How to Make Your Own Photogrpahy Lighting Kit at Home

If you've decided to delve into photography but want to hold off on investing thousands of dollars on equipment, creating a lighting kit at home is a great way to save money while honing your craft. Creating a homemade lighting kit with equipment that's not designed specifically for photography might not produce as high a quality product as an expensive lighting kit. However, you can use relatively inexpensive computer programs to help produce a higher quality photo.

Instructions

1

Search your home for the listed supplies and materials. You can find the remaining items at your local hardware or convenience stores. Walmart or a local hardware store should also have all of the items.

2

Decide on a space to test out your lighting kit. The best place to take pictures in your home is in a room that receives little to no natural sunlight. You want to be able to control the light on your subject as easily as possible. It's difficult to maintain a constant lighting scheme with the sun shining through windows and clouds randomly passing behind.

3

Wrap tin foil around one side of the 5-foot-by-5-foot piece of cardboard to create a reflector. If you're having a difficult time finding a large piece of cardboard or don't have access to large amounts of tin foil, a large mirror will work just as effectively.

4

Lay the white bed sheet on the floor so that it lays up against one of the walls in the room. Tack the second bed sheet to the wall using the hammer and nails. Make sure the bed sheets meet where the floor meets the wall. Change the color of the bed sheets to control the lighting. For instance, use dark sheets to create an illusion of space around a subject.

5

Plug the extension cords into your power supply and plug them into the halogen lights.

6

Set up the three halogen work lights in a L-shaped formation. Place them on individual tables, chairs or ottomans. If you're purchasing the lights from a hardware store, set them up on the included tripod. The lights need to be easily movable to accommodate the various sizes, shapes and poses of your subjects.

7

Point the strongest halogen light directly at the front of the subject. This is known as the key light. It is used to ensure that one side of your subject is well-lit.

8

Shine the second light directly at the subject, but with a less powerful light bulb. This is called the fill light, and it is used to fill the shadows created by the key light.

9

Position the third halogen light from the back of the subject so that it lights the subject's rear. This is called the back light. It is used to distinguish the subject from the background.

10

Start snapping photographs of your subject.

---

If you've decided to delve into photography but want to hold off on investing thousands of dollars on equipment, creating a lighting kit at home is a great way to save money while honing your craft. Creating a homemade lighting kit with equipment that's not designed specifically for photography might not produce as high a quality product as an expensive lighting kit. However, you can use relatively inexpensive computer programs to help produce a higher quality photo.

Instructions

1

Search your home for the listed supplies and materials. You can find the remaining items at your local hardware or convenience stores. Walmart or a local hardware store should also have all of the items.

2

Decide on a space to test out your lighting kit. The best place to take pictures in your home is in a room that receives little to no natural sunlight. You want to be able to control the light on your subject as easily as possible. It's difficult to maintain a constant lighting scheme with the sun shining through windows and clouds randomly passing behind.

3

Wrap tin foil around one side of the 5-foot-by-5-foot piece of cardboard to create a reflector. If you're having a difficult time finding a large piece of cardboard or don't have access to large amounts of tin foil, a large mirror will work just as effectively.

4

Lay the white bed sheet on the floor so that it lays up against one of the walls in the room. Tack the second bed sheet to the wall using the hammer and nails. Make sure the bed sheets meet where the floor meets the wall. Change the color of the bed sheets to control the lighting. For instance, use dark sheets to create an illusion of space around a subject.

5

Plug the extension cords into your power supply and plug them into the halogen lights.

6

Set up the three halogen work lights in a L-shaped formation. Place them on individual tables, chairs or ottomans. If you're purchasing the lights from a hardware store, set them up on the included tripod. The lights need to be easily movable to accommodate the various sizes, shapes and poses of your subjects.

7

Point the strongest halogen light directly at the front of the subject. This is known as the key light. It is used to ensure that one side of your subject is well-lit.

8

Shine the second light directly at the subject, but with a less powerful light bulb. This is called the fill light, and it is used to fill the shadows created by the key light.

9

Position the third halogen light from the back of the subject so that it lights the subject's rear. This is called the back light. It is used to distinguish the subject from the background.

10

Start snapping photographs of your subject.

---

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