Studio Lighting Fundamentals and One-Light Setups

Peter Coulson shows how many looks one light gives without touching its power or position, moving himself or Rhiannon. On a Hasselblad H6D-50c and 100mm at f/9, 1/160 and ISO 100, with a Profoto D2 in a softbox on a boom, he shifts from Rembrandt to softer, flatter light.

Karl Taylor answers critics who credit his results to a Hasselblad and expensive lights. A KTM motorcycle and fire-safety kit needed ten to twelve lights, but feta cheese, a model in a coastal pool, rim-lit portraits and advertising images each used one light plus cardboard or a single umbrella.

Karl Taylor outlines six lighting fundamentals: light source size governs shadow softness, hard versus soft light and the texture each reveals, light position and distance controlling shadow direction and contrast, the inverse square law and fall-off, the colour and spectrum of light, and modifiers like softboxes and reflectors.

Karl Taylor lists ten projects for one light: one-light portrait setups in small spaces, outdoor portraits mixing flash and ambient light, still life challenges like an egg, bubbles in a fish tank, splash shots using flash duration, product and watch photography, and macro on a glass tabletop.

Manny Ortiz assembles an affordable one-light portrait setup from a speedlight, wireless trigger, umbrella with flash holder adaptor and budget light stand, paired with a Sony camera and an inexpensive portrait lens for APS-C bodies. He photographs model Diana to show what a single, cheaply modified flash can achieve.

Peter Coulson photographs Abbey in his studio's concrete area with one Razer 7 HMI light bounced off mirrors to mimic multiple sources, rotating them to fine-tune shadows and spraying water on the glass to mottle reflections. He shoots a Sony with a 70-200mm at 200mm, tethered to Imaging Edge.