Friday, June 3, 2016

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How to Use Light Stands in Photography

Studio light stands for photography are about as useful as the lights themselves. Light stands give photographers complete control over light positioning and allow them to easily make adjustments when necessary. Light stands are essentially telescoping poles with legs that keep them upright. , but learning how to use them properly can be key in making huge improvements in your photography.

Instructions

    1

    Arrange the stands according to the lighting style you prefer. The traditional three-light setup consists of a key light, a fill light and a rim light. The key light illuminates from one side of the camera or the other. The fill light, which is lower in brightness, shines from the opposite angle of the key light and lightens its shadows. The rim light comes from behind and to the side of the subject and reveals the contour of their shoulder and head. Different photographer use these lights in varying ways, so it is important to experiment with your light stand until you find something that works for you.

    2

    Attach the lights to the light stands. Some lights are manufactured with clamps, while other lights require intermediary accessories to connect to light stands. See resources for a list of accessories that connect various lights to stands.

    3

    Raise the stands so that your lights are positioned above the eye level of your subjects. As a general rule of thumb, a key light is at its proper height when it casts a small butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose of the subject. While this rule is not set in stone, it is a good starting point. The height of the rest of the lights should be set to approximately the same height as the key light.

    4

    Experiment with the positioning of the stands until you find a style that suits you and your subject. Turning all but one light off helps to see the effect of each light and what effect changing its position could have.

    5

    Secure your light stands with extra weight. A fallen light stand is a recipe for a lawsuit. Sandbags are commonly used to keep stands from falling. See resources for sandbags that are available for photographers to purchase.


How to Use Light Stands in Photography

Studio light stands for photography are about as useful as the lights themselves. Light stands give photographers complete control over light positioning and allow them to easily make adjustments when necessary. Light stands are essentially telescoping poles with legs that keep them upright. , but learning how to use them properly can be key in making huge improvements in your photography.

Instructions

    1

    Arrange the stands according to the lighting style you prefer. The traditional three-light setup consists of a key light, a fill light and a rim light. The key light illuminates from one side of the camera or the other. The fill light, which is lower in brightness, shines from the opposite angle of the key light and lightens its shadows. The rim light comes from behind and to the side of the subject and reveals the contour of their shoulder and head. Different photographer use these lights in varying ways, so it is important to experiment with your light stand until you find something that works for you.

    2

    Attach the lights to the light stands. Some lights are manufactured with clamps, while other lights require intermediary accessories to connect to light stands. See resources for a list of accessories that connect various lights to stands.

    3

    Raise the stands so that your lights are positioned above the eye level of your subjects. As a general rule of thumb, a key light is at its proper height when it casts a small butterfly-shaped shadow under the nose of the subject. While this rule is not set in stone, it is a good starting point. The height of the rest of the lights should be set to approximately the same height as the key light.

    4

    Experiment with the positioning of the stands until you find a style that suits you and your subject. Turning all but one light off helps to see the effect of each light and what effect changing its position could have.

    5

    Secure your light stands with extra weight. A fallen light stand is a recipe for a lawsuit. Sandbags are commonly used to keep stands from falling. See resources for sandbags that are available for photographers to purchase.



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