, reflectors and negative fill to suit mood and skin tone
- Light white, gray, black and colored backgrounds and separate subjects with hair, rim and background lights
- Build and document multi-light setups, light groups evenly and use correction and creative gels
- Work safely with stands, booms, cables, circuits, flash equipment, heat, batteries and subjects
- Plan and run a studio session, troubleshoot lighting and present a documented lighting portfolio
Course content
12 lessons · 5 h total · final exam
- 1 The studio and the language of light 25 min · quiz
- 2 Strobes and continuous lights 25 min · quiz
- 3 Flash power, duration, sync and triggers 25 min · quiz
- 4 Metering and exposure in the studio 25 min · quiz
- 5 Hard and soft light, size and distance 25 min · quiz
- 6 Light modifiers 25 min · quiz
- 7 Classic portrait lighting patterns 25 min · quiz
- 8 Lighting ratios, fill and contrast 25 min · quiz
- 9 Backgrounds and separation 25 min · quiz
- 10 Multiple-light setups and color 25 min · quiz
- 11 Safety, power and the studio as a workplace 25 min · quiz
- 12 Running a studio session and capstone 25 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
Lighting in the studio from first principles: the studio space and qualities of light, strobes and continuous lights, flash power, duration, sync and triggers, metering, hard and soft light and the inverse square law, modifiers, classic portrait patterns, ratios and fill, backgrounds and separation, multi-light setups and gels, safety and power, and running a session.
Part of the Film & Photography stream, typically taken in year 2.