If you studied photography in school, you no doubt learned the classic three-point lighting method for portraits. But if you’re self-taught, this enormously useful technique may not yet be in your repertoire. If you fall in the latter category, never fear. Music photographer PJ Pantelis has created this simple, step-by-step tutorial to have you lighting […]
Knowing how to light a subject is one of the most important skills for a photographer. It’s more than just a technical necessity; the manipulation of light and shadow directly impacts the mood and feeling of an image. So, Jay P. Morgan has taken it upon himself to go over the basics behind lighting ratios. Regardless of […]
If you’re shooting small products in a studio environment, it pays for your lighting to be simple. A beauty dish, for example, is an ideal lighting tool. When lighting a face, a beauty dish is generally considered to be a source of hard light, but when lighting a product, the light is relatively soft. Daniel […]
Gels are pieces of colored plastic which you attach to the front of your artificial light source (strobes / flashes) to either change the color temperature of the light or get some creative effects going. If the ambient light in the room is dominant, you can use gels to match the color of your artificial […]
Sometimes you want to shoot a sunset. Other times you want to use the sunset light on your subjects. It’s hard to get both—you need an artificial rig facing the sunset, and you need to balance your levels so the artificial light doesn’t drown out the beautiful sunset colors behind. That’s where the RFi Speedlight Speedring can […]
Looking to switch things up a bit in your studio shots? As photographer Mark Wallace demonstrates, one of the easiest ways to do so is to bring in some grid light modifiers: Before getting very far, you’ll want to make sure that your light source is placed directly in line with your model. Be sure not to […]
When it comes to photography you are limited only by your imagination. Seemingly improbable objects can be used to produce images that are breathtaking. Academy of Photography shares an experiment in creative lighting, using something you normally wouldn’t associate with portrait lighting—an empty biscuit box: To try this experiment yourself, you’ll need a tripod and/or light stand, […]
Have you ever wished that you could bring the power of the studio to your home in a matter of minutes? You may be surprised by just how easy it can be. Cinematographer Tom Watts shows exactly how it’s done in this brief tutorial: Setting the scene was simple enough. A glass table with black material attached […]
Any experienced photographer will attest to the fact that light is the foundation of any image. Harold Ross is no exception. Here, he speaks in depth about the basic principles of light: Simply put, the sentiment is this: the angle of reflection is always equal to the angle of incidence. What that means is that when a […]
Reflective umbrellas don’t usually get much air time in photography courses or Youtube tutorials, yet they have a number of applications and can be quite versatile. How versatile? Well, here’s a quick clip from photographer Jeff Rojas demonstrating three different looks using a single reflective umbrella: Investing in lighting equipment for a portrait studio can […]
