Fashion Photography Photoshop Effects

Fashion Photography Photoshop Effects

Beginner lighting for professional fashion photography?

I’ve been taking photographs for about a year and a bit.
my work here –>

http://clarapalmer.deviantart.com

I want external lighting to use for fashion photography.
I have no experience in artificial lighting, only natural.
What sort of lighting set-up will I need?
And price ranges?
I’m using a Canon EOS 400D, but i’m looking at getting a 5D.

I’m looking to achieve this sort of effect.

http://f4ust.deviantart.com/art/The-Yacht-Club-38638026

I know there’s probably alot of photoshop adjustments associated with this image…

Please help me!

I’d stick to strobes, first off. Most of the continuous lighting kits on eBay and the like aren’t powerful enough to get the ISO down and the aperture small, and they are highly limited in modifiers. You certainly won’t get anywhere near the overpowering the sun effect in your sample photo.

There are two ways to go for learning strobes. The cheaper way is to check out the techniques on http://strobist.blogspot.com

Strobist uses hotshoe strobes on wireless triggers with umbrellas and home-made modifiers to achieve many of the same effects as traditional studio lighting. This creates a flexible, portable setup for very little money, and is a great way to learn lighting. The downside is that you won’t get the same power levels as you’d get from studio lights, and there are many modifiers that you won’t be able to use/simulate.

For studio strobes, Alienbees are the best deal going. AB800′s are the cheapest entry into serious lighting. Alienbees come from Paul C Buff, a company based in Nashville. They offer excellent quality and a lot of bang for the buck. With studio strobes, you’ll have a wide variety of pre-made modifiers available, and a lot of power at your disposal. This is what you’ll ultimately need to achieve effects like that in your sample photo. Another bonus of studio lights like the ‘Bees is that they have continuous modeling lights that will let you see what your lighting will look like before the shot.

I use strobist kit for some gigs, and studio lights for others. In any case, I recommend you start out with only one light. Too many photogs get crazy with lots of lights too early, and never really learn to control the lights properly. Add lights one-at-a-time, with a specific purpose in mind for each. You’d be amazed at what you can accomplish with one light!

Cheers and good luck!

Confessions of a Photographer – Episode 08