Umbrellas, reflectors, softboxes... essential tools for your studio

So, now that i have you thinking about the space you would want to use for a home photography studio, and gave you some information on backdrops... lets look at lighting tools...

There are a few basic tools you can use to modify your light no matter if you are using natural light, flash, strobes or constant lighting. I could get much more indepth, but I figured we should look at the basics first to et you started.

Photoflex 5 in1 reflector

Reflectors are a great tool whether you are in the studio or shooting outside using abient lighting to light your subject. Reflectors do exactly what you would think; they reflect the light. Reflectors come in multiple sizes, can be white, silver, gold, black, or come in a multi disk kit where one reflector will have all these surfaces in one.

I would tend to go towards a multi reflector as it gives you all the necessary surfaces and somes in one convenient kit... they are also easy to stoare and collapsable so you can easily take them with you.

They also come in a variety of sizes and shapes. A search online will show you what options are available. Chances are you will be shooting without an assistant so you might want to look at a square or rectangle reflector. Thce and position than the circular ones. As for size of a refelctor for a studio... go with something larger than a 40" square... it casts more light on your subject that the smaller reflectors.

If you have been looking at various lighting kits might have you wondering whether you should go for an umbrella or softbox setup for your studio.

So which is better? There’s no absolute solution to this question as they both have pros and cons. Both essentially modify and filter light to make it softer and less harsh when it hits the subject.

Photoflex silver lined umbrella

Umbrellas are usually cheaper and fairly versatile. They often come with a reflective cover that allows you to shoot light into the umbrella and have it bounce back out or simply filter the light right through the material with the cover removed.  They come in different sizes and can be purchased with different colored canopies, each effecting light.

Umbrellas can spread light out over a wide area and are therefore great for large rooms or groups of people. Finally, umbrellas are quicker to setup and tear down than softboxes.





Photoflex strobe softbox


Softboxes tend to be a little pricier but they allow you to focus and control your light in a small area a lot better than umbrellas. These are perfect for when you’re shooting a single subject or are confined to a smaller area. Softboxes also make for much less distracting reflections than the shape you’ll get from the umbrella.









Photoflex Grid for Softbox

Light modifiers can be attached to both your umbrella or softbox. Modifiers can be diffusers, grids, egg carton style modifiers, etc… they take your lighting to a new level and should be something you consider when you get more experience with using a lighting source to photograph a subject.




Most professional photographers would prefer to have a few different sized umbrellas or softboxes to be used in various situations. Softboxes for example come in a variety of sizes and depth; each used for different techniques.... soft focus for just head shots, large, even lighting for models that are standing... the applications are numerous and you should consult your sales person at your local camera shop to get more information about what is right for your needs.

But if you have a limited budget and are just getting started, umbrellas are a perfect first step. check out Photoflex's website to see the variety of products that you can choose from.

A few other essentials for your home studio...
1 - fans to circulate the air or to use for effect in your images
2 - a low playing radio to create some ambient noise. Music creates a better mood.

Come back tomorrow when we discuss props and costumes for your model.

Setting Up Your Lighting Studio

Setting up a home studio can be extremely beneficial to any photographer. Whether you’re a professional portrait photographer or an amateur just starting to get into studio lighting, a home studio gives you a place to work and learn new things without putting the added dint into your bank account.

Over the week I am going to give you some things you should consider while you are creating your home studio set-up.  Then we will get into individual lighting techniques for a few days...

The Home Studio Space

 

The first thing to consider is creating a space. You do not need a large space, a 12 x 12 space would work. It would be tight, but doable… maybe empty out 1/2 of the garage and make your spouse park in the driveway or convert a spare bedroom into a make shift studio. (good luck with that conversation...LOL)

Ideally, you’ll want something with plenty of room to move around after it gets filled with studio or makeshift lights, your camera, a backdrop and other equipment. If your home is anything like mine it is probably full enough without a studio, so you will have to work with what you have until such time as you want, or can afford to rent some space.

You’ll want to choose a room where you can tightly control the lighting environment at any time of the day or night. Natural light can be a great tool but if your studio has a window, make sure you have a way to completely block off the light from affecting your shots… You can use thick vertical or horizontal blinds or thick fabric you can pick up at any fabric store in bulk.

