Lighting Ideas to Improve Your Creative Space

Lighting is everything to photographers, but how much thought have you put into the place where you work? Whether you shoot in that space, record videos and vlogs, or just are in there a lot, you can use your professional lighting to improve the space.

I can't remember if I cared much for lighting before I became a photographer — it's too far back now to recall — but I certainly obsess over it now. Nevertheless, I hadn't put much thought into how I light my office until recently. I had installed LED downlights in the ceiling and that was that, but once I had to go on video calls more frequently, I started experimenting and I realized I had quite the selection of lights and modifiers to play with. Suddenly I was treating my video calls like shoots.

This video does a great job of showing how much you can achieve with just a few lights and modifiers. There are myriad setups that can be achieved with relatively modest gear and even a small space can become highly versatile. In my commercial product photography, I have shot the vast majority in my home studio, office, or lounge and with a handful of different lights. If you master a number of different lighting setups, the amount you can achieve in a small space with a handful of lights is staggering.

What are your go-to lighting setups in small spaces? Do you have a hidden gem of a modifier? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.