What you have gotten wrong about studio lighting

[@bobsykes]

In usually prefer the lessons where you’re shooting a model or and object to demonstrate your point, but whoa, this video has a huge amount of useful information. Really helpful!

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Bob! That’s great to hear!

[@mecfc]

Ngl, subbed for the shirt as much as the content.

[@JohnGress]

Glad to have you here!

[@canucklehead28]

Great video John! Life During Wartime.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Stephen!

[@rickjbradbury]

LED just can't compete with flash for output, action stopping and colour. I tend to use modelling lamps just for AF these days VS light placement. LED versions have been plenty bright enough on the Pixapro lights I have in the studio. No more crappy tungsten hologen bulbs that get hot or blow if studio hires touch them and leave oils on the bulb cover.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I caught myself touching a bulb the other day with my bare fingers - like a god damn amateur! =P

[@rickjbradbury]

@@JohnGress Had one explode in my face whilst up a ladder, the only thing that saved my eyes was the glass dome covering most of the bulb. Amazingly I managed to stay on the ladder 🤣

[@JohnGress]

WOW!!!

[@JohnGress]

I knew it could happen but I haven't talked to anyone who had it happen.

[@Neopulse00]

@@rickjbradbury You lucked out. Glad nothing happen to ya.

[@no1slisteninganyway]

That did make sense. Thank you.

[@JohnGress]

Glad to hear it! Thanks!

[@fostervf16]

There is definitely some issues with relying on just a meter. I wrote an unfortunately long explanation. I have it written down if you want to read it. Hurt my brain while writing. Lol.

[@Date08202011]

Not the point of the video, but I have to say....awesome capture of skin tone in this video!

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! This is my go-to lut!

[@castielvargastv7931]

For portraits you will never need 250ms shutter speed. You can go down to 125 easy and you still dont get blurry pictures

[@vincenzodellama7158]

Wish cheaper models like the ad200 pro came with bright useable modeling lights. It's pretty frustrating trying to get the perfect light placement without it.

[@lkfs55]

Thank you John! This is a really good video. I have tungsten, LED and now the new Elinchrom and I never really thought about using them together but I might experiment a little bit. I did try the LED color on the back of a white v flat but the Elinchrom just wipes The color right out.

[@lkfs55]

PS, you’re so funny about the fighter jets! That’s life. 😂

[@JohnGress]

Glad it was helpful! Yeah the flash might mix with the LED if you turned the flash power down, but then you lose f-stops or ISO.

[@flutetune]

Great Information and your shirt is really beautiful!! What Sekonic light meter would be best to purchase for dance photography and using light ratios? I eventually need to use 3 or four lights. I now use 2x Elinchrom Elb500 and a Elinchrom Five. My Camera is a Nikon Z9 with a Skyport transmitter.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! Since you’re shooting motion, the 858 would be a great choice because of the flash duration measurement capabilities. Sekonic L-858D-U SPEEDMASTER Light Meter Kit with RT-EL/PX Transmitter Module for Elinchrom Adorama (howl.me/cjFnYfUhqyi) B&H bhpho.to/41dCnXc

[@peerlessportraits]

If it doesn't screw with the analytics, you should retitleb this to "What have you gotten wrong about studio lighting during air-to-air combat"

[@JohnGress]

Well that would bring in a new audience!

[@timurhant469]

John, I learned so much from you, I feel like I owe you money :) Thanks a lot!

[@JohnGress]

Great to hear! You can sign up for my academy too 😊

[@philshock3805]

Appreciate you got a bit into the way lighting works. Too many people want to focus on gear which I think is a mistake much of the time. Technology is great, but it can't compensate for experience and knowledge. To reiterate the inverse square law ... the closer the light is to the subject, the faster the intensity of the light falls off (not to be confused with flash duration -- totally different subject). How can you put this into practice? If you're shooting a subject and want whatever's behind it to be relatively dark, get the light as close as possible. On the other hand, say you're shooting a person in front of a white background and don't have room to light the background separately, put the person close to the background and back the lights way off. Correct exposure for the person will also be close to the correct exposure for the background. (Ideally, I would overexpose the background by a stop or so to get it paper white but that requires the ability to light it separately.) One other really important aspect of lighting distance is that the closer the light is to the subject, the softer the light will be. Technically, it's the size of the light source in relation to the subject that matters but just knowing the closer the light is, the softer the light will be is enough. No one would consider a single incandescent clear light bulb as a "soft light", but if you get it close enough to a small object, the lighting will look fairly soft.

[@JohnGress]

I had a client the other day ask for the light to be softer. They meant warmer 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@philshock3805]

@@JohnGress Haha ... yep, been there done that! My favorite -- "I want it to look close ... but far away". You could make a video about deciphering client wishes all by itself!

[@castielvargastv7931]

For boudoir work led lights are god sent. Its much easier to work with them, you always see what you get, models pose more natural because they are not distracted by anything and you dont need to freeze action as such kind of photography is a very slow thing.