3 Lighting Options for Studio Photography

Use these three lighting alternatives for fashion photography and create amazing product images!

Quality fashion photographs are achieved when light stylizes the garments. However, finding out how to do it can be confusing for many entrepreneurs with a low budget. In this article we will help you discover the different lighting options that exist to create perfect product images of fashion garments, and taking into account different budgets. If you would like to get Image Masking Services, contact them.

Natural Light Lighting

Use the light of a window to create images with natural light. One of the easiest and most efficient assemblies for photographing clothes is the one created with a large window through which daylight enters. Below you can see this light assembly through this bird's eye view.

It is important to have enough space for both the equipment you use and for you so that you can work in the most comfortable and safe way. There is nothing that hinders the photography process more than a messy studio. Once you have set up the studio, take the habit of disassembling and storing everything in a specific order so you can quickly reinstall it.

To set up your study, the first thing will be to find a large window where there is a lot of light and that has an angle of 90 degrees in relation to the product. If the light enters aggressively then it is better that you place a white cloth that helps soften it and so distribute the light evenly.


Second, create a fund for your product. It does not need to be too wide, but you should leave enough space around your product to fill the frame. If you have nothing ready to put in the background, you can use one of the following options:

A large white cloth or canvas that can be washed or reused.

White and clean walls.

A cardboard board pen or large white paper. They are ideal for how economical they


One last recommendation, and very useful: use a tripod for your camera. Regardless of whether you use a dummy or a model to take the photos, using a tripod will help your images be consistent from shot to shot, even when you rotate the product to take different angles. The tripods also help to minimize camera movements or vibrations and maximize the efficiency of your editing process saving you time. Make sure you place the camera and tripod exactly in front of your background to use all the space.

Now, it is your turn to try this assembly with natural light. Remember, no matter how your study looks, but show the clothes in the best possible way, simple and realistic. If you still need a little more help to understand this montage, check out below.

Single Mono Lighting

If you have the means we recommend that you rent or invest in an easy-to-use lighting kit. Having an artificial lighting equipment will allow you to be more versatile when you have to make your photo session and you do not have enough natural light from your window. Below you can see what this assembly consists of with this bird's-eye diagram.


Place a light source and an umbrella at a 45 degree angle to the product so that the lighting on it is smooth and uniform. Keep your camera directly in front of the object and use a tripod if you prefer. Although it is not mandatory to use a tripod in a strobe or artificial light assembly, it may be more efficient and consistent to leave your camera positioned and ready as you place each product you are going to photograph.

If you have placed the product too close to the bottom, you will surely create shadows. If this happens, you can choose to move the product away from the fund so that a clean white background can be seen behind or by changing the fund in post-production yourself, implementing a purely white background to the product.

The next thing will be to level the light at half its power. In our case we have used strobe light with power settings from 1 to 5. If we set it to number 3, we will have enough light. We also recommend using the camera in manual mode, since in this way you will have more versatility and control over the result of your images, being able to handle the aperture, ISO , shutter speed, and other important adjustments, instead of relying on the automatic exposure functionality of the camera.

Manually exposing your image correctly is usually a matter of using the camera's light meter, which you can find in the camera's viewfinder, and adjusting its settings until it marks zero. It is not so easy when you use strobe, because there is no lighting that the camera can read until the flash fires. However, a handheld light meter will help you measure the light easily and accurately. Synchronizing it with the lighting system and placing it in front of the product, it will give you the precise information in light readings so you know what you can expect.

If you don't have a light meter, start by setting the shutter speed to 1/200 or less, with an aperture of f / 11 or greater. From here, you will need to make test images and adjust the camera settings as you see that you achieve optimal exposure and focus.

As you take the photographs, remember that the editing process can later help you fix any lighting settings that you cannot correct during the session. However, getting a correct exposure during the photo shoot can save you a lot of time and work in the post-production process. Also, do not forget to correctly synchronize the recharge between flashes, since it is possible that if you shoot too fast between shots and shots, the light source does not fire in time. Patience is the secret to achieve high quality fashion product images.

Dual Mono Lighting

If you rent or invest in a lighting set, you should make sure you get two light sources to maximize the versatility of your options when taking pictures. Having two flashes will also help in case of low light. There are many affordable options in two-light kits, it's just a matter of finding the one that best suits your needs. For now, let's talk about how to use two strobe lights together. Look at the following diagram to visualize it easier.


In the case of assembly with a single artificial light source, we recommended placing the light at an angle of 45 degrees in relation to the product. In this case we will start with this configuration and position the second light source slightly close to the product on the opposite side, also using a 45 degree angle to the product. This new light will be your “fill light”. The two lights must be synchronized to fire at the same time.

Taking into account that the first light will be set to medium power (for example: 3 out of 5), you will place your second light at a lower power than the first (for example: 2 out of 5). Depending on the style you work in product photography, you may not want to completely fill the darkest part of the product with light, creating shadows. However, some people find extra color saturation positive by uniformly exposing both sides of the product. If this is your case, you should illuminate the product on both sides and keep the lighting uniform.


Again, remember to correctly synchronize the recharge between flashes because if you shoot too fast between shots and shots, one or both light sources will not fire at the same time.


This type of lighting assembly also works using a reflector instead of the second light source. In this case, just place the reflector panel, which you can create with pen cardboard, at a 90 degree angle to the product. The light from your first light source will bounce filling the darker side to a lower level. However, if you have the means to use both lights, try it! You will see that the result is very professional and worthwhile.