How to Use Table Lamps for Portrait Lighting

Photographers are often obsessed with the direction and quality of light. But it’s not necessary for you own the best lighting equipment to take some fantastic looking images. Photographer Irene Rudnyk demonstrates how she uses table lamps and natural window lighting to take gorgeous indoor portraits:

As Rudnyk demonstrates in the video, she first lights the model in front of a mirror from the left and the right side making sure that she don’t get her own reflection on the mirror. To achieve the shot, she shoots from the side using her wider Sigma 35mm lens to tackle the congested setting.

lighting model with table lamp

Next, she experiments by back lighting the model with the window light while lighting the model’s face  using a table lamp—with the help of her assistant.

lighting face of model with table lamp

And finally, she has the model sitting near the window facing outside, with the mirror in the background and the back of the model lit using the table lamps.

window light and table lamp lighting

The soft light from the table lamps and the natural window light create a mixture of warm and cool tones and give a natural feel to the photograph. This is one of the most inexpensive lighting setups that you can try. If you have some table lamps around, give these tips a try and see what kinds of images you can come up with.

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One response to “How to Use Table Lamps for Portrait Lighting”

  1. Debbie says:

    I as well wanted try this techniq. So gald I found this artical. Question. Are the lamps only tungsten or led as? Thank you, short and quick to the ppoint

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