Dramatic portraits of kids – Lighting and intent
Dramatic portraits of kids - Lighting and intent
When photographing portraits of someone, we can only leave so much up to serendipity. Deliberate action produces deliberate results. While things don't always work out to plan, having a plan helps propel things in a certain direction. With that, we need to be able to pre-visualize the photographs we want. We need to shoot (and use light) with purpose. Even if you are just experimenting and playing with your camera and lighting, you will fare better if you have some intended result in mind. Always that question in mind - what is it Read more inside...Flash photography – Changing the background color with gels
Flash photography - Changing the background color with gels
One of the biggest challenges when working in a studio, is that you're essentially shooting in a plain rectangular box. When photographing portraits, the two obvious ways out of that is to create an interesting (or complementary) background, and then to create interesting (or flattering) lighting. The lighting itself need not be complex. For this series of portraits of Olive, I used the gridded 1' x 6' softbox. By swinging it horizontally or vertically (or diagonally), I can change the way the light falls on my subject Read more inside...Video lights for wedding details
Video lights for wedding details
A versatile lighting tool that is always in my camera bag - a video light. With a video light you can localize how you light up something like details at an event. Unlike bounce flash, it doesn't light up the entire scene - just where you point the video light at. Eg: bounce flash vs video light. I love LED video lights (affiliate), since they are compact, don’t run hot, and the color balance can be continuously changed from 3200K tungsten (Incandescent) to 5600K Daylight. Light is produced flicker free at any frame rate or shutter Read more inside...Boudoir photography with a Hollywood glamor feel
Boudoir photography with a Hollywood glamor feel
I managed to acquire a lovely (and massively big) lighted table for my studio. I picked it up for quite a low price at a photography studio auction in New York, and now it has a new home. It was a missing piece in my studio - especially since I also offer the place as a photography studio rental (NJ) . But I digress. In other studios that I've used, I've used the glow of the circularly arranged lightbulbs, as a light source. For example in this photo session with Jessica Joy - composition: working towards the final image. A number Read more inside...Posing and lighting technique
Posing and lighting technique - posing in relation to the lighting
When taking a portrait, the pose needs to suit the lighting. And vice versa, the lighting needs to be done in relation to the intended pose. Especially so when the lighting is dramatic. This is such a key idea - lighting and posing are tightly correlated. Started again: you pose the participants in relation to the light. You light the people you photograph, in relation to how you position the light. When lighting a couple, I tend to favor the woman in terms of flattering light. So in setting up a pose, the lighting Read more inside...How to position off-camera flash
How to position off-camera flash
One of the most frequent (but easily corrected) mistakes I see when photographers use off-camera flash, is that they didn't position the flash in relation to their subject. They simply place the flash to the side (and often at a too-extreme 90 degree angle from their own position), with the flash too low in height. Your subject's pose and their position most often dictates how you should place the flash. We perhaps instinctively expect a light source to come from above somewhere, because that is where the sun is, or the light is coming from a Read more inside...Off-camera flash: Rim-lighting and using flare
Off-camera flash: Rim-lighting and the intentional use of flare
For these promotional photos for aspiring model twins, Carina and Carolina, we went to a park. There are certain things I look for when working on an location, that I know will immediately give me a better chance at successful portraits. My book, Lighting and Design for Portrait Photography, looks at exactly that thought-process throughout the 60 chapters in the book. The technique here should be quite obvious by now: A long lens (a 70-200 used closer to the longer end), compressing the perspective. Shooting Read more inside...Portrait lighting setup – Chiaroscuro
Portrait lighting setup - Chiaroscuro
Chiaroscuro is defined as the use of strong contrasts between light and dark - bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. Chiaroscuro in an Italian phrase meaning Light and Dark. Chiaro = Light; Scuro = Dark. In Film Noir, there are many examples of the use of Chiaroscuro, enhancing the mood. Here though, we're going to look at a straight-forward way of using Chiaroscuro as a lighting technique. This then becomes an easy starting point to experiment further. By adding planes that have a gradient between light and dark, you can enhance Read more inside...Best softbox for on-location headshot photography
Best portable softbox for on-location headshot photography
I vary the lighting kit that I use for on-location portraits and headshot photography. It could involve multiple lights, or a single-light setup on location. My choice of lighting is most often decided by how complex it need to be, and the logistics of getting to the location and setting up. More than struggling with something, I detest the appearance of struggling with something. Let me explain - when working with clients, it all needs to appear smooth and efficient. Everything in place, and professional. No struggling Read more inside...- « Previous Page
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