Gotta say...I first dived into the lighting arena with so much inspiration from the many UA-cam videos watched. I purchased the right equipment, within my mean of course. I returned some over the top things I found really were not needed at this time. I was totally overwhelmed by the entire lighting process and turned back to my passion...wildlife and nature photography. I just about swore off doing any studio portrait work. Then I ran across this tutorial for Studio Lighting for Beginners - The Three Light Setup with Mark Wallace. That inspiration returned and I thought....This is one of the easiest, user friendly tutorials I've seen yet. I broke out my two Soft lights, a snoop and even threw in a couple of affordable LED color lights for enhancement. I viewed this video several time and attempted to mock every step as I could. After about 3 weeks of playing around, it all came together. My pictures turned into portraits. I was able to achieve the same lighting, with a little modification also learned from the video. Now with another week past and posting some self samples to my social media accounts, one of my friends actually requested a session with me. I jumped on the opportunity to have an outside model and offered to do it for free in order to relieve any stress I may get from my first time. Thank you for sharing this video and for rekindling my inspiration into another field of photography.
Will the lights in my house matter? I have two large windows with natural light but should I use blackout curtains? Confused about how the room should be.
I think you complicated a lot, with the lightmeter with advanced functions . A very big video , you repeat the same thing a lot of times (it is a video). And lokout with double shadows with the location of your fill light. Don t take it bad. Just want to help.. Love Mr. D. Norton work. And want to thank you the videos you do.
Getting started is difficult simply from all of the choices of light modifiers and light stands. For example, I now have a 36" and a 48" round softbox, a normal light stand, and a C-stand. Some of that was included in a package deal so I didn't have a choice of type, etc. But after watching a bunch of videos, it seems like I also need to add strip boxes, and square boxes to the line-up. It's just overwhelming when starting out. I'm obviously going to practice with what I've got and learn the in and outs, but there is just so much to learn.
Look at the kits. I've got 3 mono lights, 2 soft light boxes, a boom and two light stands, a snoop and 2 mono light reflectors with a collapsible backdrop all for just under $400. That's really not expensive. We all need to save when starting out in photography so, I collect a little at a time. All this over 3 months was very affordable. The equipment used in the video is of higher wattage and uses a meter that has all the bells and whistles. I don't use a light meter. The DSL takes care of that for me. I used all of the mentioned methods with great success. It's not about the level of equipment you use, or the camera...it's about you passion for the art. All the best.
Great video mark I use a mola Demi main 3’ Octa fill 1X3 strip with a grid for a fill As for the hair or kicker I set based on hair color. Blonde lower power darker hair high power When you have a sec could you do a demo with the Elinchrom Five, one. Have a great day
Toooooooo much talk. Tooooo much fuss over 0.1 difference in matching one light to another. This is for beginners; you are way over most heads. Remember the KISS principle . . . Show how the key sets the basic shape of the face, then how much shadow the fill can remove with small adjustments up and down. That's all a beginner needs.
Super rrrrrr .My age 76yrs once I am using Metz 502 and 60 ct1with mecalux slave for industrial photography with Hasselblad 500 Cm with 50mm Ditagon lens . It is my experience with you
I never understood a light meter. I eyeball it and nail exposure typically with 2 test shots. There have been a couple occasions where I get it spot on the first time.
Thought I'd mention a problem I experienced. Using correct settings as advised, my images looked over exposed when reviewing on the camera rear screen. Took me a while to realize that I had the screen set to fully bright for outdoor viewing. Perhaps Adorama customers should be aware of potential misunderstanding. Thanks for the great videos, Mark Wallace in particular.
Some strobes aren’t marked with f/stops, but at power settings. Mark is showing how to get set up with any lighting equipment with the help of a light meter. I get it, though. I also don’t own a $350 light meter. 😁
Very interesting video, however, it is called "Studio Lighting For Beginners". I am not sure how many beginners have that kind of a high tec light meter. Here it would be better if you showed how to determine the flash power without any light meter at all. Just as a beginner most probably would do.
You could judge the lighting by looking at your camera's LCD. A lot of folks use this method. But. There's always one of those, eh? Two things to consider. 1. Your LCD is not a reliable monitor for judging image brightness. For instance, in a dark studio, it will look brighter than in one that is well lit or if you are photographing outside. 2. You can't measure the difference between the key, fill and separation lights. That difference is the lighting "ratio". So, what's the big deal about ratios as long as it looks good on the LCD, you might ask. The answer is that judging ratios on an LCD is not repeatable. Almost all studio photographers have favorite ratios that they use for different purposes. And getting those right...repeatedly right requires a meter. FYI, Sekonic makes a basic meter that is just as accurate as the one in this video. It can be used for flash photography and for measuring ambient light whether it be indoors or outside. It doesn't have all of the bells a whistles and it won't do "spot metering" without an accessory, but it's a great meter. It's the Sekonic L-308X-U. Ask many old-timers and most of us will tell you that beginners who aspire to learn photography well would be well served by beginning photography with the use of a a light meter. It aids in the important skill of comprehending how light plays in various situations and more quickly turns the exposure triangle from being a head scratcher to being intuitive.
