Prepare the room for your scene by turning off any overhead lights or room lamps. Cover any windows producing natural light with curtains or by taping dark blankets over the windows. Natural light is unpredictable and can drastically change how your subject will be lit.
Choose your key light. The key light will be the most powerful of your three light sources. If you do not have access to professional lighting lamps, shop lights are an acceptable substitution. Focus the key light directly on your subject at a 45-degree angle from the subject. Place the key light above the camera and have it focus down on the subject at a 45-degree angle. Position the light meter so that it is at a 45-degree angle to the camera and facing the key light directly. The light from the key light should hit the center of the dome. Take a reading with the light meter and adjust the strength of the light until you get a reading of f/11.
Set up your back light. The back light should be the second-most powerful light of your lighting choices. Focus this light so that it lights the subject from behind. The back light will highlight the outer edges of your subject and create a sense of depth against the background. Place a screen in front of the light to break up the light pattern. A professional cookie-cutter screen is recommended, though household objects, such as a large house plant can also work if professional equipment is unavailable. Position the light meter so that it is facing the back light directly. The light from the back light should hit the center of the dome on your light meter. Take a reading with the light meter and adjust the strength of the light until you get a reading of f/8.
Focus your fill light on the subject to fill any shadows cast by the key or back lights. The fill light should be the weakest of your lights. A hand-held shop light can be used if you do not have access to a professional fill light. Set the fill light on the opposite side of the subject as the key light. Position the light meter so that the light from the fill light hits the center of the dome and take a reading. Adjust the light until you take a reading of f/5.6 or f/8.