Before any studio assignment or one requiring location lighting, transferring your thoughts to paper in the form of a drawing is one of the best ways to sharpen skills and materialize preconceived lighting ideas. Just the process of drawing on scratch paper with stick-figure talent helps me get a better idea on the placement of multiple strobes and lighting modifiers. Inevitably, I end up chucking my doodles after the shoots instead of using them as learning tools, whereas smarts like David Hobby — aka Strobist — uses them effectively on his ever-inspiring lighting blog Strobist.

above: a diagram drawing indicating the subjects (in this case archers) in relation to his four strobes, by Strobist.

If you’re stuck on a studio setup or need some extra help, make sure to check out the lighting diagrams he uses with his On Assignment shoots. They help make complicated setups easier to visualize and execute, and they may also inspire you to try something unique and untested. If you’re feeling a little intimidated with all the lighting jargon, don’t sweat (!), there’s a lighting 101 course that yours truly has read through. Hey, remember I didn’t learn any lighting in a classroom — I learned from reading, trying, failing, and starting over until I got it right. We’ve all been there, and we’ve all (well, for a lack of better words) sucked at it. So get the pencil and paper and make some doodles. Turns out you might know more than you think.