Lighting set up

WingsOfLovePhoto

Hey all I am trying to learn studio lighting. I have a small studio with the following equipment a 3x4ft softbox as my main light with a white lighning strobe x1600. I have a 18x36" softstrip with eggcrates and the same white lightning strobe. I also have a 3x4 ft rigid reflectasol. The way I have them set up at present is the 3x4 softbox angled from the front right of the subject, the 10x36 angled towards the subject from the left back but flashing on the white wall too. I have the reflectasol angled towards the subject from the front left. The modeling lights are always on both and they are flashed at -2 and -3.5 and the camera settings at 8 and 1/60 usually. There is very little ambient light in the room. This is how most of the pictures come out with only a little whitening of the background in photoshop. This is my trademark look for kids which most people like but can you all give me ideas of a new set up for a new look? I need to branch out and try new things and want something a little more dramatic for my christmas photo's. Do I need a 4th light? Thanks in advance for any replies.

Scott_Quier

I think the best help I can give you is a suggestion - go on-line and look at the work of other photographers. Really study them and reverse-engineer the lighting. You really can look at a photo and get a very, very good idea of what light was used where and at what power.

Things to look at to help in this process are the highlights in the eyes (catch lights) and the shadows.

The catchlights will tell you where the lights illuminating the front surface(s) of the subject are located.

Shadows will also tell you this and will give you a good idea of the appearant light source (from the perspective of the subject - which is all that is important), and the approximate lighting ratios.

So, why all this? Because you really won't understand lighthing until you study it, try to duplicate that which you find you like, and eventually make it your own by changing things up a bit.

As for the question about the 4th light - more lights are always better to have on hand for when you need them, but you only need them to solve a problem. Throwing lights at a problem without knowing why you are doing so is a lot like a government/business throwing money at a problem without understanding the problem and/or what the solution(s) might be.

FWIW, YMMV, and HTH