Continuous lighting systems give the photographer the
abilitytoconstantly ‘see’howthelightisfalling onthe
subject,allowingthemtoadjustthepositioningandpower
of the lighting with relative ease, with the ability to
visualizetheshotinstantly.Onedrawback,however,isthat
afteracertainamountofusetheselightscanbecomehot,
and in a confined environment this may not be so
comfortablefor the sitter.
Strobe (or flash) lighting hasas its great advantage the
abilityto syncwith thecameraathighershutterspeeds,
allowingthephotographertostopmotionandmovement,
always beneficial when photographing people and
especially children. As it is the most commonly used
system for portraiture it will be explained in more depth.
Whicheversystemischosen,most portraitphotographers
willinitiallystarttheirstudiowithatwo-headkitandthen
builduptheirequipmentfromthere,addingmodifiersand
extra lights as they progress.
Awell-equippedstudioshouldhaveenoughflashheadsto
coverany lighting set-up the photographermay wishto
produce, and ideally have a spare should a light need
repair. Once the flash heads have been chosen, the
photographernowisableto decide onthemostsuitable
accessories tocomplementhis style of portraiture.
There are many different lighting controllers and
attachmentsavailable tothestudio photographer,suchas
beautydishes,snootsandreflectors,alldesignedtoshape
andmanipulate thelight.Theportraitphotographermust
taketimetounderstandanduseeachonewiththecorrect
knowledgeofhowitwillaffectandshapethehumanface.