Beginning Studio Lighting

Are you abashed to get started with accurate flat lights? Are you not abiding what to buy, how to set them, area to abode them and how to use them? Then this commodity is for you!
First of all, you accept to adjudge what types of lights to purchase. There are two basal types: Tungsten or Strobes. Tungsten lights are connected photofloods, which tend to accomplish a lot of heat. Strobes are beam units. I alone use strobes and absolutely like them. Added specifically, I use the Conflicting Bees B800's. I adulation these lights and acquisition them absolutely simple to use. Your strobes will appear with something alleged a "modeling light." This clay ablaze is there to acquiesce you to see area your ablaze will be. It goes off if you blaze the strobe, and comes on afresh a additional later, absolution you apperceive that the strobes are accessible to be accursed again. The clay ablaze gives off actual little calefaction compared to the tungsten lights.
Whatever cast you adjudge to purchase, accomplish abiding that they will acquiesce for lighting accessories such as softboxes and umbrellas, barndoors (plates that attach to the foreground of your lights) and snoots (a continued tube - a lot of about acclimated as a hair light). These accessories accredit you to ascendancy area the ablaze goes. The architect of the lights you accept will added than acceptable aswell advertise ablaze stands, which you will aswell need.
You can get started with as little as one light, but accomplish abiding that you accept some array of reflector to accommodate ample light. Reflectors are accessible from able camera shops (online or off), but a ample section of white foamboard or agenda will do the ambush as able-bodied (and is abundant beneath expensive). After your business gets traveling and you can allow added lighting, you can add a ample light, a hair ablaze and some accomplishments lighting as well. You will charge umbrellas or softboxes to go with your capital and ample lights.
Main Light: The primary lighting
Fill Light: Fills in the caliginosity created by the capital light
Hair Light: Separates the hair from the background
Where should you abode your lights? About speaking, the afterpiece the lights to the subject, the added acrid the lighting. The added abroad you abode your lights from the subject, the added diffused the lighting will be. If application my capital ablaze with a softbox, I about abode the capital ablaze about 4 to 5 anxiety abroad from my accountable (slightly aloft the subject's eye level) and off to the appropriate of the camera. I abode my ample ablaze hardly added aback (on the subject's eye level) and on my left. Remember, your accountable should be at atomic 4 to 5 anxiety abroad from the accomplishments to abate shadows. If you are application a hair light, it should be aloft and abaft the subject's head...but agreement with it to acquisition the adjustment you like best. You will absolutely charge to use either barndoors or a adenoids for your hair ablaze to accumulate it from animated into the camera's lens.
For portraiture, you will wish to use a lighting arrangement of 3:1, acceptation that your capital ablaze is about 1-2/3rds f-stops brighter (or stronger) than the ample light. A 2:1 allowance agency that your capital ablaze is 1 stop stronger than the ample light. The hair ablaze should be one stop stronger than your capital light. The aforementioned goes for accomplishments lighting if you wish a ablaze white background. This is addition acumen I like my conflicting bees so much: they are absolutely simple to adjust. You can artlessly move a about-face on the aback of anniversary ablaze to set it, and it is simple to get that 3:1 or 2:1 ratio. You will wish to accumulate the allowance lighting (table lamps, aerial lights, etc.) to a minimum.
For my set up (I use the Canon 20D and the conflicting bees B800's), I set my camera to 250 and 13, my capital ablaze at ¼ power, and my ample ablaze at 1/16 ability and I get abundant results. I would acclaim just arena about with your settings until you acquisition the ones that work.
We've covered the basics here, but you still may wish to advance in a acceptable book on flat lighting to added your knowledge.
My advice: don't be abashed of flat lighting! You can do it!