Creative Exploration through Studio Lighting: A Guest Lecture at the University of East London

I had the immense pleasure of conducting a guest lecture session for the university's creative fashion students. The focus was on a vital yet often underexplored aspect of fashion photography: studio lighting setup. The lecture began with an overview of the importance of fashion photography. We delved into how lighting can create different atmospheres, moods, and themes, serving as a transformative element that can change a shot's tone. It was emphasised that manipulating light effectively is as much an art as designing the garments themselves. The session's next part was more hands-on, allowing students to work with different lighting equipment and techniques. We worked with various sources, including hard, soft, and modifiers like umbrellas, softboxes, and reflectors. The goal was to demonstrate how each of these tools could be used to sculpt and define the human body, the garments, and even the space around the model. Fortunately, professional models joined our session, providing students with real-world, practical experience. Their presence allowed the students to understand the importance of communicating and collaborating with the models. It highlighted how the photographer and model interaction could impact the final result. One of the highlights was when we experimented with using shadows and silhouettes. The students were encouraged to play around with positioning the lights at different angles, controlling the intensity, and altering the distance to achieve various effects. Seeing the students' enthusiasm as they discovered the transformative power of studio lighting was a joy. By the end of the session, it was clear that the students had developed a new appreciation for the role that lighting plays in fashion photography. I was immensely proud to see their creativity and growth in such a short time. The energy, passion, and curiosity they displayed were genuinely inspiring. The University of East London's commitment to providing such immersive and practical experiences for its students is highly commendable. I hope the students found the session as enriching and enjoyable as mine. The future of fashion photography is bright, and I eagerly look forward to seeing the art these young minds will create in the years to come. Special thanks for Sharon Hughes for inviting me #university #calvinchinthaka #fashion #fashionphotography