Setting up a home studio for portrait photography is an exciting step for any photographer. When it comes to reliable, high-quality lighting, Elinchrom stands out as a trusted brand that offers both studio flashes (strobes) and LED continuous lights—each compatible with a wide range of Elinchrom light modifiers to shape the light to your creative needs.
For a basic portrait setup, you don’t need a massive studio. A space of 3–4 meters wide and at least 2.5 meters deep is typically enough. The ceiling height should ideally be 2.5 meters or higher to allow for flexible placement of lights and modifiers. A clean background and the ability to control ambient light are more important than sheer space.
One of the most effective techniques in portrait photography is using a wide aperture—for example, f/1.8, f/2.0, or f/2.8—to create a shallow depth of field. This means that your subject remains sharp while the background becomes pleasantly blurred, also known as bokeh.
This approach is especially useful in a home studio where you might not have a dedicated photo backdrop. By blurring out the background, any distractions—such as walls, furniture, or windows—become soft and non-intrusive, putting the full focus on your subject. To maintain correct exposure when using a wide aperture, you’ll need to adjust the brightness of your Elinchrom light. Fortunately, Elinchrom strobes and LED lights have precise power controls, allowing you to fine-tune the light output so your images are perfectly exposed, even at low ISO and fast shutter speeds. In addition, wide-aperture lenses often give a more natural, cinematic look, which pairs beautifully with the soft light from a large Elinchrom softbox or umbrella.
Many stunning portrait images can be created with just one Elinchrom light source and a light modifier. Using a large softbox or umbrella, you can achieve soft, flattering light that wraps around your subject. This simplicity helps you understand how light behaves and gives you full control over the look of your portraits.
As you gain experience, you can begin to add more lights—such as a fill light, a hair or rim light, or a background light—to develop more advanced lighting setups and expand your creative expression.
Elinchrom offers a wide selection of light modifiers that dramatically affect the quality of your light:
Experimenting with different sizes and shapes of modifiers is key to mastering portrait lighting.
If you want the flexibility to take your lighting gear outdoors or to different locations, Elinchrom offers battery-powered strobes, like the Elinchrom ONE or Elinchrom THREE, as well as portable LED lights, like the Elinchrom LED 100C. These units are compact yet powerful, and their portability doesn’t compromise on performance.
Battery-powered options let you shoot in natural environments, urban settings, or client locations without the need for power outlets, giving you true creative freedom.
One of Elinchrom’s biggest strengths is how easy it is to get started. The user interface on both their flashes and LED units is intuitive, with clearly labeled controls and helpful indicators. This makes it simple for beginners to understand and control power levels, groups, and channels—whether you’re using them wirelessly or with sync cables.
Moreover, Elinchrom lights are known for stable, consistent light output and colour tempererature, ensuring your images are well-exposed frame after frame. This reliability is crucial, especially during long portrait sessions.