Posted on: May 25, 2017 at 4:03 am

Have you ever seen images of a model being lit up from right above, or even product photos for that matter? If you’ve been using a regular light with its stand, you already know how difficult it can be to position a light this way, from 12 o’clock position.

The answer lies in something called a ‘boom stand.’

It is a sturdy stand with a long arm. You can affix a light on one end, and a weight needs to be attached to the other end to balance the rig and give it stability. This is one of those pieces of equipment that we strongly advise you to start off with under the guidance of an experienced person, since an accident can be expensive here! KAPA students are given this training by seasoned professionals. Care needs to be taken that the weight is fixed at the right position, or the whole thing can topple over!

Check out this image shot for Naidu Hall by KAPA mentor Karthik Srinivasan. There is soft lighting from right above the model while she is lying down. You can achieve this lighting using the boom stand set up with a large softbox or other attachment on your light.