With the new Nikon D7100 digital camera, you would expect to be able to turn your hand to almost anything. This versatile and flexible camera is designed to excel in all areas of photography. So, once it is out of the box, many new owners will be rushing to take portraits and still-life images in studio conditions. obviously, if you can, you should always try to shoot in natural light - particularly if you are shooting portraits. If that isn't feasible, the pop up flash can usually provide the necessary fill-in, or you could use you flash gun, carefully placed and fired remotely. In most circumstances these tools will help you to get a decent result. But a time will come when you decide you need more control and at the point you will want a studio set up.
Obviously you need a fair amount of space - particularly if you are going to photograph people. A high ceiling is good, and you must have a good 5 meters between the photographer and subject if you want to shoot people full-length. A basement or garage might just be big enough. With light being such an important factor, you cannot afford to let light in from the outside to contaminate your set. Cover all the doors and windows black out cloth and paint the walls black. This prevents the wall color reflecting back onto your subject. If the room is communal, and there are objections to black - it can be a bit depressing - try to get as dark a gray as possible. And try to ensure that you have a good supply of electrical sockets - you will need them.
Controlling the light is one of the primary requirements for every photographer. Once you have excluded all other sources, you can concentrate on how you are going to illuminate your subject. There are two kinds of studio lighting systems - continuous or strobe. Continuous lights come in two flavors - tungsten and fluorescent. Tungsten lights are also known as 'hot lights' as they do give out a lot of heat, which can be a problem if your subject has to sit under them for any length of time. they also give of a warm, reddish glow that is very complimentary to skin tones and so tends to look like natural light.
Fluorescent lights are considered 'colder' because they have a blueish color to them that make them ideal for stock shots and inanimate objects. Of course, both types of lighting can be used for either live or stock shots, it's just a matter of what the photographer is trying to achieve. You will be able to set the white balance in the D7100 for either light source, but remember you want to have the lighting working for you rather than against you. You don't want to have to be compensating against it all the time. Sooner or later you will forget to do it and then have to catch up in your editing software.
With continuous lighting, the photographer is able to judge how the light affects his subject in real time through the viewfinder or backscreen - which means fewer surprises and disappointments. It also means that the photographer can devote more attention to composition and content, rather than wondering if the flash just fired or not. However, if you want to catch something in motion, or even cleanly give the impression and motion, then you have need to shoot with strobe lights.
Although strobes are more difficult to set up, they give the photographer bit more flexibility. The power of the flash can be increased or reduced to suit the photographer's needs. This means that the photographer can design his lighting around his shutter speed requirement. Obviously, if the subject is moving and you don't want blur, you will need a fairly fast shutter speed. Once mastered, strobe lights are a great way to get the images you want. However, because they operate on a burst, they sometimes take a while to recharge.
If you are using two lights, I would suggest you use a soft box as the main light and the other light for the background. As the name suggests, the light from the soft box is less harsh and more even. It would be a wise investment to get some barn doors for the second light to help target the light from it more effectively. Set up your trigger on the front light and ensure that you have a trigger on both lights so that they both fire at the same time. Most decent lighting systems have built in slaves these days. Keep the soft box at least 2 meters away from the subject so that you keep the detail, and about 1 meter from the background so that the light spreads evenly.
I usually begin a shoot on a standard 1/125 at f8 with an ISO set at 200. This gives me enough flexibility to change things around gradually if I need to. Most studio lenses operate comfortably at f8 and the shutter speed will catch most fluid movement. If you find the lighting a bit flat, move the soft box out wide to get some more definition and shadow, but always be aware that more shadow can be very unflattering, particularly if the subject has an angular face or large nose. I always start by getting the standard shots done - the full length, half-length and then move in tighter for head and shoulders or portrait. By the time you want to try something more interesting your model will have relaxed and you will have become more confident in the equipment and you abilities.
Obviously you need a fair amount of space - particularly if you are going to photograph people. A high ceiling is good, and you must have a good 5 meters between the photographer and subject if you want to shoot people full-length. A basement or garage might just be big enough. With light being such an important factor, you cannot afford to let light in from the outside to contaminate your set. Cover all the doors and windows black out cloth and paint the walls black. This prevents the wall color reflecting back onto your subject. If the room is communal, and there are objections to black - it can be a bit depressing - try to get as dark a gray as possible. And try to ensure that you have a good supply of electrical sockets - you will need them.
Controlling the light is one of the primary requirements for every photographer. Once you have excluded all other sources, you can concentrate on how you are going to illuminate your subject. There are two kinds of studio lighting systems - continuous or strobe. Continuous lights come in two flavors - tungsten and fluorescent. Tungsten lights are also known as 'hot lights' as they do give out a lot of heat, which can be a problem if your subject has to sit under them for any length of time. they also give of a warm, reddish glow that is very complimentary to skin tones and so tends to look like natural light.
Fluorescent lights are considered 'colder' because they have a blueish color to them that make them ideal for stock shots and inanimate objects. Of course, both types of lighting can be used for either live or stock shots, it's just a matter of what the photographer is trying to achieve. You will be able to set the white balance in the D7100 for either light source, but remember you want to have the lighting working for you rather than against you. You don't want to have to be compensating against it all the time. Sooner or later you will forget to do it and then have to catch up in your editing software.
With continuous lighting, the photographer is able to judge how the light affects his subject in real time through the viewfinder or backscreen - which means fewer surprises and disappointments. It also means that the photographer can devote more attention to composition and content, rather than wondering if the flash just fired or not. However, if you want to catch something in motion, or even cleanly give the impression and motion, then you have need to shoot with strobe lights.
Although strobes are more difficult to set up, they give the photographer bit more flexibility. The power of the flash can be increased or reduced to suit the photographer's needs. This means that the photographer can design his lighting around his shutter speed requirement. Obviously, if the subject is moving and you don't want blur, you will need a fairly fast shutter speed. Once mastered, strobe lights are a great way to get the images you want. However, because they operate on a burst, they sometimes take a while to recharge.
If you are using two lights, I would suggest you use a soft box as the main light and the other light for the background. As the name suggests, the light from the soft box is less harsh and more even. It would be a wise investment to get some barn doors for the second light to help target the light from it more effectively. Set up your trigger on the front light and ensure that you have a trigger on both lights so that they both fire at the same time. Most decent lighting systems have built in slaves these days. Keep the soft box at least 2 meters away from the subject so that you keep the detail, and about 1 meter from the background so that the light spreads evenly.
I usually begin a shoot on a standard 1/125 at f8 with an ISO set at 200. This gives me enough flexibility to change things around gradually if I need to. Most studio lenses operate comfortably at f8 and the shutter speed will catch most fluid movement. If you find the lighting a bit flat, move the soft box out wide to get some more definition and shadow, but always be aware that more shadow can be very unflattering, particularly if the subject has an angular face or large nose. I always start by getting the standard shots done - the full length, half-length and then move in tighter for head and shoulders or portrait. By the time you want to try something more interesting your model will have relaxed and you will have become more confident in the equipment and you abilities.
About the Author:
Jeremy Bayston has worked in the photographic industry for more than twenty years. He has a particular interest in digital cameras and photography. Find out more about the new Nikon D7100 and its launch date from his website. Regularly updated with news and advice, it can help you get better pictures from your D7100.
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