Another thing you’ll want to consider is whether or not the room is climate controlled, especially if you’re going to be storing your equipment there permanently. Where I live the typical garage can stay well below the freezing point in the winter and exceed 100 degrees with the humidity in the summer… definitely not the ideal place to store thousands of dollars in photography equipment. But not only your gear can be affected, but your model will be under the hot lights while you are shooting… add humidity to that, and they will be standing in a puddle of water in no time… so consider the ambient temperatures and prepare for the change in weather!

The color of the space will also have an effect on your photos. Stay away from colored walls. Light bounces and colored walls will cast a colored hue on your images. You should try and stick to white or beige colored walls for your space… one other thing to remember about color… white reflects and black eliminates flash light… and the height of the room will impact the light. It’s a balance in your space that you will need to figure out through test shots to achieve the best lighting…

One final consideration is ambient noise. If you just shoot still photos than you’ll be fine with any room but if you’re ever going to shoot video you’ll want to choose a room far away from appliances or screaming kids.

Come on back to my blog tomorrow when we will be discussing “backdrops”

Step Back In Time and Capture History Thru the Lens

Since the fall of communism, Mongolia has done just about everything in its power to open itself up to the world. While the old traditions survive and the wild nature is still mostly intact, Mongolia has also reached out to the West for economic and cultural ties.

Mix up the vast landscapes of the Gobi, the snow capped mountains of Bayan-Ölgi and the dramatic gorges and sparkling lakes of Khövsgöl. Sprinkle in the felt homes of the nomad and the cry of an eagle. Add Buddhist temples, mysterious ruins, abundant wildlife and legendary hospitality. Then top it all off with a conqueror who started with nothing and ended up changing history.

Most travellers come for Naadam, the two-day summer sports festival that brings Ulaanbaatar to a standstill. Naadam (Mongolian: Наадам, lit. "games") is a traditional type of festival in Mongolia. The festival is also locally termed "eriin gurvan naadam" "the three games of men". The games are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery and are held throughout the country during the midsummer holidays. Women have started participating in the archery and girls in the horse-racing games, but not in Mongolian wrestling.

In 2010, Naadam was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

But Mongolia’s unique charm will always lie in the countryside where, in addition to being a spectator to the wrestling with special media passes and access to the athletes at ground level or capturing the raw power of the Golden Eagle, masterfully guided by their owners, you will also find yourself outside of the games bearing witness to some of the oldest monasteries known to man and in the surrounding villages. It’s easy to meet nomad families whose relentless sense of hospitality can at times be nothing short of overwhelming.

As a travel destination, Mongolia is a special place for people who enjoy the outdoors and adventure. Heading out on the vast plains, riding horses and camping with nomad families, it offers the chance to step back in time to a simpler age and way of life. It is an invigorating and exhilarating place to visit, and remains one of the last unspoiled travel destinations in Asia.

 

Join me in Mongolia for one of two trips...

 

Naadam Festival in July of 2013 (only two spots left for this trip to Mongolia)

 

Golden Eagle Festival with Jim Zuckerman in September of 2014 (only 3 spots left for this trip to Mongolia)

 

 

New Partnership Announcement with Photoflex

The teaching arm of KPep Photography, The Photographer’s Lounge, is excited to announce that they have forged a partnership with Photoflex. Photoflex will now be supplying "The Photographer’s Lounge" with all their studio lighting gear that will be used in all of their studio and remote photography workshops with a lighting component. To see the complete list of these workshops please visit http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops

In addition to the workshops that "The Photographer's Lounge" will be running, Kevin will also be creating more lighting tutorials, lighting technique information blogs and creating a video series that will be posted on the Photographer's Lounge website, on this blog and our youtube channel.

“Forging this partnership was important to us at the Photographer’s Lounge. This type of mutually beneficial partnership reinforces our commitment to offer the best workshops at the most economical prices for our students”. Kevin further says, “Now students attending our lighting workshops will have an excellent opportunity to see the latest gear that is available on the market and learn both flash and strobe lighting techniques using this state of the art equipment under the guidance of our knowledgeable workshop leaders”.

