Soft Boxes

• The trademark indicator of studio photography is the softness of the light, which is characterized by a gentle gradient on the subject and does not have any sharp shadows. This quality of light is caused by soft boxes, which are large semi-transparent screens that are placed around the light. By outfitting two lights with soft boxes and placing them on either side of the subject, you immediately have a usable shooting area for any subject. If you do not have any light boxes, you can hang white sheets in between the lights and the subject for a similar result.
  
  

Backdrops

• The backdrop must also be lit. Most fashion photos are shot in front of large paper backdrops, which are available at specialty photo shops. If you want a white background, aim at least two lights at a white background to remove any incidental shadows from it. For other background appearances, play with gradients by shining only one light. The gradient will be sharpest nearest to the light then gently fade away. To center a subject within a gradient, place the light directly behind him and have the subject's body block the light equipment from the shot.
  
  

Snoots

• A snoot is a device that attaches to a light to direct the shape of the illumination. A simple snoot can be made simply from aluminum foil wrapped around the light's stand. Snoots are typically funnel-shaped, since they are used to limit light to only one area. For example, if you wanted to light a subject's eyes and nothing else, attach the snoot to the light then shape the snoot itself until the light only falls on the desired region. This is a simple technique to create dramatic, interesting lighting for subjects.
  
  

Gels

• Gels are plastic sheets that can be placed over lights to change their color and softness. A gel set typically comes with red, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange and pink gels. When placed over lights, these colors introduce emotion into a photo. For example, to have a cold, steely feel, place a blue gel on a light to reduce the image's warmth. Other gels include softening gels, which will create an appearance similar to a soft box. Simple softening gels can be made by tearing pieces of wax paper and attaching them to the light.