When Life Gives You Lemons
…you shoot with artificial light. This is the first year that I started shooting with studio lights. I started incorporating them into product photography to get the sharp look I was trying to achieve. Then November hit and the temps in Ohio dropped to 8 degrees and I realized that if I want to push myself while continuing to shoot portraits then I needed to jump into studio lighting for people. Our warehouse has garage doors that I can open for natural light but damn that’s cold. We have talked about investing in glass doors sometime in the future but since we don’t have a definite timeline on that, strobes it was! This weekend was my first run at studio lighting and I’m excited to keep experimenting, learning + growing.
And then of course, I had to turn on the self-timer…
My next steps will be to invest in a few more pieces of lighting equipment, purchase a few more backdrop colors and then attempt to paint my own (more texture, less drab white/dark)! We will see what this winter will yield. This is totally different for me. I’ve been in the same groove and not getting out of my comfort zone. It feels great to be playing again.
A Consideration
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Comments (23)
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Ashley
studio lighting is so hard + these photographs are GREAT! congrats, you clearly know what you’re doing already!!!
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Beautiful photos, as always. You really inspire me. It’s cool to see that you’re always trying new things and improving your skills.
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Thank you, Erin! I really appreciate those words. Makes my whole day (which, by the way, I keep thinking is a Friday)…
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Where do I get info about cost & details for a portrait session with you? Please email me at: hello@lalagrace.com
Thanks! :)
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amy marie
One of the things I am very excited about with the place we got when we moved back up here is that there is a second bedroom (with a bathroom!) that I can use for my office/design workspace/studio. I’ve got one entire corner of the room empty where I plan to set up a backdrop and my basic lighting kit to practice working with strobes. While in Atlanta I either rented a friend’s studio from time to time to practice or volunteered time to clean another friend’s studio after workshops for studio time, but that got spendy, meant packing up my ALL of my equipment to tote around (because I never knew what I’d need and I wanted as much available as possible), and also required an additional commitment of time I rarely had for the cleaning. This way I’ll be able to practice at home without any of that additional effort. I’m excited to see what this winter brings as I finish getting my space organized and start working. Looking forward to seeing what you post over the next few months as well!
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Wow, I love all of those photos!! I’m glad you ended up experimenting with studio lighting and challenging yourself. The results were great!
Also, too bad we don’t live near each other – I have a some lighting equipment for sale ;)
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I wish that were the case, too! I would totally be all over your pop-up portrait deal ;)
I’m selling a 3-piece softbox lighting kit.
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Great pictures! I need new head shots soon. I’m keeping you in mind if you’re anywhere near enough to drive to! ;)
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Woah! I’ve for long told myself I would forever be a natural light photographer, but these photos are enticing me to try lighting. Would you mind sharing all what you purchased?
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Of course! I still rent all my lighting (everything I want to buy is like $2-5k and it’s only $125 to rent each time). I get the Profoto D1 Air 1000 W/S 2 Monolight Studio Kit and diffusing it all with softboxes (although I’m going to switch to something that is even more diffused soon!)
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These are amazing! I’ve really gotten into photography over the last 6 months and it’s all been natural light. I do plan to learn studio lighting (probably closer to the late spring/summer) and I hope to be as creative as you. love!
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That’s amazing!! I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. It’s so nice to do it when it’s so cold out for SO long.
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Jolie
You are so beautiful. And talented!