New to studio strobes
Build from one umbrella to a three-light portrait — each step adds one idea you can recreate on set.
Step 1 of 8
One light, one modifier — learn distance and feathering before adding gear.
Standing beginner portrait on grey seamless — shoot-through umbrella close for soft wrap. Tabs compare reflective punch, black-card shade, and window daylight without showing gear in the photo.
Open the rig →8 setups — sign in and the path remembers which you have worked.
Start step 1
One-Umbrella Beginner Portrait
One light, one modifier — learn distance and feathering before adding gear.
Open in Light BuilderWork in order — each step opens the same setup in Light Builder with blackout first, then one light at a time.
Beginner
One light, one modifier — learn distance and feathering before adding gear.
Standing beginner portrait on grey seamless — shoot-through umbrella close for soft wrap. Tabs compare reflective punch, black-card shade, and window daylight without showing gear in the photo.
Open in Light Builder
Beginner
Silver vs shoot-through umbrella — the same light, bounced instead of transmitted, comes back harder and more contrasty.
A silver reflective bounce umbrella on a speedlight or small strobe — harder and more efficient than shoot-through — with a round umbrella catchlight and optional reflector fill.
Open in Light Builder
Beginner
Move the one light you have: source size is relative to the subject, so the same box gets softer as it comes closer and falls off faster as it does.
The same medium softbox at close, far, and gridded distances on a plain headshot — teaching how source size and distance change softness, contrast, and background spill.
Open in Light Builder
Headshot
Aim the edge of the modifier at the face instead of the middle — you lose brightness and gain evenness, and the background stops getting lit for free.
A large soft source directly over the lens lights the face evenly and frontally, dropping a single catchlight at the top of each eye and keeping the whole face open — a clean, dependable corporate headshot with no side shadow.
Open in Light Builder
Classic
Turn the head ~30° camera-left, then key the far cheek — short light slims the face; Broad Light tab stays held until a pose-locked pair ships.
Head turned about 30° camera-left, softbox key at 45° camera-left lights the far cheek — short light — while the near cheek falls into shadow; Broad Light tab crosses the key to the near cheek with the head locked.
Open in Light Builder
Portrait
The commercial deliverable from a single soft key: even skin, readable eyes, and a background separated by tone rather than by another light.
A single octabox on grey delivers a clean corporate or LinkedIn headshot with even skin, readable eyes, and no fashion drama.
Open in Light Builder
Beauty
Add a second source that has no power cable — a reflector under the chin closes the ratio and puts the second catchlight in.
One round beauty dish above the lens, silver reflector below — classic clamshell with a single strobe.
Open in Light Builder
Classic
Now three lights, and the only thing that matters is naming the job of each one before you match its power: key shapes, fill sets the ratio, rim separates.
A timeless and versatile lighting setup that creates depth, dimension and mood. Perfect for dramatic, cinematic portraits.
Open in Light BuilderEach link opens the setup in Light Builder — blackout first, then one light per step. Switch to Free explore or the relight studio when you want to dial sliders live.