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How to Light a Studio

Ever wondered how to set up lighting in a photography studio? Read on to discover the fundamentals

If you’re an experienced photographer, you will find yourself looking at the world in terms of light. Creating great images under natural lighting is a case of juggling exposure settings in order to make the best possible photo in the given conditions.

That might mean sacrificing depth-of-field or shutter speed to raise your exposure value, or pushing up ISO when you need to avoid motion blur – it’s an art of analysing what’s important to your image and coming up with a compromise that creates an effective image.

In a studio environment, however, the script is flipped. You are in total control of the lighting – meaning you can choose your desired exposure settings and rig a set-up to achieve the exact look you want.

To get you started down that road, we’ll introduce you to common studio lighting terminology and explain simple concepts for building your own lighting set-ups.

What is a key light?

In photography, your main light source is called the key light. Depending on the direction, diffusion, temperature and output of the key light, many looks and effects can be achieved. If you’re unfamiliar with the concepts of hard and soft light, as well as light temperature, brush up with this Learning Centre article.

Whether in portrait or product photography, you can achieve great results in the studio using just a key light. For a natural look, use a single light source angled downwards onto your subject from behind the camera.

Placing your key light to one side of the subject will start to create dramatic shadows on the far side. The more side-on the key light, the more pronounced the effect.

Adjusting the height and vertical angle of the light will also affect the direction of the shadows, while moving the light further away from the subject will make the shadows more defined.

What is a fill light?

Typically the second light you would introduce to a set-up, the fill light is used to reduce the depth of the shadows cast on your subject by the key light.

Imagine the second set-up described above – you could point a fill light at the dark side of the subject to create a look that retains some dramatic shadows, but exposes the details within those shadows.

Commonly, the fill light matches the key light in terms of diffusion and temperature. A usual set-up would also mirror the angle of the key light.

Lighting ratios

The extent to which shadows are exposed is determined by the intensity of the fill light. If the key and fill have the same intensity – a lighting ratio of 1:1 – your subject would have no shadow on their face, resulting in a flat-looking image.

Halving the intensity of the fill light – giving a lighting ratio of 2:1 – results in a high-key look with very little shadow. You can keep increasing the lighting ratio to boost the contrast and attain a more dramatic aesthetic – a ratio of 8:1 would give a moody, chiaroscuro look, for example.

What is a backlight?

Also known as an edge light, kicker light, separation light, accent light or rim light, a backlight exposes the back edge of your subject, creating a highlight that emphasises depth and grants a more three-dimensional look, while also separating the subject from the background.

There are countless ways to position a backlight, but for a typical three-light set-up, try putting it behind the subject, pointing in the direction of the key light. For portraiture, position the backlight above the subject, pointing downwards so it creates a rim along the top of their shoulder and side of their head.

For a classic look, the backlight should be about as bright as the key, if not slightly brighter. Remember, most of it will be blocked by your subject. So, it should show up in the photo as a very bright, but thin strip along the edge of the subject.

Backlight vs hair light

A particular type of backlight, hair lights are used in portrait photography to create separation between a subject’s hair and the backdrop. This is a useful lighting technique when the colour of the background is similar to the subject’s hair.

While backlights are used in portraiture to emphasise a subject’s form in general, a hair light should only cast light onto the hair. To achieve this, hair lights are often placed behind your subject at a 45-degree angle or directly behind your subject.

What is a background light?

Unique in this list, as it does not cast any light onto the subject, a background light is used in studio photography to create visual interest behind the subject.

The final element in a standard four-light studio set-up, there are many different ways to position background lights depending on the desired effect.

When working in a studio with a plain backdrop, you can use a background light to create a gradient. Pointing a narrow, circular light source behind your subject will cast a radial gradient behind the subject, creating a vignette effect in the background that guides the eye to the centre.

If creating a moodier look with less fill on the subject, the background light could balance the overall aesthetic of the image by only lighting one half of the backdrop, inverting the lighting pattern seen on the subject.

Think outside the box with FUJIFILM UK

The best way to learn about how lighting affects an image is to start physically moving lights around and creating photos. However, you don’t need four high-end studio lights to start using the ideas in this article. Just one light is enough to start creating a variety of studio looks and styles.

As you experiment, keep in mind that your lights don’t have to be direct sources. You could use an off-camera flash as your key light and create some fill with a cleverly placed reflector. These concepts also work outside of a studio setting – try thinking about how you can combine the above ideas with natural light.

Learn lots of other photography tips by exploring the articles on Learning Centre, and stay inspired by following FUJIFILM UK on Instagram.

Discover more about FUJIFILM X Series cameras and lenses, and shop the range today.

For an in-person portrait lighting experience, check out the FUJIFILM School page and sign up to the next Introduction to Portrait Lighting Workshop at the FUJIFILM House of Photography!