Taking photos in studio requires time.  A lot of people ask me why take photos in studio?  It’s quite simple actually, studio photography allows the photographer to have absolute control over the lighting.  From high-key(lot of light, little or no shadows) fashion shots to low-key(lots of shadow with only a few strips of light) shots.

When you decide to start taking photos in the studio, I would definitely recommend attending some course or another on lighting just to see someone demonstrate the basics.  Once you’ve done that you have about a 5% percent understanding of awesome lighting and the rest you can only learn from constantly working with subjects in the studio.  The easiest would be to ask someone you know to pose for you in the studio.  Don’t let shyness get in the way of you learning.  Most people are flattered when you ask them if you can photograph them.  It may be overwhelming at first, all the lights, relectors and the model, how do I make it all come together?!

Easy, always remember to keep it simple.  Start off with using only one flash and a reflector.  Some of the greatest studio photographs are shot like this.  Look at lighting of photos in magazines, find one that you like and try to recreate it.  Your model is next.  Take a look at poses used in fashion and lifestyle magazines, mark the ones you like or cut them out and file them all together.  This helps you to get used to posing someone and it also makes your subject more comfortable as they know exactly what you expect from them.  And lastly, a smile goes a long way.  Keep reassuring your subject when they are doing something right and make them feel good about themselves.  This will make them relax and will show their personality in the photos. 
 
You have to spend a lot of time  in the studio to play around with your lights to make sure you are able to create the lighting you see in your mind’s eye. Trust me, it’s not as easy as you’d think.  Have you ever taken a good look at a photo  which you saw and just couldn’t turn away from? What was it that made you keep coming back for antoher look?  Was it the subject matter, the highlight in the girls eye? You just can’t put your finger on it can you…?  I promise you nine out of ten times it was brilliant lighting that made it all come together.  Ligthing will never be the first thing you notice in a photo, because humans brains are programmed to notice familiar shapes like faces and words.  But next time you look at a photo and gives you that sense of wonder, spend a few extra moments looking at…. the magic art of lighting!!

Have fun learning…..

Riani