Day 2 Lighting Series: Fears and Misconceptions
Welcome to Day 2 of the Lighting Series! Yesterday, we started the conversation off by talking about what dealing with low light or bad light is actually costing you and your business. That cost goes beyond just impacting your photos. Yes, bad or low light will have an impact on the images you create. But it also causes stress, hurts your brand and ultimately hurts your business.
As you may or may not know, I was a natural light photographer for about 12 years. I was really stuck in this cycle of beautiful weather meant beautiful photos, not beautiful weather meant bad photos for a very long time.
The reason that I stayed stuck for so long was because I had a lot of fear and misconceptions around artificial lighting—what it looked like and what it meant to work with it. I know I’m not alone—many photographers do! In this episode, I dive right into those fears and misconceptions.
HIGHLIGHTS
Artificial light doesn't have to be ugly.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about artificial lighting is that it's ugly. Raise your hand if you've ever felt that, or you do feel that way. It's okay—I used to think that too!
The truth is, sometimes it is ugly. Strobes and flash can look very harsh, and the light they produce can be hard and unflattering, resulting in that “flashy” look that nobody wants. However, when you know how to use it, it doesn't have to be ugly.
In fact, artificial light can be just as beautiful, soft and natural-looking as window light.
I know this because I use it every day. 99% of the work I produce is done with artificial lighting! It can be done, and it’s probably easier than you think. That is one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about teaching this, because when you learn how to do it, it can actually be life changing.
It takes you out of that place of constantly reacting to whatever gets thrown at you and into a place where you can show up and create with intention like the artist you are!
Creating the natural-light look with strobes and flash boils down to 3 basic things. You need to know how the size of your light impacts the look of it. You need to know how to meter properly. You need to know exactly where to place your light to create the look you want, and we cover ALL of that in detail inside of The Missing Link.
People always want to know what other people's settings are, and I’m here to tell you that copying settings doesn't matter. We all work in different locations, with different equipment and different subjects. If you really want to learn to create beautiful, soft, natural-looking light with strobes and flash, you need to understand how to find the right settings for YOU in whatever situation you are in. That boils down to knowing the size of your light, how to meter and where to place it. Again, all of that (and more) is inside The Missing Link.
Myth #2 is that working with artificial lighting is expensive. This is a big one that keeps a lot of people stuck!
I hear from people all the time who are like yes, I know I really should bring this into my business. I struggle in low light situations too. It's causing me all the stress and is hurting my business. However, I'm a small business and can't afford to get studio equipment.
When I was first learning all of this, I wasn't making the money in my business that I'm making now. I know that the struggle is real.
The truth is lighting doesn't have to be expensive. There are a lot of options out there if you're on a budget. You do not have to use the top of the line gear. You do not have to use what I use in my business right now—I’m 23 years in, and you may be in a different place.
If money is a concern, look into used gear! The first lighting setup that I ever invested in was all used, and it cost me around $300. The benefits far outweighed that expense, and I made that money back with just one session!
The ROI of Using Artificial Light
Because you are no longer limited by weather or season or time of day when using artificial light, you will be able to add more clients to your calendar! The investment will more than pay for itself.
We have a member in The Missing Link community who shared that she looked at all of her contracts at the end of the year and realized she was able to book an additional 38 clients—all because now she wasn't limited to the constraints of working exclusively with natural light.
38 clients—that is a great ROI in my opinion!
The third myth or misconception that I hear about with artificial light is that it is hard, or they are scared of learning how to use it.
Natural light is intuitive. You walk into a room and see window light, and you know how to use it. Artificial light doesn't feel that way. That pushes us outside of our comfort zones and brings up all the feelings, which is why we come up with these excuses that it's not going to work for us.
Yes, it can feel scary. However, it’s not hard! That is because you actually already know most of what you need to know to learn how to create beautiful light with strobes and flash.
In tomorrow's episode, I’ll be back to talk to you about what exactly you already know and how to apply that knowledge to working with artificial light!
