A wedding photo booth can be one of the most entertaining and memorable activities at your wedding. They can also be a total dud and waste of money. In this video, I share my top tips for building a successful photo booth for my wedding!
When it comes to freezing motion, shutter speed is normally the parameter of choice. However, if you are shooting in the studio and you have full control of the light, using flash can actually be the better choice. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to freeze motion using flash.
One of the biggest problems with comparing lighting systems is that there are endless variables to compare. If you are looking for a good strobe for studio or outdoor work, this video has a lot of information to give you a concise look at which one might be best for you.
In-camera special effects are a great and fun way to emphasize a story in photography. Many of these special effects that seem high production are actually quite easy to accomplish using the tools we already have or are easy to get. Today, I'll be showing you how to create one of my signature portraits, the Day vs. Night.
Halloween might not be my favorite "holiday", but it does bring with it some fantastic photoshoots. In this video, watch as Lindsay Adler creates some stunning Medusa-themed portraits using LEDs.
There will come a time — likely more than one — where you have to shoot in a dull location. While this can be disheartening, it's manageable if you know how to make it look more appealing. In this video, see behind-the-scenes of a shoot and how one cinematographer transforms any space.
We are not always fortunate to have the perfect background that matches the total vision of a shoot. The same goes for having a huge budget to build the set, which leaves a few options. Spend the time with compositions or use a printed backdrop to complete the scene. To save time, at least in my case, I opted to go with a printed backdrop for the shoot since there would be multiple images.
You can't control the weather, but you can control what the weather looked like. In this video, go behind the scenes of this shoot with a beautiful Porsche 911 GT3 RS and how one photographer made an overcast day look like an epic sunset.
When you are first starting out, you are not likely to be shooting from a dedicated studio. Most of us start out in a spare room at our home or the like, meaning we are in a tight space. That does not mean you can't take great photos in that small space, though, and this excellent video tutorial will show you three easy portrait lighting setups that work well in close quarters.
When you think of high-end portraiture, you might imagine multiple lights and complicated setups. The truth is, you can create a lot with just a single light. In this video, learn five techniques that can be replicated with a single light.
There are tools that many photographers neglect and this is one of them. The histogram is criminally underused, possibly because it isn't all that intuitive to beginners, but once you understand how to read it, it can keep you from making costly mistakes.
Portrait photographers spend a lot of time working on creating flattering light, and in photography terms, that almost always equates to soft light. However, hard light can be just as effective, particularly if you want to add a bit of drama or want to accent certain elements of your image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use three different hard lighting setups, including a gridded reflector, Fresnel lens, and parabolic umbrella.
The look of light coming through a window is one of the most recognizable out there, even to non-photographers, and it is something you will often want to replicate in the studio. Luckily, with a bit of know-how and some basic equipment, it is not particularly difficult to do, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how it is done.
One of the most classic and timeless portrait looks involves using the sun to backlight your subject and create a dramatic background. It is also an excellent way to develop your lighting skills and to learn how to balance ambient and artificial light, and this awesome video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to create them yourself.
The best place to practice photography, if it's possible, is in your own home. However, with few of us having acres of space to roam around in our own property, you need to get good at utilizing the space you do have. In this video, learn creative lighting techniques with speedlights even in smaller spaces.
While you can do a lot with natural light, the beauty of mastering artificial light is having the ability to craft your setup to exactly match your creative thoughts and technical needs. This great video tutorial will show you how to craft a three-light setup that is made to feature your model's physique.
What makes this LED light source a popular choice? What does it have over its competitors?
Few names are more synonymous with headshot photography than Peter Hurley. In this helpful video, he offers five fantastic tips on lighting for headshots that will improve your work in no time.
Learning how to work with off-camera flash can be a daunting task, and there are a lot of places where things can go wrong. If you are learning how to work with off-camera flash, this fantastic video tutorial will show you three common mistakes people make with it and how to fix them or avoid them entirely.
We Are Lady Parts, the story of an all-Muslim-female punk band in London, is a groundbreaking collaboration between creator Nida Manzoor and cinematographer Diana Olifirova. Not only is the plot compelling and refreshing, but Olifirova and Manzoor also use a variety of filmmaking techniques to develop character, move the story along, and visually excite their audience. I had a chance to speak with Olifirova about putting Manzoor’s project on screen.
Have you ever wanted to shoot sophisticated-looking portraits with the simplest lighting gear that you have in your bag?
If you are new to photography, it can seem a bit counterintuitive when you see photographers using flash outside when there is plenty of available natural light. However, there is a good reason for this, and this excellent video tutorial will show you both why and how to do it.
Normally in portraiture, you get a high level of control over the lighting, but in some scenarios (weddings, for example), you will have to think, light, and shoot on your feet. This excellent video tutorial will show you several ways to shoot nighttime portraits with a variety of different techniques and for a range of different creative looks.
There's a good chance you've heard of the "Ring of Fire," a technique popularized by wedding and portrait photographer Sam Hurd. The Ring of Fire is a special effects technique that uses a piece of copper tube to reflect light and create a highlight flare in the shape of a ring. This technique has been widely adopted, and to create this effect for yourself is pretty easy. Today, I'll be walking through the steps to transform your portraits using the famous Ring of Fire technique.
There are many combinations and properties of light, all of which have different consequences and effects on both the technical and creative aspects of your images. One of the most fundamental properties every photographer needs to know is the hardness of light, and this excellent video tutorial will show you both when and how to use soft and hard light for portraiture.
