Everything I learned about lighting a subject for photography has been self taught. Through trial and error (lots of them), I adopted a studio setup that worked best for me and gave the results I was looking for.
I ordered my first studio light kit off eBay for $800 in 2010. The kit included 3 strobe lights with stands, triggers, a beauty dish and a ton of other stuff I knew nothing about. But I was determined I would figure it out. I think I might have set it up that first night and grabbed my 4 year old son to be my model. He was always a willing participant in my early practice days.
Without reading instructions (those who know me will totally get this), I plugged in the lights, attached the softboxes and loaded the trigger and slaves with batteries. And away we went. My first disappointment was that I was getting severe harsh light (overexposure) and unflattering shadows. I adjusted the dials down on the lights and tried to adjust all of my three camera functions to try and control my issues (aperature, ISO, and shutter speed). What I didn't know was that trigger lights don't shoot as quickly as your camera in natural light. So, I was only able to go as high as 1/160 shutter speed, otherwise my photo captured a 1/2 lit and 1/2 dark image as the shutter and lights were not in sync anything higher than this.
So, realizing my limitation with shutter speed, I went to work making other adjustments to improve my results. Forget shooting at f2.8 and getting a nice bokeh background, this was not going to be possible. I finally settled with settings that were approximately f5.6, 1/160 and 100 ISO. This removed the harsh light and overexposed skin, but I was still tackling with shadows.
Moving the lights around my son, I realized the height and distance from your subject were really important in establishing the right balance of light. I finally settled on a 2-light setup, and had each of the two lights positioned at a 45 degree angle to my son, and approx. 4 feet away from him. The height of the lights were at his head level so I could see the catch lights in his eyes. (see image below). This setup gave me a balanced light, and was simple and perfect for my portrait sessions. There are many other ways to setup your lights to give a more creative look with shadowing, but I like to keep my photography simple.
Check out these 10 photography lighting tips to help you get a professional studio setup. And be sure to check out this lighting cheatsheet to guide you with your light setup.
“Wherever there is light, one can photograph.” ~ Alfred Stieglitz
When it comes to photography, don't be afraid to experiment. A lot of what you will learn will be from trial and error. And by going through this process, you will appreciate what styles you prefer and start to develop your own personal style. Get advice from online sources, and run with it. The process is fun, and you can be building your portfolio at the same time!