Strobe Lighting

Photographer Aaron Anderson has done it again, and this time, it’s with Paralympic gold medalist Noah Elliot.

One thing I love the most about my job is to be able to work with hugely talented people in my team. It’s always so inspirational to be around them and never fails to serve as an outstanding learning opportunity.

Photographer Donja Pitsch is a Paris based fashion and advertising photographer who has shot for publications such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle, and Glamour. This time, the shoot is for Glamour Spain.  Do you mind if we before we move on I take a moment to swoon over the words in that last paragraph? Paris? Spain? Vogue? Marie Claire? Elle? Glamour?

A few weeks ago, Pye Jirsa from SLR Lounge traveled back down to Puerto Rico to battle Lee and I for the "World's Best Photographer" award. Today, we have the results and the full behind the scenes video of the shoot-off. Brace yourself; things do not go as expected.  

A couple of months ago I was given the opportunity to photograph Korean-American stylist, lifestyle blogger, and digital influencer, Chriselle Lim for the cover of Female Malaysia magazine. It’s always exciting to be able to shoot a cover for a magazine, especially one that is the leading fashion and beauty magazine in Malaysia, and I particularly love photographing strong, successful women.

Elinchrom has always been known for its superb light modifiers. But the strobes designed by the Swiss flash manufacturer are just as good. Now marks a new direction for the brand with the introduction of the ELC 125 and ELC 500. 

What's the saying, trends come and go, but style is constant? Maybe, but, in a world of ever changing SEO and IG popularity contests, its important to be able to recognize and then mobilize trends to get eyeballs on your work.

If you are not proficient in artificial lighting, it can see a bit like its own world with its own language. Never fear, though, this great video will get you up to speed on what studio strobes are, how they work, and how to integrate them into your personal workflow.  

Recently I got my hands on the new Fujifilm GFX 100 medium format camera and thought it would be fun to create a free fashion photography tutorial showing my entire workflow.

Some photographers make a good living out of specializing in beverage photography, but many of these pros — who generously share their techniques on YouTube — do so using the best of equipment, so it might seem a little intimidating for a beginner.

Flash duration is a lesser discussed concept, but it can have very practical consequences on your work. This great video will help you decode the numbers and figures to understand how it affects your images and how you can put it to use.  

The past several years we’ve seen an amazing amount of new and portable lighting options in the photographic industry with breakout performers like Godox taking on the giants of the lighting world like Broncolor and Profoto. One of the biggest names in North America for lighting has been ominously silent but Paul C.

If you’re diving into using strobes for the first time or if you are still learning how to use additive lighting in your photography, then definitely check out these three misconceptions that many photographers have about shooting with flash. 

Today there are a lot of photo enthusiasts that only use a smartphone. It is easy for a lot of people, placing content directly online. Wouldn’t it be great of there was a way to have a flash light that would work seamless with a smartphone? Profoto has the C1 and C1 Plus flash for that.

A common challenge for many portrait photographers is shooting people in a room with very strong ambient light. This tutorial and demonstration video gives a good solution to that, as well as to the challenges of shooting in front of a mirror.  

Profoto and travel/adventure photographer Austin Mann have teamed up to launch a new tutorial series focussing on phone photography.

 There are hundreds, if not thousands, of phone photography tutorials floating around on the web. But, with this announcement, we're seeing a major player in the professional photography space offering higher level education.

Have you ever used on-camera flash with disappointing results? In that case you probably didn't use the on-camera flash in the best way possible. With these tips you should be able to get much better results.

A few days, ago we published three anonymous pictures and asked you to vote on your favorite. Now, you can watch the entire challenge and see who the winner was.  

The rules were simple: we each would have five minutes to create one portrait with one of two models around a historic property in Old San Juan.

Elinchrom is well known for its superb range of softboxes. The Swiss flash manufacturer just announced today the introduction of grids for their Rotalux line. 

In today's Fstoppers video, I set out to create some conceptual fashion images with Puerto Rican model Krystal Xamairy. Using the brand new Tamron 35mm f/1.4 lens, a few strobe lights, and a couple colored LED panels, I will walk you step by step through the entire process. 

Today, Westcott announced their new FJ400 battery-powered strobe. I've had an early review unit for a few days now, and Westcott seems to have done the impossible: they've overtaken the Godox AD400 Pro in its segment.  

Godox is well known for producing affordable, high quality lights that a lot of photographers are quite fond of. The Godox V1 is their entry into the round head speedlight market, and it has captured the attention of a lot of photographers, particularly in the face of the much more expensive Profoto A1. Is it the right speedlight for you?

The cinematic headshot is an eye-catching look that can really stand out from the more standard headshot against a normal background. This great video will give you a look at how it is done and the sort of results you can achieve. 

Robert Ascroft is known worldwide for his celebrity, sports, and fashion photographs. His client list includes Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Showtime, A&E, Puma, Vanity Fair, and Rolex. So, basically his client list includes some of the biggest names in his industries of focus! Not bad, right?

I had the wonderful opportunity to shoot this fashion spread for Glamour South Africa back in March while I was in Barcelona. Right before the trip, I did some research and had asked some locals for some location recommendations.  There were so many fantastic, beautiful locations in Barcelona that it made it incredibly difficult to decide!

