GET STUDIO-STYLE LIGHTING AT HOME

CAPTURE A PRO-LEVEL ADVERTISING SHOT WITH JUST ONE SPEEDLIGHT AND MINIMAL SPACE TO WORK IN

Capture pro-level advertising shots with just one speedlight and minimal space

Working from home as a photographer can be difficult, not least because your household is rarely an optimal shooting location for most subjects and styles. If you’re used to working in a studio, the lighting found in the average house can seem almost impossible to manage. Halogen lights are far too warm for most images and can’t be adjusted in terms of colour balance. The yellowish tint they emit can pollute your carefully arranged lighting setup and spoil the theme you were hoping to achieve in your shot.

Unfortunately, with social distancing rules in place, many studios are either closed or can only admit one person at a time. Therefore, it is essential that we learn to cope without large studio lights, using only speedlights to overpower strongly coloured home lighting.

Product photography is an area that can really highlight the pitfalls of being without a full studio. The idea behind this shot was to create a summery feel, in line with the Sicilian branding of the fragrance. However, we had very little space to work in, and ambient light was in short supply. The challenge, then, was to figure out a way to put together a set on a small kitchen worktop, and control the lighting with a single speedlight. Here’s how we did it…