Beginner lighting tips  

If you're using desktop lamps, switch to a daylight LED bulb to get rid of that yellow color cast. Many regular household bulbs are set at warm white which makes a room looks warmer. Ideal for lighting interiors and creating a mood, but not great for photography.

The other advantage of a LED bulb is that it doesn't run hot. This is key as you can then put a thin white fabric over it to diffuse the light which minimizes glare. You can also set some paper between the light and your set to do this but there will be light spill on the sides.

If you're going to invest in a flashlight (yup, that'll do) or a small LED panel, get one that is dimmable. Lighting minifigs doesn't require any big lights or special equipment.

Lighting in general means knowing where to place the light and controlling the light. It's more complicated than natural light because you need to be intentionally lighting, not just flooding the scene with light. 

Having said that, I'd start with window light as a beginner. Window light is really beautiful, soft light that's free. It's also slightly directional so it gives a nice shadow on subjects which make them more lifelike.

Thanks for the tips. I know you have mentioned some of this to me before!

Window light is my backup when I can't get out but where I live it's really dark and I'm quite limited as to when I get good enough light for a photo. Think I need to look into some LED panels.

Thanks again!

I bought a couple of these as I do most of my shots on a computer desk:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01B1S4HIK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Bendy necks for poseability, 5 brightness settings and different colour temperatures along with a handy clamp!

@neonspectres thanks for the suggestion. That one is sold out but I can see some other similar ones. They look like they would be s good starting point for me so thank you!

For now, I have these two things:

LED panel with 198 LEDs

Macro ring

It’s simple and useful, but as your practice of « studio » light grows, your needs too, and I reached a point where I want to buy complementary LED system to enhance my lighting work. 

Thus, you can start with the Aputure Amran, and wait for the day you’ll want more. 

@David. Thanks for the info, really useful. The Aputure LED panelnlooks pretty cool. I don't have a mirrorless/DSLR just a phone but I guess that could just sit on a tripod.

Anyway I have a decent few suggestions now so I'm going to go do some reading on them and see what i think will be best for me for now

a second small/desk tripod would be a good idea to start with, as then you can borrow someone else's phone and switch their flashlight on (and use up their battery!)

I do enjoy the idea of stealing someone else's battery! I'm the only person in my house who bothers to charge their phone though so probably wouldn't help. Think I will get a second tripod though.

Posted by: Freethegeekman

@David. Thanks for the info, really useful. The Aputure LED panelnlooks pretty cool. I don't have a mirrorless/DSLR just a phone but I guess that could just sit on a tripod.

Anyway I have a decent few suggestions now so I'm going to go do some reading on them and see what i think will be best for me for now

Both panel and ring are light weight, and don't need a big tripod. The panel is nice as a global lighter.

don't forget to place a white shoes box cap on the opposite side of your main light source, in order to soften the ambiance.

I used to use large umbrella lights on tripods for all of my photos but Ive recently switched to small LED light panels which take up much less space. My lights have a built in dimmer and I can adjust the warmth of the light as well. I've found the warmth adjustment to be very helpful in getting just the right color in my photos.

Hi All. Thanks for all the tips. I have ordered a fairly cheap dimmable led light to try first. I'll see how I get on with that. I'll share a pic here once I have tried it. 

No doubt I'll get the hang of it then realise I need a more expensive option 😂 but at least this gets me started indoors when I can't use window light. Hopefully 🤞

Posted by: Freethegeekman

Hi All. Thanks for all the tips. I have ordered a fairly cheap dimmable led light to try first. I'll see how I get on with that. I'll share a pic here once I have tried it. 

No doubt I'll get the hang of it then realise I need a more expensive option 😂 but at least this gets me started indoors when I can't use window light. Hopefully 🤞

I guess you can never have too many lights! You could even use them with different coloured filters (or just coloured tissue paper like i do!) to add atmosphere to your images? 🙂

After seeing some of the fantastic work of people on here and instagram, I've decided to invest in a couple of these lights and two sets of filters to take my experimentation to the next level 🙂

Amusingly the filters arrived today but i have to wait until next week for the actual LED's! Still, I'm sure I can start experimenting with the filters on other light sources I have to hand 🙂