When you are new to artificial lighting, it can be a bit tricky to try to take in all the terminology, techniques, and creative practices at the same time, and as such, it is important to make sure you start out the right way. The best way to begin learning is by working with a single light, and this great video tutorial will show you an effective one-light setup for creating compelling portraits.
Viltrox has released a new single-color LED continuous light under their Weeylite brand. At $179 for the base package, it's a compelling option. So, is this the end of the strobe? Find out in this exclusive Fstoppers review.
One of the first lighting techniques I learned in graduate school was Paramount lighting. It's an easy way to come up with consistently solid portraits of almost anyone. Here's a quick tutorial from Adorama and fashion photographer Lindsey Adler on how to get that just right.
Intention in filmmaking has the potential to elevate movies. As a photographer, watching a movie with thoughtful cinematography is my favorite way to pass a Friday night. Maz Makhani’s work on The Guilty, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Antoine Fuqua, is an example of realizing this potential.
When we learn about lighting in portrait photography, we mostly focus on where to add light and how to shape it, but the presence of light is only made impactful by the mutual presence of shadows. Shadows can be a fantastic tool not just for contrast but to create a sense of drama or to tell a story with your images. This fantastic video tutorial will walk you through the process of lighting a portrait image with carefully crafted shadows to show you just how powerful they can be.
When we are first learning how to work with artificial light, we generally focus on getting things right with the subject, but the mark of a professional is controlling light across the entire frame, including the background. This helpful video tutorial will show you three different ways to light your studio backgrounds to produce better images.
How can you turn a corner of your home into a pleasant video background? Here are the basics of creating a better background and lighting setup for your videos, vlogs, and calls.
Learning artificial lighting is something that strikes fear in the heart of a lot of photographers, but it does not have to be a scary, unknown thing. If you are new to working with off-camera flash, this helpful video tutorial will get you up and running in no time.
Strobes are at the core of any serious studio photographer's kit, mainly because they're cheap and powerful. However, as you can see from this video, constant LED lights are catching up fast and are now a real option for anyone looking to try something different with their portrait work.
If you're new to photography and want to dip your toe in the waters of flash, you could be forgiven for not knowing where to start. There are speedlites ranging from cheap through to expensive by anyone's standards, and it can be difficult to delineate which option is the best value. Here is one photographer's answer to the best low-cost speedlite.
What is the greatest challenge you faced on a photoshoot? Your answer may very well include time pressure, an annoying art director, lack of gear, unknown locations, and much more. This is exactly what Profoto did to some four photographers who were asked to only take their camera to a secret location.
It is important to work with one light at first so you can master all its fundamental properties and techniques, but once you feel comfortable with that, you can really expand your creativity by experimenting with more complex multi-light setups. This informative video tutorial will show you how a photographer created a challenging and eye-catching hair shot using five lights and gels.
ND filters are fantastic pieces of kit for a number of applications, but there is a powerful use for them that sometimes gets overlooked through misconceptions. In this video, see visual examples of exactly what an ND filter can do for you.
I am a photographer but I often forget to shoot. Isn't that a ridiculous thing to say? I must admit, it's my reality more often than I'd like to admit.
No doubt, when you are first learning about artificial lighting, it can feel very foreign and difficult to master, particularly when it seems like pros are using complex multi-light setups for all their shots. However, you might be surprised by how much you can accomplish with one light, a reflector, and strong knowledge of the fundamentals of lighting. This excellent video tutorial will show you how just such a shot was created and the process the photographer went through to create the final image.
There are two types of opinionated photographers: those who love Godox lights and those who feel Godox lights are not for professional use. Here are some considerations for whether the Godox system is for you.
There's a feature with flashes that if you're in the know, is a lifesaver. High speed sync is something that allows you to shoot beyond what's considered the maximum sync speed of your camera, and to shoot wide open with flash in bright light, it's often a necessity to balance the exposure.
Sometimes, we're hampered by malfunctioning gear or we just can't afford to invest in a second speedlight, so it's imperative that we learn how to make do with what we have. Creating an evenly lit, bright, and airy portrait with just one speedlight might seem like too much to ask, but not if you have a few grips and some reflective material at hand.
We spend a lot of time talking about different kinds of lights and modifiers, but once you have spent a lot of money on your setup, you will want to make sure the stand you put it on will hold it safely and allow you to maneuver it as needed. This helpful video tutorial will show you four commonly used types of studio light stands, when they are appropriate, and how to use them.
Understanding the basics of flash photography opens up a world of creative avenues. This tutorial uses some basic concepts but also applies knowledge of color temperature and practical lighting.
No doubt, we are constantly bombarded by temptation for newer and better cameras and lenses, and we often delude ourselves into believing that they will flip a switch that will suddenly make our photos vastly better. At the end of the day, it is all about the light, and this awesome video pits an iPhone versus a Hasselblad to show you just how true that is.
I have always been a bit of a lighting snob. Camera-wise, I'm happy to go 35mm instead of medium format. For lenses, I'd use a Canon instead of a Zeiss with no concern, but when it came to lights and modifiers, I'd only use Broncolor. So I was happy to review this new (ish) light.
Gaining a strong grasp of lighting is essential not only to producing technically competent photographs but for developing a personal creative style as well. If you are struggling a bit to get up and running, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a versatile and effective portrait lighting setup that is useful for a wide variety of scenarios.
You don't have to spend a fortune to have great-looking lighting in your images and videos, you just need to know what sort of light you want and how to create it. In this video, learn how to put together a DIY overhead light, perfect for dramatic scenes.
Lighting for portraiture doesn't need to be complicated or involved an arsenal of lights. If you know how to use just one key light effectively and how to control it, you can create excellent, corporate headshots for your friends and for clients.