Lighting is the most important element of a good photography studio. A studio that offers access to natural light and comes equipped with ample man-made lighting fixtures will allow you the widest avenue for taking eye-catching photos. Setting up ample lighting in a studio is an expensive proposition, but if you make your living as a photographer, you can't afford to cut corners where your lighting is concerned.
Lighting Setup
Choose between a floor- or ceiling-based studio. You will have a studio that has lighting on the floor, mounted on lightweight stands for easy portability, or you'll have your lighting built into a rail system on the ceiling. Rail-mounted lighting takes up a rectangular area on your ceiling and provides flexible positioning of lighting. If you happen to live in the same studio where you work, an overhead system may be the better choice.
Natural Light
When choosing a studio, look for something with plenty of windows. You want to be able to take advantage of natural light. The more windows you have spread around your studio, the better your chance of catching proper sunlight when you need it. Big windows work best, preferably with no distracting frame dividers. Large, plate glass windows work best, too.
Hot and Cold Light
Decide on the type of man-made lighting you'd like to use. There are two basic types. Hot lights are tungsten or metal halide iodide lights that burn continuously. The big advantage of this type of light is knowing you will always get what you see in front of you, even if you mix them with ambient light. The disadvantage of hot lights is the heat itself. The heat thrown off by these lights causes everybody to sweat and can even melt props.
Cold lights are flashes and strobe systems. Most still photographers use cold light, such as strobe systems. There are two types of studio strobe systems: monolights and head systems. Monolights have few cables and are more suited for location work. Head systems are basically one big capcitor-filled powerpack with a bunch of lights that can be adjusted individual and overall.
Tags: strobe systems, lights that, man-made lighting, natural light, studio that
