Buying studio lights does not make you a studio photographer…

Oh, isn’t that cute? You’ve got yourself a big girl camera, you’ve done a couple of sessions and now you’re taking the next step. You’re opening a studio. You’ve ordered a set of lights and are anxiously awaiting their arrival. You’ve let all your friends and fans know that the lights are coming in and you’re making plans to start shooting once they arrive.

That’s REALLY cute.

Kind of like when you see two little 4 year-olds playing house with a baby doll. They cuddle and coo at the doll and tell you they’re married. Awwww! If they only knew…

Yeah. That kind of cute.

It’s time to get your head out of the glitter cloud and think about what you’re doing.

Those lights you are waiting on? Let me guess…you got them from eBay and they cost less than $300.

Let me tell you a little story…

In 2007 I decided to try and learn studio photography. I had already shot for a newspaper for a couple of years and did weddings and events, but I didn’t know a thing about studio lighting.

I decided what my budget was and bought my first set of lights.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know any photographers I could ask for advice and the research I did was pretty inept. I decided my budget was $200 and bought a used set of lights off ebay.

OK, feel free to laugh your ass off.

When I opened the box, I had no clue what I was looking at. I figured out how to make the lights go off and discovered that one of them did not fire. I wrote the seller and they sent me another used light that was better, but didn’t match the other set.

Cue laughter track…

Why am I laughing? Because mixing lights of different powers from different manufacturers is NOT something you should throw into the mix when you’re just starting out. I messed around with this oddball light forever until I decided to just take it out of the mix and stick it back in the box it came in. It’s still there.

After some bumbling around, I realized that I couldn’t shoot with bare lights and each of them needed a modifier.

The lights remained unused until I could scrape up another couple hundred for some soft boxes. And shoot through umbrellas. And reflective umbrellas. I’ll laugh loudly all by myself here – since that time I have spent that entire budget on ONE modifier. Yet, I digress.

To make a long story short….. I wound up spending a BUNCH of money on CRAP. Yep. CRAP that is still in my possession because my ethics are keeping me from re-selling them to some poor unsuspecting schmuck.

I bought lights, cheapie triggers, soft boxes, shoot-through umbrellas, reflective umbrellas, rickety light stands and a bunch of other stuff that wasn’t worth the money. The lights didn’t even have replaceable bulbs. Once they are burned out, you have to throw the light away.

The only two items I bought that were useful was the calibration target and the light meter.

I began teaching myself studio lighting. I took some courses and did a LOT of experimentation. It times it seemed that I would never get it right. I posted my work on some photography forums for critique and was blasted. Woah! Yeah, they were lit, but they were flat-lit. What the heck is flat-lit? Look it up. I did.

About a year later, after struggling with this cobbled-together studio, I bit the bullet and spent about $5000 on a lighting system. (I’ve since added to my arsenal and have no clue what I’ve spent on equipment at this point. I’d have to consult my accounting records to determine that, but I’m going to guess that I have more than $20K invested in my studio now.)

This didn’t result in instant lighting success, but it was SO much nicer to have equipment that worked well and lights that were strong enough.

So, I spent a LOT of money and a LOT of time learning and honing my studio photography skills. It was over a year before I felt confident enough to charge a client actual money for studio session.

So – yes, it’s really cute to see all you newbies excited about your purchases and making plans to begin shooting studio sessions as soon as you open the boxes.

But it’s cute in a sad way. It’s almost like a little bitty train wreck.

I know, and all the seasoned pros around me know – that you’re gonna fail at this. You’re going to post the most horrendously lit and posed photos we’ve seen in awhile. Your photos may even be submitted to YANAP by someone with less kindness in their heart than I. You’re going to struggle. A lot.

And I will shake my head and wish that you had slowed down and asked some advice from a professional. And taken some lessons and classes. And practiced at least for a couple of months before trying to shoot a client.

It’s not too late.

PS – The very best thing you can buy for yourself when starting out in studio photography is this book. My friend Twila mentioned this book ALL.THE.TIME. until I finally bought it. It’s my lighting bible, now.