I'm doing research as well as a brush up on studio lighting especially for a job and this has been a really good refresher into lighting and made me feel more prepared thanks
Cheers to you and Teresa , Mark, for an outstanding video. Love the setups you demo'd and really enjoyed your animation showing each light, then all lights. What a teaching tool!
I love this. As someone who only does hobby street photos with (often participating) strangers, I try to replicate these ideas using what's in the street. The sun for a key light, a white wall like a fill light, maybe even my camera flashlight as a back light (if I trust someone to hold it!) although that's fairly untested so far and may be too weak. So yeah, I'm always trying to look where big white walls are etc. Sometimes I'll hold up my clenched fist to see where the shadows are.
It's good to be refreshed in studio lighting . Although I now do now 98% environmental photography . It has been 30 plus years since , I've done any studio photography ! The principles are still the same . Mr. Light meter as well as lighting system has advanced to where you can add more than 5 lighting strobes in lighting your scene ! Remarkable video tutorial on Studio lighting !
Thank you Mark this was a great tutorial for a novice like me. You have the knack of explaining things so clearly and I always enjoy watching your videos and learning from them. Much appreciated keep up the great work.
Hi Mark, great tutorials. You explain things really well. Question for you.... what type of set up would you use if you had two or more people in the shot?
This is an easy an great tutorial. But i would teach students doing this without a lightmeter! Maybe that will take more time to learn, but it brings much more knwoledge in lightning from the beginning. 🙂
Excellent explanation Mark. I don't use the Sekonic light meter so I'll have to keep remembering how many F stops is a full stop. But fantastic way of explaining all of that.
great explanation of the fundamentals. I’ve done portraits over the years but it’s not my main type of photography, so I’m glad to have a refresher. Also, you got a nice model, howabout having her put on some fashionable modeling clothes next time :)
Selection of Teresa is great taste. But your teaching this so simple and easy 100/100. Great job.🎉
I always learn something from Mark and other instructors. Hope to see Emily Teague or other do another lighting setup.
Excellent video Mark. You show, and explain thing's so well. You are a great photography teacher.
Thanks Mark, I always appreciate your excellent videos 👍
Very straight to the point video! Perfect!❤
Gotta say...I first dived into the lighting arena with so much inspiration from the many UA-cam videos watched. I purchased the right equipment, within my mean of course. I returned some over the top things I found really were not needed at this time. I was totally overwhelmed by the entire lighting process and turned back to my passion...wildlife and nature photography. I just about swore off doing any studio portrait work. Then I ran across this tutorial for Studio Lighting for Beginners - The Three Light Setup with Mark Wallace. That inspiration returned and I thought....This is one of the easiest, user friendly tutorials I've seen yet. I broke out my two Soft lights, a snoop and even threw in a couple of affordable LED color lights for enhancement. I viewed this video several time and attempted to mock every step as I could. After about 3 weeks of playing around, it all came together. My pictures turned into portraits. I was able to achieve the same lighting, with a little modification also learned from the video. Now with another week past and posting some self samples to my social media accounts, one of my friends actually requested a session with me. I jumped on the opportunity to have an outside model and offered to do it for free in order to relieve any stress I may get from my first time. Thank you for sharing this video and for rekindling my inspiration into another field of photography.
can I check your social media? I wonder how the results was
Thank you for explain very easily :)
Excellent lighting and demonstration of a classic 3 light setup . Learned a lot in 1 lesson especially about the differences in stops..Well done !
Will the lights in my house matter? I have two large windows with natural light but should I use blackout curtains? Confused about how the room should be.
Teresa que linda estas 😍😍😍😍
Thanks Mark for the explanation! Awesome
I think you complicated a lot, with the lightmeter with advanced functions . A very big video , you repeat the same thing a lot of times (it is a video). And lokout with double shadows with the location of your fill light. Don t take it bad. Just want to help.. Love Mr. D. Norton work. And want to thank you the videos you do.
*for beginners... has a 600 dollar light meter
Getting started is difficult simply from all of the choices of light modifiers and light stands. For example, I now have a 36" and a 48" round softbox, a normal light stand, and a C-stand. Some of that was included in a package deal so I didn't have a choice of type, etc. But after watching a bunch of videos, it seems like I also need to add strip boxes, and square boxes to the line-up. It's just overwhelming when starting out. I'm obviously going to practice with what I've got and learn the in and outs, but there is just so much to learn.
