Magazine: Photography and Lighting Research

Lighting and shot types are important when it comes to studio photography and can give photos different looks and moods which have an effect on the audience. I have some experience with studio lighting and studio photography from last year when creating my music magazine but I am going to re-watch the videos I watched last year to further my understanding and remind myself of some techniques.

In the first tutorial he uses an octagonal soft box which due to its size and two layered diffuser gives a smooth soft light.
The first positioning of the soft box shown is one where the model is sat on the floor and the soft box is to her left but above her so the light is angled slightly downwards to allow the light to illuminate her. The higher angle to the side gives a more natural shadowed look to the model as it is similar to when the sun shines down and gives shadowing to one side of the face.
The second positioning is with the octagonal soft box behind the model and a smaller soft box in above and to the front of the face to illuminate the face. The octagonal soft box behind the model works as a hair light and as a perfectly white background. To achieve the best results you need to adjust the settings on both soft boxes so that the brightness settings are equal. This gives you a really nice close up portrait image but sometimes leaves a shadow under the chin which can be quite dark and distracting compared to the rest of the photo. This means that you will need to use a reflector to hold below the frame as seen in the screenshot. The reflector will reflect light from the soft box to the shadowed area and make the image seem brighter.

The next tutorial explains a lot about the classic traditional 3 point lighting method that you can use to give different looks and moods.

In front and to the model's left you will find a key light, this is the main light that will illuminate the face. The fill light is the light in front and to the model's right this light fills in the shadowy area and balances the key light. You can adjust the fill light to intensify shadows or flatten the image. The last light is called a hair light and it casts a light between the background and the model to achieve a more separated look by accenting the hair and outline of the model. The hair light is usually above the model pointing downwards like a spotlight but can also be used at the same height of the model but at an angle (usually the key light side) behind the subject to achieve backside rim lighting. This highlights the back/side of the model and gives a lot more depth to the photo.
There are many different shot types that are used in photos and videos that give many different looks. I have researched the different shot types, these are the shot types I had in the video.

• Extreme long shot, taken a long way from the subject, used mainly to show the scenery and the subject of the photograph clearly. 
• Long shot, taken closer than an extreme long shot, usually shows the whole person in the photo/video to show clothing and some scenery. 
• Medium long shot, shows about three quarters of the person usually from the knees up to show mise-en-scene and subject clearly. 
• Medium shot, from the waist up, shows the subject clearly but also gives some scenery. 
• Cut in shot, shows a part of the subject in alot of detail, to get full attention for one part. 
• Close up shot, usually of the subjects face, close to show the facial expression so the audience knows how the subject is feeling, can be head and shoulders or just head. 
• Extreme close up, to show detail in a specific part of the subject's face, usually the eyes, and creates drama. 
• Worm's eye, view of the subject from the ground to make the subject seem giant and superior and shows just sky as the background. 
• Low angle, from any where below eye line looking up at the subject, used mainly to give the audience an inferior feeling and shows mainly sky as the background. 
• High angle, from above the eye line, makes the subject look less powerful and shows more scenery as the background. 
• Birds eye view, from directly above the subject makes the subject seem insignificant and unrecognisable to the audience by showing whats all around the subject.