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Studio Thoughts - part 2 of 1 2 3 4

by David Williams Published 01/11/2005

I did a series of 'mentor' lectures throughout Asia and India for Kodak a while ago...it was a very interesting experience. Every wanna-be photographer goes to a studio to learn:

Every studio has five lights.

Very few studios know how to use those five lights. They use black backgrounds.

The lighting pattern as taught is hair light too bright, sidelight too bright and the rest totally flat. I was photographed in a 'studio' that was less than 8ft square with five lights.

During one of the seminars I shot a model, low angle, in a hotel at the bottom of some steps, with a single light and a car sun-block screen for a reflector. I dragged the shutter to incorporate the towering garden foyer and 'splashed' colour up the stairs with a little flash wrapped in unexposed but processed film.

The resulting 'kodak-roid' (fuji disguised) when peeled apart caused absolute consternation, admiration and wonder. "Be-yoo-tifool Mr Williams", "So ravishing Mr Williams", "The quality is incredible Mr Williams"...

The final comment from the guy most vocal in his admiration floored me: "But Mr Williams, this isn't professional photography - it hasn't got five lights!"

David WilliamsMy final comment on this subject is this: A studio is simply a place where you make a controlled image. It's an area out of the rain, nothing more. You don't have to listen to music only in a music room. You don't need a special shed to do carpentry. It should therefore be as versatile and as simple as possible. Make your decisions based on what is a natural extension of your wedding work. If you do beautifully controlled posed wedding work in the best tradition, your studio will need to reflect that. If you're casual and PJ...?

And yes, in Australia (Southern Hemisphere) we look for south light.

You can make wonderful clip together light diffusers. I haunt 'Schmattah' (sorry if that's spelt wrong) that is, fabric shops. A simple curtain will probably cost less, and be less invasive of your area.

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1st Published 01/11/2005
last update 09/12/2022 14:59:23

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