One of the most important aspects that make or break a picture is the lighting when it comes to photography. Incorporating perfect light can make all the difference, and achieving this goal often requires a lot of trial and error. This is where lighting modelling comes in, allowing photographers to adjust the light perfectly while keeping the subject in focus. With this technology becoming more accessible by the day, knowing how to set up LED modelling lighting is essential for any aspiring photographer. In this blog, we will be discussing the top five tips to get started right away!
Choose the Right Light Source
There are many types of LED modelling lighting, and each one requires a different kind of light source. If you’re using an off-the-shelf light kit or if you’re simply experimenting, it’s best to start with something simple like a tungsten lamp. Once you have this basic understanding under your belt, you can move on to more difficult fixtures such as luxe boxes and other combinations of light sources. Stick with this most start-up types to get familiar and see where it leads you in the future!
Adjust the Light Intensity
One of the most critical aspects of LED modelling lighting is adjusting the light intensity. This can be done in a few ways, but one common technique is to change the ratio between your light and dark settings. If you have a tungsten lamp, for example, you might want to start with a higher intensity setting and then adjust it down as you get more comfortable. In addition to using adjustment tools on your hardware fixture, it’s also possible to change the intensity on a macro level by adjusting your f-stop. This can be done while shooting with Live View; quicker than when using file manipulation software, so don’t worry if you are new to this side of lighting.
Work Your Room’s Ambient Light Into Your Final Image
Once you have made it to the point where you’re comfortable trying different settings and modelling setups, start making use of ambient light within your scene. By doing this, you will begin to understand the subtleties of light and how reflections within a room can alter your final image. The easiest way to achieve ambient light in your environment is often by utilising natural sources such as sunlight or moonlight; by shooting at different times of day, you’ll start to see the various moods created with LED modelling lighting.
Take Advantage of ‘ Softening ‘ LED Lighting
Another common technique that can shape and create moods within a shot is softening the light source in post-production. By artificially adding more ambient lighting, you’ll quickly find that your final image will look peppier than it originally did with standard modelling techniques, ultimately creating an easy way for editing software like Photoshop or C4D to change things as creatively as possible if desired.
Create a Great Specific Lighting Scheme
Once you start trying out different studies, it’s always good to create your own custom lighting scheme and then document it using RAW images; this will allow you to understand the effect that each light source seems to have on your final piece at hand. Once again, manipulation programs like Photoshop or C4D help considerably with workflow here; plenty of evidence of accidental errors can be cut and trimmed away to focus on the finer details of your final shot.