What is the best " home-made" way to achieve studio-quality lighting for amateur photography?

Answer 1

You can use the flash on your camera, but you shouldn't aim it directly at your subject. This works if you have a flash that tilts, or if you have a hot shoe adapter and can remove and aim your flash unit.

Also, you can use this trick that actually looks quite beautiful if you don't have the ability to direct your flash: Flash the subject in daylight. This really works best around sunset or just before, especially in an outdoor setting. I've seen this work miracles!

Lastly, use natural light. People sitting in direct sunlight will squint, so if you seat them in the shade, reflect some light toward them with a store-bought reflector (some are cheap-ish, like $50 or so) or with white posterboard. This can be as easy as having the subject hold the posterboard in his/her lap. You can also diffuse light, like with tulle fabric or something silk-like stretched over a frame. You could use a picture frame, canvas stretcher bars, or maybe those embroidery frames. It just needs to be big enough that the shadow of the frame doesn't show in the picture.

I'm sure I have more ideas, but those come to me off the top of my head. Good luck!

Answer 2

You want to get into amateur photography yet you don't want to spend any money into an actual investment. Wow, that's a shame. With a lil bit of money, you can achieve some very nice lighting setups. However, let me help to best answer your question.

You can get low wattage flood lights from a local hardware store. However, alone they are quite bright. Create a diffuser to use over them. There are two types of diffusers I'd created
1) Normal - you can do this by using a sheet of white construction paper. Normal paper is too thin
2) Thin - you can do this by punching small holes into white construction paper. This will allow a lil more light and the two can be used together.

Also, use white posterboards as generic reflectors. Use one or two of them to help bounce light into the shadows of the portrait instead of buying an actual reflector.

Use 'shiny' backgrounds. Go to your local fabric store and look for metallic backgrounds that will reflect light easily.

The whole trick with all of this is to learn to control your lighting, so check out the books below also.

Answer 3

You can get this light with sliver cans around them and the have clips on the back. Around here people call them hog lamps because they use them to keep baby animals warm but they also use them in construction work. I've got them at walmart for like 5 bucks in the hardware section.

Answer 4

Lots of reflected light. Put up white sheets and shine lights on them for general light. Get panels of white cardboard--and some friends to hold the panels-- for best possible lighting for your subject.

Answer 5

White lighting lights.

Answer 6

Flood lights.