Photography - Lighting Equipment

Reflector Stand

A dedicated stand designed to hold a reflector in place.

Dolly

A light stand with wheels.

Background stand/support

Any support system designed to hold a backdrop in place.

Colour Temperature Blue

CTB

Colour Temperature Orange

CTO

1. Key light 2. Fill Light 3. Rim light/backlight 4. Background light 5. Hair light 6. Ambient light

Light functions (6)

Background light

Lights the background

1. Umbrellas 2. Translucent Umbrellas/Shoot-thru Umbrellas 3. Softboxes 4. Strip boxes 5. Octaboxes 6. Reflectors 7. Snoots 8. Barn doors 9. Beauty dish 10. Grids/Honeycombs 11. Gobo 12. Color Gels

Modifiers (12)

Octaboxes

Octagonal Shaped Softbox • Rounder light source ideal for portraits. • Large size makes it ideal modifier.

Light stands

Simply a stand to hold your light source.

1. Light Stands 2. Dolly 3. Rails 4. Boom Arm 5. Reflector Stand 6. Background stand/support 7. Clamps 8. Triggers 9. Light Meter

Studio Accessories (9)

1. Studio Strobe/ Strobe 2. Continuous Lights/ Hotlight 3. Flashgun/Speedlight

Studio Lighting Equipment (3)

Double-headed clamps

can affix to a table and hold a flag or reflector

Bulldog clips

indispensable for holding canvas backdrops up

Mount

means in which a modifier is attached to a strobe.

110 Degree Reflector

provide a very directional and very hard light source.

CTO and CTB Gels

used when you need to correct the color temperature of a given light.

Hair Light

• Adds emphasis to subject's hair. • Enhances head exposure if blending into background.

Umbrellas

• Available in silver or white. • Attached to strobe via mount. • Reflect light back to subject for larger, softer light. • Can have high spill and difficult to control. • Most basic modifier. They are good for soft, diffused light, but they are hard to control.

Flags

• Block unwanted light in scenes. • Stop excess background light. • Reduce exposure on non-focal points.

Trigger

• Communicate with lights for flash firing. • Allow full control over multiple light settings.

Studio Strobe/ Strobe

• Dedicated flash unit, also known as a monobloc or monolight. • Usually mains-powered, battery-powered options are emerging. •Powerful flash units that pretty much dominate studio photography.

Beauty Dish

• Directional modifiers between soft and hard light. • Ideal for beauty, fashion, and portraiture. • Come with grids and diffusion socks for versatile usage. •Offer a contrasty light somewhere between hard and soft.

Reflectors (the modifier kind)

• Directly applies to strobe. • Channels light in specific angle for directional light. • Hard light source. • Designed to take various grids.

Barn

• Features two to four flaps for manual aperture adjustment. • Can narrow focus of your light on a specific aspect of your subject (e.g., hair). • Can flag light from hitting unwanted spots.

Snoot

• Focus light in narrow beam. • Ideal for hair and background lights. • Direct your light into a very tight and controlled beam

Rim Light/Backlight

• Light subjects from behind. • Helps separate subjects from background.

Rails

• Lights fixed to wall and ceiling fittings. • Allows free movement of light without a stand. • Keeps cords out of way.

Strip boxes

• Long, narrow rectangles • Produce narrower beam of light • Ideal for rim lighting effect.

Translucent Umbrellas/Shoot-thru Umbrellas

• Made of diffusion material. • Aim light through. • Soften light without directionality. •Also provide soft light, but they aren't as directional as softboxes.

Key Light

• Main light shaping subject.• Brightest and most prominent light.

Grids/Honeycombs

• Modifiers for modifiers. • Placed on reflectors, softboxes, beauty dishes. • Narrow beam of light. • Ensure light falls only on subject (or where you want it to). • Help you to further modify the directionality of your light.

Boom arm

• Positionable at any angle between vertical and horizontal. • Ideal for high-up lighting and challenging angles. • Mountable to other light stands and permanent fixtures.

Gobo

• Positioned in front of light source. to change the shape of the light. • Can narrow beam or create complex patterns.

Ambient Light

• Present before other lighting sources. • Can be room lights or daylight from windows or outside.

Fill Light

• Reduces key light's shadow intensity.• Decreases overall scene contrast.

Continuous Lights/ Hotlight

• Serves same lighting functions as strobes but doesn't flash. • High-powered lamps fitted with modifiers. • Mostly associated with video, stills photography. • Gets very hot and may present a fire hazard.

Flashgun/Speedlight

• Small light with hot shoe mount. • Highly portable. • Versatility limited by size and power output. • Essential tool for off-camera lighting. •Small but competent light sources that are invaluable for portable studios.

Diffuser/Scrim

• Translucent material used to alter light shape. • Reduces light intensity.

Clamps

• Used to hold various items such as background, flags, reflectors, gels.

Softboxes

• Workhorse of the photographic studio, and they come in all shapes and sizes. • Shapes and softens light for flattering effect. • Directional and easy to control.

Color Gels

• used for a creative end • used to produce varied color lights

Reflectors

•Important part of any studio kit. •Reflect light from key light onto subject. • Create fill light without a second light source. •Used in beauty portraits with tri-flectors.