CHAPTER 6 HOW TECHNOLOGY LETS THERE BE LIGHT^95
Do-It-Yourself Studio
Studio lighting can cost thousands of
dollars—or not. A trip to a hardware store
can get you studio light rigs. PVC pipeis
a cheap way to make light stands and
background supports. Metal reflectors
with a spring clamp are cheap. For a few
dollars more, you can buy the heavy-duty
quartz work lights already on portable
stands. They can be too hot for extended
use with live models, but they pour out a lot
of light. For softboxes, check with a photog-
raphy supply store for Rolux, a translucent
material you can use to make your own
softboxes that can withstand the heat of
your homemade lights.All three types
of light may be
combined with
a variety of
devices that
modify and
control the lights.4
Bare bulb—Used without any
modification, a bare bulb produces
stark, flat light and shadows, washing
out detail that depends on more
delicate shading.
Umbrella—An umbrella has a dual use.
With light shining through it from the under-
side, it works like a softbox. If the light is
aimed at an underside lined with a light-
reflecting material, the umbrella acts like a
concentrating lens keeping the light parallel,
but at the same time, widening the beam
of light so that it is softer.Reflector—A reflector
is most often used in a
single light situation,
usually to reflect
some of the light
from the main light
source so that it
createsfill lightin the
shadows to reveal details
that otherwise would have
been lost. Some reflectors
have a silver or gold
coating to add a bit of
brilliance or warmth
to a subject.Softbox—Harnessed to the housing of a
strobe, an incandescent, or a fluorescent
light, a softbox, made of cloth over a wire
frame, widens to enfold the strobe in a
semi-translucent material. Light passing
through the front layer of cloth is
diffused so that the light over-
laps itself and appears to
come from a larger source
than the strobe itself. The
result is softer shadows
and more subtle shading.
The larger the softbox
and the closer it is
to the subject, the
more flattering
the light is.
Snoot—An alternative to barn
doors is the snoot, a cylindrical
attachment to the front of a
light that restricts the light to a
narrow beam.
Barn doors—When a photographer
doesn’t want light to fall on some area,
barn doors are flat panels attached to
a light to block light in specific direc-
tions, like blinders on a horse.