Always enjoyable!
Thanks for the tip Mark your the best
what if we dont have the lighjt meter !! so annoying that each time we need to learn we see a tool that we dont have so everything stops!!
excellent sir,thank you
Thank you teresa for your effort standing a whole 20 mins
lighting for beginners but uses equipmewnt that cost several thousand dollars. LOL how about use some budget equipment and give us some demonstrations
Look at the kits. I've got 3 mono lights, 2 soft light boxes, a boom and two light stands, a snoop and 2 mono light reflectors with a collapsible backdrop all for just under $400. That's really not expensive. We all need to save when starting out in photography so, I collect a little at a time. All this over 3 months was very affordable. The equipment used in the video is of higher wattage and uses a meter that has all the bells and whistles. I don't use a light meter. The DSL takes care of that for me. I used all of the mentioned methods with great success. It's not about the level of equipment you use, or the camera...it's about you passion for the art. All the best.
Great video mark
I use a mola Demi main
3’ Octa fill
1X3 strip with a grid for a fill
As for the hair or kicker I set based on hair color. Blonde lower power darker hair high power
When you have a sec could you do a demo with the Elinchrom Five, one.
Have a great day
Thanks sir your kind information 😘😘😘
That model's got a great rack for photography. Muy nice.
This is awesome! Thanks
Great information. I want to photograph 30mm miniatures using the three lights, would the same information apply?
Cheers
Matt
France
these videos are great !
Awesome 👍
You kind of complicated things a bit
Toooooooo much talk. Tooooo much fuss over 0.1 difference in matching one light to another. This is for beginners; you are way over most heads. Remember the KISS principle . . . Show how the key sets the basic shape of the face, then how much shadow the fill can remove with small adjustments up and down. That's all a beginner needs.
I'll look forward to your tutorial.
thank you for this very clear and interesting lesson on lighting , I will follow you from now on. I AM a beginner and ready to learn from you
Excellent video Mark. You show, and explain thing's so well. You are a great photography teacher.
Thank you for providing such clear explanations of how to set up photography lighting.
Thank you Mr.Mark simple and clear
Super rrrrrr .My age 76yrs once I am using Metz 502 and 60 ct1with mecalux slave for industrial photography with Hasselblad 500 Cm with 50mm Ditagon lens . It is my experience with you
What an excellent teacher 🙏🏽
I never understood a light meter. I eyeball it and nail exposure typically with 2 test shots. There have been a couple occasions where I get it spot on the first time.
It is a little difficult to nail the exposure with test shots when shooting film.
Wow...I am new to photography. But haven't seen such explanation over internet about lighting. Just Wow
Brilliant presentation with absolute clarity. Full marks.
Very useful for a newb like me, thanks!
Thought I'd mention a problem I experienced. Using correct settings as advised, my images looked over exposed when reviewing on the camera rear screen. Took me a while to realize that I had the screen set to fully bright for outdoor viewing. Perhaps Adorama customers should be aware of potential misunderstanding. Thanks for the great videos, Mark Wallace in particular.
The histogram is vital for this aspect.
My gosh, why not just set your main light at f11 and put your fill on f8??
Some strobes aren’t marked with f/stops, but at power settings. Mark is showing how to get set up with any lighting equipment with the help of a light meter. I get it, though. I also don’t own a $350 light meter. 😁
6:04
So he can teach people the theory so they can understand and learn to shape light.
Very interesting video, however, it is called "Studio Lighting For Beginners". I am not sure how many beginners have that kind of a high tec light meter. Here it would be better if you showed how to determine the flash power without any light meter at all. Just as a beginner most probably would do.
You could judge the lighting by looking at your camera's LCD. A lot of folks use this method. But. There's always one of those, eh? Two things to consider. 1. Your LCD is not a reliable monitor for judging image brightness. For instance, in a dark studio, it will look brighter than in one that is well lit or if you are photographing outside. 2. You can't measure the difference between the key, fill and separation lights. That difference is the lighting "ratio". So, what's the big deal about ratios as long as it looks good on the LCD, you might ask. The answer is that judging ratios on an LCD is not repeatable. Almost all studio photographers have favorite ratios that they use for different purposes. And getting those right...repeatedly right requires a meter. FYI, Sekonic makes a basic meter that is just as accurate as the one in this video. It can be used for flash photography and for measuring ambient light whether it be indoors or outside. It doesn't have all of the bells a whistles and it won't do "spot metering" without an accessory, but it's a great meter. It's the Sekonic L-308X-U.