ABOUT Photoflex:

For a quarter century Photoflex® has produced lighting products that are driven by Innovation, Quality, Versatility and Durability. We’re proud to present our products to the digital, film and video industries worldwide.
 

We base our products around three simple, but crucial rules.

~Quality. Produce the finest, most versatile product at a fair price and back it up with the best warranty possible. We take personal pride in putting the Photoflex® name on a product that you pay money for. That pride is reflected and backed up by giving you a warranty that is at least two to five times longer than almost all other manufacturers in the industry. We will not sacrifice the credibility of our products simply to cut prices. Quality has its rewards. 

~No Gimmicks. We won’t build something that we wouldn’t use ourselves. We have two photo/video studios where we test the prototypes and shoot all of our product photos, instruction sheets, and product demonstration lessons for PhotoflexLightingSchool™. If the products don’t pass the test there, they don’t go to market.

Other “manufacturers” shop the trade shows and buy products off the shelf from factories that they then put their labels on. Not Photoflex®. We design and build our products from scratch. We produce our own fabric, build our own molds, and create our own designs into prototypes to be tested in our own studios, sometimes taking over a year to get the finished product.

This is why products such as the LiteDome®, LiteDisc®, and LitePanel have been in production for over 25 years virtually unchanged. They were designed correctly the first time, and all have five or six year warranties because of it.

~Customer Service. We don’t make the customer pay for our mistakes.  We know that you, the customer, signs our paycheck. Therefore, our goal is to provide the finest customer service in the business. We have always had real people answer the phone to help you with your issues and questions and we will continue to pursue our goal of being there for you in the future.

The top professionals in the world have been using Photoflex® products for 25 years and continue to do so because Photoflex® is driven by these three rules.

To learn more about Photoflex and their product line-up, please visit... www.photoflex.com

ABOUT The Photographer’s Lounge:

At the Photographer's Lounge we understand that everyone learns photography techniques at their own speed, budgets and through different methods. That is why we offer a number of different programs designed to help every photographer. It does not matter if you are an amateur wanting to learn to shoot better family photos, or a professional looking to expand your knowledge; the workshops, seminars and photo tours at the “Photographer's Lounge” are designed to help you on your own personal journey.

Amateur and professional photographer’s can take advantage of the following programs to help them achieve your personal goals:

• Travel Photography Workshops and Tours are scheduled locally, domestically and internationally at places familiar to us. All tours are designed by the tour companies that employ us with the photographer in mind. You will accompany other photographers on these workshops and tours with a minimum of one professional photographer and an experienced, local English speaking tour guide. 
• Photography Workshops that are designed to cover a topic in totality. Each workshop will have both an in-class and hands on learning component. These workshops are created so that you have as much face time with a professional photographer in order to maximise your learning.
• Once a year we bring in the “Top” photographers from around the world to run seminars. These photographers are chosen because they are teachers in addition to photographers. Their philosophy mirrors ours, “Photography knowledge is to be shared”
• "The Lounge" is a new entity that was just created to give members exclusive learning opportunities and more advanced learning opportunities for local photographers.

 

To Learn more about The Photographer's Lounge please visit... www.photographers-lounge.com

Just Announced... Flash and Studio Lighting Workshops

The 2013 Dates for our Lighting Workshops have been announced. This year we have split our workshops into two categories:
1) an introductory class to basic lighting tehniques
2) an advanced lighting workshop with flash and strobe lighting.

Introductory Flash Workshops

You will regularly hear people say “I prefer natural light to the artificial look of flash.” But really, that’s not true. Flash can look as natural as the sun... if you know how to do use the light to your advantage.

The best part is you don’t need a lot of expensive gear or fancy knowledge, or painstaking hours to setup. Some inexpensive and basic gear, and the technology built into your camera are enough to REALLY improve your snapshots, and also deliver some really fun and creative photos or your family and friends.

Our workshops will be divided into 2 parts: On-camera and Off-camera. Each part will start with interactive discussion, and end with your hands-on shooting, using the concepts learned.

On-camera will start with Getting better snapshots. In some workshops we will be using a models and a typical house-party setup, we will explore the typical problems with shooting indoors, and demonstrate the way to make flash work for you. We’ll start with shooting high-ISO, and progress through pop-up flash, and ending with speedlights.