As a photographer, personal projects are important to always keep trying out new things and practicing one’s craft while helping to maintain the passion in the art.  If we are not constantly experimenting then how are we going to improve? If we are not constantly testing the limits of our comfort zone then how we will discover new areas of interest?

Added colored gels to your lighting can have a bigger change than you first expected. It's not quite the same as shooting with white lights, as there are a few additional factors you have to consider to get the optimal color you are looking for.  

I shot these images for fashion ecommerce store Zilingo when we were doing a recent campaign/catalog shoot. What a fun team to shoot with! They really have a vision for what they want to pull off and are very supportive in terms of getting there.  

I’ve always loved the color red and the emotions it invokes. I suppose that's the fun thing about backgrounds, props, and general settings in that a color theme can evoke so many different thoughts and emotions. Needless to say the power of a model is critical but what you can create around the model can go a long way in conveying the feel you’re aiming for.

A couple weeks ago, I did a quick photo session with my Jiu Jitsu coach, Rafael Moreno, and I filmed the process from start to finish.  

When you're new to working with artificial light, the entire world can feel quite confusing and a bit overwhelming. This helpful video goes over 10 things a seasoned photographer wishes he had known before he started dabbling with strobes. 

When photographer Felix Renaud first discovered photography, a world of possibilities opened to him. With his background of drawing and cinema, he is drawn towards treating his images as if they were drawn from a film or inspired by a painting. He enjoys creating the ambiance and characters for his images.

This is the first episode in photographer Tommy Reynolds new YouTube series entitled "A Portrait of..." featuring his wonderful and warm friend, Holly-Ann Dennis.

When Reynolds first met Holly, he knew he wanted to do a photo shoot with her, but felt like he needed more than just a series of images to tell her story.

I once started with the top of the line Canon flash with a remote controller. Even though those flashes very good, they can have too little light output for off camera flash. That is why I started looking for a portable studio flash system and I ended up with the expensive Profoto system.

Nathan Elson, a commercial photographer from Calgary, Canada, just posted a great no-nonsense tutorial outlining his basic lighting set-up. Oh, FYI, there's also a great contest that Elson has put together with Strobepro. Go take a look.

While we all love it when a gig lands in our lap, sometimes the timetable doesn't work in our favor. Having a decent amount of time leading up to the shoot can be critical in getting the best results for you and your client.

Are you looking for a new flash and intrigued by the Profoto A1? Maybe you’ve seen the internet rumblings about Godox’s V1 light and the alleged backdoor drama between the two lighting companies and wondered if this new light beats the top priced flash? Which round flash is the best bang for the buck and should you switch or stick with your square flash? 

There are several different ways to light your subject in portrait photography. You probably have heard the different terms or styles of lighting and have seen them before, but do you know the difference between broad light and short light? 

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas for unique backgrounds, especially ones that work in small spaces. If the background is easy to set up and can be configured from material or gear I already have, well sign me up. So when I saw the title to Gavin Hoey’s latest video, I knew I had to watch it and if you are also looking for something small and easy, I suggest you watch this video.

When it comes to lighting your subject, there are many different ways to do so and many different tools to help create and shape the light. If you do not have a ton of modifiers for your strobe but you do have a V-Flat, here's one way you can use the V-Flat to create soft light in your shot. 

Photographer Aaron Anderson has once again created an amazing set of images that came from an idea he could not shake. It's often been said that anyone can do something once but to keep coming back with impressive results is what differentiates the best from the rest.

Fashion photographer Christopher Cavanaugh was brought on for this photo project that took place in Los Angeles by creative director Terrel Mullen as a collaboration project to expand both their portfolios. It expanded their portfolios and expanded our appreciation of what can be accomplished from behind the camera. 

Every time I go to a theater I can't help but admire the images I see in movie posters, especially those in action and superhero movies. I've wanted to try and take an image in the style of some of my favorite Marvel movie posters but wanted to make sure I could find a model with the right suit to pull off the look. Fortunately, I found just that and more. 

This exciting shoot came about when photographer Aaron Anderson was tasked to creating content for Elinchrom’s new ELB 500 TTL and Lifted Up Fitness’s web page, making it a multiple clients shoot.

Famed celebrity stylist and creative director Jason Bolden and his team approached photographer Nathalie Gordon with an idea to shoot a campaign for their newly launched sunglasses brand JSN.

When four amazing photographers are in the same location shooting the same model, there is bound to be a little competition. But add in three unknown challenges with a set of difficult limitations, and you have a recipe for great entertainment.  

Do you ever shy away from packing strobes when you travel? Worried that too much gear will weigh you down? Little Shao, a Paris-based photographer who specializes in dance photography, travels a lot. This new video from Profoto spotlights both the ease with which Profoto's B10s travel, as well as the incredible versatility they provide.

Photographer Randal Ford has photographed over 100 animals up close and in person and has no plans on stopping. Why would he? These are some fascinating creatures that we share this planet with and so anytime we can interact with them, its probably a good thing. They are also super cute!

When asked why he wanted to photograph animals, he quoted from his book

One of the most rewarding parts of photography is choosing the right type of light for an assignment. The light that will best help convey what we’ve been hired to shoot. Nowhere is that more true than in shooting athletic wear. 

Photographer Ole Martin Halvorsen recently did a photoshoot that was was part of a larger social media and advertorial campaign for H&M Norway, in collaboration with Spray for their magazine Portia.