One Light, Small Space, Pro Results: DIY Beauty Setup

You don't need a 1500sqft studio to shoot beauty. Two pieces of 69-cent black poster board clamped to a softbox as flags, a foam core bounce card on spare light stands, and a single strobe overhead at 45 degrees. That's the whole setup. The useful bit here is the flagging technique: restricting your softbox to a two-inch strip of light gives you that narrow, sculpted beauty look without buying dedicated strip boxes. Works in a spare bedroom, a garage, anywhere you can fit a subject and a stand.