Light in Photography - LIGHTING - FLASH LIGHTING

STUDIO FLASH LIGHTING

Studio flash works on the same principle as the more familiar hand held compact units that fit on top of or along side the camera,or on camera flash that are built into the top of many cameras, in that a large intensity of light is released in a very short period of time from an electrical charge stored in a capacitor.

The disadvantage with the on camera flash and portable units is that the photographer can not see the effect of the light and can only visualize what effect it might have.

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However, with the studio flash in the centre of a circular flash tube is a much lower powered tungsten lamp, a modeling lamp, that illuminates the subject in a manner similar to the way the flash will and allows the photographer to visualize the effect of the light on the subject in terms of direction and light quality in a more realistic manner.

Except for special work, it is the FLASH that lights the subject for the exposure, not this tungsten lamp. Because of a reduced heat out put in comparison to a tungsten lamp that would be needed to produce a similar out put of light as the flash, this low wattage viewing or modeling lamp of the studio flash is more comfortable to work under.

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This is the type of lighting I used for the Body Symbols Project.

Want to learn more? - do a workshop or one on one with Lloyd Godman