Once we get our snapshots, we will look at using other flash features… High Speed Sync, second curtain shutter, light modifiers, bouncing, dragging the shutter, sync speeds, inverse square law (it’s easier than it sounds). So many opportunities for creative use of flash!

Off-camera will explore using a single speedlight to make creative and artistics portraits. We will use bare lights and simple modifiers (umbrellas, etc) to shape light to make people look their best. Along the way, we will discuss different wireless flash triggering systems and their pros/cons.

You will learn all the techniques the Pros use and you will walk away from our workshop with the hand-outs and hands on working knowledge that you can go home and practice before your next photo shoot or family function.

Introductory Workshop One - February 3, 2013

Introductory Workshop Two -  May 26, 2013

Introductory Workshop Three -  August 24, 2013

Introductory Workshop Four -  November 17, 2013 

Advanced Lighting Workshops

The workshop will be limited to 12 students and will be very hands on. We are not a ‘watch me while I shoot’ kind of teachers. You will shoot, you will learn, and you will leave with the ability to create shape using flash, multiple strobes and modifiers. You will leave this workshop a better photographer than when you entered.

The only prerequisite to this course is you must have a basic understanding of studio lighting, meaning you know how to properly meter at least one strobe. The basics of studio lighting will not be covered during this workshop. 

This workshop begins with setting up each of the major studio lighting styles with a key light, namely short, broad, butterfly, loop, Rembrandt, and split lighting.  The participants will move the key light themselves to the proper angle and height to achieve these styles, as well as adjust power levels and camera exposure settings to adjust the fill light in the shadowed side of the face. Together we will then look systematically at where to position background lights, in angle and position, so that the hot spots are removed and even lighting is achieved.  

This hands-on approach is meant to ensure the participants doesn’t come in and watch lights being moved around, but rather that they move the lights themselves, understanding why and refining their knowledge over exercises to solidify the concepts.

From there, everyone will split into 2 groups for the remainder of this section of the workshop, and will cycle between the different lighting techniques previously discussed.

The second part of the workshop will cover some of our retouching methods in the digital darkroom as well as some critique on your favorite photos from first section.

When you have finished this course, you will be knowledgeable and experienced in the methodology of determining the position for each light you are using in a studio setting, and how they relate to each other.  You will have experience moving lights and adjusting their power output to the proper settings, as well as setting your camera for the proper exposure given these settings. But just as important, you will learn some editing styles that will help you showcase some award winning images.

Advanced Workshop One -  February 2, 2013

Advanced Workshop Two -  May 25, 2013

Advanced Workshop Three -  August 25, 2013

Advanced Workshop Four -  November 16, 2013

To register for the right workshop that fits  your needs please visit the Photographer's Lounge

Photography Ideas for this weekend... Photographing things around the house



I took two photos with the camera on a tripod... one with the fingers and one without the fingers. I then layered the two images and used a layer mask and the brush tool to create the effect on the fingers.

We have lots of photogenic objects in our house... from the piano, to lamp shades, the family pet... and the kitchen... well, don't get me started there... you can really get creative using shadows and lead lines with utensils you will find in a kitchen.

Go ahead, get creative and push yoruself a bit... you are only limited by your own imagination.

Photography Ideas for this weekend... photographing flowers



I shot this with a single flash positioned at 9 o'clock and falling just in front of the flower to create a graduated soft lighting effect... then in post production I got a little creative...

 So its that in between season here in Canada... summer ended, the fall colours are gone and there is no laying snow on the ground.

While there are awesome photographic opportunities outside... wildlife, landscapes, atmospheric fog, etc... most people tend to hibernate at this time of year and lose their creative flair and only take the camera out for holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas...

Here is an idea... go to the local flower shop or grocery store and grab a bouquet of flowers... give them to your spouse or significant other and tell them you love them... that just might get the creative juices flowing later when you go to bed... but that's for a whole other type of blog... LOL

After the flowers are in the vase, grab a few and take some photos of the flowers... with a solid background so that the flowers pop.

You can take some macro shots, try selective focus, play around with your editing software... the opportunities are endless...

Oh... and to add a little bit of pop to the photos... grab a spray bottle and give the flower a few squeezes of the water bottle... as you see below, the added water drops are a nice effect.