Smart lighting tips for amateur Fashion Photographers

1) BOUNCE THE LIGHT TO WIN THE FIGHT

​Beginners should use only bounce lightings, for they are easiest to use and very flattering to the human body. In contrast, direct lightings bring in far too much of the ugliness factor, unless one is expert at using them. This is because they create sharp edged shadows, which can make bodies look hacked up,  ill-proportioned and stuck together with joints in wrong places. This is all illusional, ofcourse, but the magic is so strong that it can lead to very ugly pictures. Well just to see for yourself you should try some direct lightings anyway. But if your models comes out looking like dead meat,  don't be surprised.

2) USE SIDE BOUNCE LIGHTING

Fairly contrasty side bounce lighting gives body a very sculptural feeling, that is, roundness, solidity, and realness. And it may actually make them look like sculptures. At the same time it creates very soft edged form shadows on figures, gently bringing out all beauty of the human form. The darker shadows (in prints) obscure certain areas, so that an element of mystery is added. Surely, one should approach human beings as mysterious, for that is the only intelligent thing to do.
       For figure studies, side bounce light works best with the medium grey no-seam paper background. Using bounce lights from both sides of model also works well, especially if the light from one side is slightly stronger. With the double bounce lighting you get highlights on both sides of figure and very intresting and handsome shadow in middle. You will surely see curves that you have been unaware of before and increase your awareness of what figure photography can teach you.
       Side bounce can also be good with white no-seam, though grey is much easier to work with. However, you may have trouble in making your prints if the highlights on your model match the background in tone. Then parts of the figure will simply disappear into the background tones of the prints. The way around this is to position the model far in front of the vertical part of the white no-seam; about seven or eight feet is far enough.

3) DISTANCE ALWAYS COUNTS
 
       With this distance to work with you can use your lighting to control the brightness relationship of model and white background and make them sufficiently different in tone so that they will not blend together in prints. This is called "getting enough separations." If you use overhead bounce light you will usually not have as great a separation problem with a white no-seam, but you will probably have printing problems, anyway. Your preconceptions will undoubtedly get in your way.
       You see, many people think that white backgrounds should "logically" come out white in prints, because white is always white. So they print them white, but the pictures just don't look right. They simply "fall apart," the tones looking disconnected and shattered. Even so, white is always white --- but only as an abstract concept.

Specially if you want to begin with fashion photography in India USA UK Canada as your carrier you should always experiment with different lighting techniques to see the