Ask many old-timers and most of us will tell you that beginners who aspire to learn photography well would be well served by beginning photography with the use of a a light meter. It aids in the important skill of comprehending how light plays in various situations and more quickly turns the exposure triangle from being a head scratcher to being intuitive.
best video on the topic.
This is awesome! Thanks
perfekt. vielen Dank
Great articulation and so simple for beginners to pick up! You opened up a whole door in front of me ... thanks Mark 👍🏼👌🏼
We used to call that a “ double kicker” with fill.
Awesome explanation of the main/fill/hair light setup
Thank you for this great session
"i've never see a 15-20 light setup, but it could be" Joe McNally "Hold my Nikon"
excellent light setup video 👌👌
Great tutorial Mark, thank you!
Well explained!
Your diligence is sincerely appreciated.
I'm doing research as well as a brush up on studio lighting especially for a job and this has been a really good refresher into lighting and made me feel more prepared thanks
Mark as always your teaching skills are amazing. I have learnt so much just watching you and Joey. Thanks to you both and Adorama.
Simple and comprehensive. Thank you for your informative video
Hope you bring back Mark in coming months? Great instructor.
ua-cam.com/channels/FrmZQhRSVgnCreE0mM2QQg.html
Really amazing video. Absolutely perfect for beginning portrait photography.
Thank you for explaining this in detail without being complicated. I really appreciate it.
Love the video. Just a little bit of history, if you look at portraits of photographers most are wearing dark shirts.
loved the way you explained the activities...
Cheers to you and Teresa , Mark, for an outstanding video. Love the setups you demo'd and really enjoyed your animation showing each light, then all lights. What a teaching tool!
I love this. As someone who only does hobby street photos with (often participating) strangers, I try to replicate these ideas using what's in the street. The sun for a key light, a white wall like a fill light, maybe even my camera flashlight as a back light (if I trust someone to hold it!) although that's fairly untested so far and may be too weak.
So yeah, I'm always trying to look where big white walls are etc. Sometimes I'll hold up my clenched fist to see where the shadows are.
A wonderful lesson ❤ Thanx guys!
This is incredible Mark...cheers!
It's good to be refreshed in studio lighting . Although I now do now 98% environmental photography . It has been 30 plus years since , I've done any studio photography ! The principles are still the same . Mr. Light meter as well as lighting system has advanced to where you can add more than 5 lighting strobes in lighting your scene ! Remarkable video tutorial on Studio lighting !
I don't do any either & Mark makes me want to go out & purchase everything!
So helpful & clearly explained! Thanks!
thank you Mark. You are still awesome. I learned photography through your videos over a decade ago.
GreaT!! i LIKE the Key Light only! Thanks for teaching so well!
Great explanation. Well done.
Thank you Mark this was a great tutorial for a novice like me. You have the knack of explaining things so clearly and I always enjoy watching your videos and learning from them. Much appreciated keep up the great work.
Amazing explenation, thanks
Very use full knowlage in 3 light setup
This is an excellent video! Thanks to Mark and to Adorama for putting this up. (I even bookmarked it for a repeat viewing.)
thank you, very helpful
thank you, very clear and informative!
Thank you. I don't use it as it gives you 'cats eyes'. Still interesting though, please keep them coming, they have been helpful.
Excellent Video. Very informative.
Well explained video about 3-light setup. The foundation for taking your portrait photography to the next level.
Another great video from Mark!!
This was incredibly helpful!
Extremely interesting and well taught session on the 3-light system Can't wait op go out and try this
Thx! Great basic lighting video!
perfect, good teacher
Hi Mark, great tutorials. You explain things really well. Question for you.... what type of set up would you use if you had two or more people in the shot?
Brilliant !! cheers!!
Great tutorial video, you are a great Teacher Mark Wallace!
This is an easy an great tutorial. But i would teach students doing this without a lightmeter! Maybe that will take more time to learn, but it brings much more knwoledge in lightning from the beginning. 🙂
Very informative
Excellent explanation Mark. I don't use the Sekonic light meter so I'll have to keep remembering how many F stops is a full stop. But fantastic way of explaining all of that.
A masterclass. Well done!
Thanks man i appreciate that great video
Excellent
Fantastic!
Mark, why not use true stops, say, f11 for your key light, to make subsequent calculations easier?
Thank you
Thank you Mark.
Enjoyed that one and learned a lot !!
Really well explained again.
great explanation of the fundamentals. I’ve done portraits over the years but it’s not my main type of photography, so I’m glad to have a refresher. Also, you got a nice model, howabout having her put on some fashionable modeling clothes next time :)
SUPER. SUPER , THE BEST
நன்றாக இருக்கிறது வாழ்த்துக்கள் R.MANOHAR-CHENNAI