1. Studio Lighting
Lights & Modifiers

2. Lighting equipment fall into one of three major categories: The light sources itself.
Modifiers that control the spread of light. Stands & Backdrops that support the lights.

3. Studio Monolights. Continuous Lights. Flash Guns.
Lighting
Light sources
Studio Monolights. Continuous Lights. Flash Guns.
Lighting equipment can fall into one of three major categories: the light sources themselves, modifiers that control the spread of light, and grips or stands that support the lights. There are also more extreme lighting methods but even they fall into this category initially.
Light sources
Studio light sources generally fall into three categories: You can use a monolight kit. Continuous Lighting. Flash Guns

4. Monolights
Monolights kits are compact substitutes for a power pack/flash head combinations. Their size limits their power but have the advantage of portability. Having all the controls on the power pack makes it easier to change the settings of multiple flash heads in one place quickly. Monolights come with the controls built directly into the light itself. If using multiple monolights, you'll need to control them separately. Most lights, regardless of the brand or model, provide heads that come in the form of a strobe surrounded by a reflector

5. Flash Guns
Flashguns do much the same as the mono lights and are especially useful when space is restricted. When using the front room at home as a makeshift studio
It is quite surprising how quickly space s at a premium. They are essential to use as fill in flash when working outside

6. Continuous Lights
Continuous lighting is particularly useful when photographing movement indoors for instance:
If you were photographing a dance sequence you would probably not be popular if the flash was going off all the time whereas once the continuous lights are on and at suitable power
most people would not really notice. A continuous light may be useful when taking shots of a young child as using flash on newborns is a no, no

7. Light Modifiers
Every photographer will use different light modifiers for their
photo shoot sessions and there are many to choose from. Modifiers are used in many different ways to achieve the desired effect.
This short guide introduces you to the most popular ones.

8. What exactly is a modifier?
Any device or attachment that can be placed around or on a light source (e.g. the strobe head). You use these tools to cast light on a model in different ways. There are many variations one for every situation here are a few essentials.

9. Standard Reflectors
These devices are all-purpose reflectors. Usually with a diameter between (18-22 cm). The beam from flash lights is restricted between 90 and 120 degrees. If you want to bounce your flash e.g. off a reflector, a wall, a ceiling or a huge piece of hard-foam board, these tools come in especially handy.

10. Brollies Reflective & Shoot-Through
There is no more popular light diffuser than the brolly. Mounted very close to the strobe head’s centre, the brolly is able to reflect flash lighting directly back & out. It gives you broad light with good contrast. They come with different surfaces – silver – gold - white. There is also the “shoot-through” Brolly made of nylon or plastic. The flash is aimed directly at the model. Light from a strobe shines through the white material. Brollies provide a broad and soft light. As a general rule the bigger the brolly, the softer light.

11. Softboxes
Softboxes are the ultimate soft light devices for appealing the soft curves of a body and face. They are available in various sizes and come
with the ability to attach to any flash head.
Many photographers believe that the Softbox is the most versatile medium.
They come in various sizes and shapes.
Square, Hexagon, Oblong. Softboxes can be rolled and stored in tube sacks.

12. Octagonal Softbox
Unlike a rectangular Softbox, light coming from an Octobox is spread more evenly around your model’s face because of its octagonal shape. The achieved contrast will be less as the light is soft. Reflections in your model’s pupils will look almost round, whereas the light shaping you get from the standard Softbox is rectangular or square.

13. Beauty Dishes
Light that is modified by the beauty dish can be compared with what you get from a parabolic reflector. But be aware that you will receive hard light with semi-soft edges from it, and no hot spot in the middle of the light.
The contrast is higher, while the shadow is sharper. Be careful when placing the light and posing the model because you don’t want to reveal the flaws. Put a diffuser on it in order to get an overall softer light.

14. Gels
Light from strobes is balanced almost like sunlight. The tones and colours are accurate when shooting with strobe. Gels can help you change these tones and colours if you want something different. Coloured filters or gels are heat-resistant
and tough film sheets. They are attached to the front of lights
and available in many different colours and intensities. Use gaffer tape or clamps for applying the gel to the strobe. With the gaffer tape there won’t be any sticky residue
left behind once you remove it.

15. The “honeycomb” is a tight grid. Light shines through
Snoot & Honeycombs
The “snoot” on the other hand is the non-focusable spotlight. Use the snoot for creating a circle in the background or as hair lights.
The “honeycomb” is a tight grid. Light shines through
and what you get is a tight beam. Honeycombs can be used when you don’t want any diffusion but remember, it is not as intense or focused as the snoot. Honeycombs can be attached to dishes and standard reflectors.

16. Restrictors: Barn Doors & Flags
Modifiers can also be light restrictors. These are used to restrict the light. There are many light modifiers that fit a beauty dish and a reflector.
“Barn doors” are the most popular ones. They let you control the light while it leaves the source. The shape can be controlled too. For instance, if you close the barn door, you can get a square or rectangular shape.
The best photos are those with some shading. It is the balance between the shadow and the light areas that makes the photo interesting. Eyes of a viewer are trained to move towards the most illuminated areas in the photo. If it is evenly lit, then there is no place where the eye can move to which leads to a probably boring viewing experience. This is where “flags” can help you. A flag is used for blocking or removing light from your model.

17. Single Light Photography
Studio Setup
for
Single Light Photography