Color and Lighting Effects for Studio Photography

Color and Lighting Effects for Studio Photography

“We’ve now come to the end of the course. Thank you so much for attending! I really hope this course has served as a source of inspiration and motivation to challenge yourself creatively. I loved teaching you and can’t wait to see what you've come up with for your final project. Remember that it’s all about experimenting. You can use my images as inspiration, but please make the final project your own. There are endless ways to combine different colours and lights! I love using RGB tubes because they allow me to work with any colour and hue imaginable, but if you don’t want to invest in PavoTubes, you certainly don't have to―instead, remember all the light hacks that I showed you. You can get amazing results by just using your smartphone. Play around with different materials and objects to see how they reflect and diffract the light. Using a semi-transparent backdrop like a LEE Filter is the easiest way to create different effects without complex lighting set-ups. Before you start photographing, it’s worth looking into some colour theory using the chromatic colour wheel and playing around with the Adobe Color app. It’s a really easy way to experiment with different colour palettes and see what works best. Think of light as the paint in your photograph. You can create all sorts of compositions and geometric shapes by directing light. Have a look at Instagram for lighting inspiration by other photographers or get inspired by your favourite movies.

Once you have an idea of the colours you want to use for your final project, draw simple sketches of your concepts before starting to think about the subject you want to photograph. I love working with people from the LGBTQ+ community. I find it adds authenticity to my work. But you are more than welcome to use a professional model or to create self-portraits instead. To get the best results, I think it’s best to choose someone with short or slicked back hair to really bring out the silhouettes the light creates. When you start shooting, try to experiment with projecting different colours onto your backdrop using two RGB lights set up behind it. Then you can use two further lights in the front to illuminate your model. Play around with different colour combinations and shades. Once you feel confident controlling colours, you can start working with different shapes of light. I like to use a projector attachment together with colourful gels to project a crisp circle onto my LEE Filter. If you don’t have a projector attachment, you can use a snoot with a lens or even a cinema projector. Together with the RGB lights you can create some beautiful effects. Remember to play around with different materials to create interesting light textures. I showed you how to use Mylar and lamé, but you can also use sequins and other reflective fabrics. Similarly, you can place things like prisms in front of your lights and see what kind of effect they create. You will be surprised just how many different images you can create without the need for extensive editing. Once you’re happy with your images, you can use Lightroom to do slight corrections and get your images ready to post on social media as well as in the forum. To do so, just click on the button "Create your project" and follow the guide from the previous lesson. I understand that all this can all feel a little intimidating at first, but remember: I am here to answer all of your questions. I’ve gone through periods of self-doubt myself and know it can sometimes be hard to stay creative and motivated. I hope my words have helped you feel part of a community of like-minded creative individuals. I’m truly excited to see your amazing work. Again, thank you so much for choosing my course. Goodbye―I'll see you in the forum!”

Partial transcription of the video

“Final Project We've now reached the end of my course. Thank you for participating. I hope that it served as a source of inspiration and motivation. I loved teaching it and can't wait to see your work for your final major project. It's all about experimenting. You're more than welcome to use my images as a source of inspiration, but it's about making the images your own. There are endless possibilities of combining colours in light. I love using RGB lights. It allows me to choose any hue imaginable and I can control it conveniently with my phone. It is the easiest, most convenient way for me...”

This transcript is automatically generated, so it may contain mistakes.

Course summary for: Color and Lighting Effects for Studio Photography

• Level: Beginner
• 100% positive reviews (127)
• 4179 students
• 4 units
• 13 lessons (2h 27m)
• 2 downloads

• Category

  Photography & Video

• Areas

  Digital Photography, Fine-Art Photography, Photographic Lighting, Photography, Portrait Photography, Studio Photography