Category: studio lighting

One Week Lighting Workshop With Stanley

by Stanley LearyEducation / Flash / headshot / headshots / lighting / Photography / Portraits / Still Life / Strobes / studio lighting / studio photography / studio strobes / teaching / tent lighting / White Balance

Since 2006 I have been doing a one-week lighting workshop as part of the School of Photography program of YWAM with Dennis Fahringer in Kona, Hawaii.

This year I was asked by two of his former students to come to Dunham, Quebec, Canada, and teach the same thing, but this time to a school that will be in French and English.

Raphael Paquet
Julie Gavillet

This was their very first time leading a School of Photography for YWAM. The leaders Raphael Paquet and Julie Gavillet hosted me during the week and translated me into French.

We did four lighting assignments.

Rembrandt

© Heidi Bergeron

The students were learning where to place the leading light for a starting position with portraits. They also were learning not to light everything evenly.

Students in class working on Rembrandt Lighting

1:3 Lighting Ratio

© Heidi Bergeron

Clamshell Lighting

Heidi Bergeron
Kéren Rampon
Georgia Dyck

To demonstrate the Clamshell/Butterfly lighting, I took everyone’s photo. Here are the three students.

Tent Lighting for Products

This is because some students work with the tent lighting setup to photograph products.

© Kéren Rampon
© Heidi Bergeron
© Georgia Dyck
Table Top Photography

I also told about my journey in photography and how it took time before I got the assignments I wanted. I also taught them a little about how to make a living with Business Practices.

You may be interested in a Lighting Workshop. Drop me a line if you are interested.

Before you use the studio strobes–See the light first

by Stanley LearyNikon D4 / studio lighting / studio photography / studio strobes
 
Nikon D4, 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 5000, ƒ/1.8, 1/250

Today was the first class of lighting I was teaching to the School of Photography at the University of Nations in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. I asked one of the students to be my model.

Bethany is helping me as the model for the first assignment on Rembrandt lighting using just one light with a 10º grid on the Alienbees studio strobe.

The top photo is the first photo I took showing what the fluorescent room light looked like before we used lights.

Nikon D4, 85mm ƒ/1.8G, ISO 12800, ƒ/1.8, 1/250

The first thing I did was turn all the lights off in the room except for the modeling light that is on the Alienbees with a 10º grid on it. Then, rather than jumping into shooting with the strobes, I showed the class you could see what you are going to get with the strobes using the modeling light.

Here you can see the triangle on the cheek, which is the classic Rembrandt lighting with a little twist of me not shooting her looking straight on but slightly behind her.

To see the rest of the assignment, you can go to an older post that walks you through the Rembrandt light exercise. Here is that link

Before using flash, you need to see what you are trying to create.

Photography Workshop is the best way to learn photography.

by Stanley Learystudio lighting / workshops
 
Fuji X-E2, XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/60

I am enjoying teaching here in Hawaii. So you don’t feel sorry for me soaking up all the beaches and warm weather; we are inside much of the day in class. Here the students are working on their assignment for a 1:3 lighting ratio.

If you want to see their assignment, it is in an earlier blog post.

You will need to return next week when I hope to post some of their photos.

Fuji X-E2, XF 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/140

No matter how much I told the students, it wasn’t until they started shooting did they come to see if they understood the concepts.

The cool thing is I don’t jump in and help them. Instead, I let the students work in small groups and teach each other. So you see, they are synthesizing the information when they teach something they just learned.

If you listen to someone, you probably only get about 5% of the content. If you read about it, then 10%, but when you start practicing, you are now in the Kinesthetic level of learning, and the average recall of the content after 24 hours is 50% or better.

Based on research, you will retain what you learned when you have hands-on learning and get to practice. As a result, you will keep 75% of the content.

Those students who helped their classmates understand a concept they had just grasped will recall 90% of that concept the following day.

Give me a call. I do personal one-on-one workshops, or you can have me come and lead your camera club in a hands-on workshop.