Tangents

photography tutorials, reviews & workshops

tangents photography blog
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The world’s best photographers use Profoto

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The world's best photographers use Profoto

I'm super-chuffed by this - a mention in the big fold-out advert by Profoto as it appears in the latest Rangefinder magazine - a big photography industry magazine for portrait and wedding photographers. See if you notice any familiar faces there? I am an obvious fan of Profoto lighting gear. There's just something about the sleek elegance of the equipment, and of course the ease of operation and unfussy reliability. They make me look good when shooting gigs. I also use Profoto gear in my photo studio in New Jersey. Edited to add: I've  Read more inside...

book: On-Camera Flash Photography (2nd ed)

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book: On-Camera Flash Photography (2nd ed)

The extensively revised and updated book, On-Camera Flash (Amazon), is now available on Amazon. Based on the best-selling 1st edition, this is more than just a cosmetic overhaul. Combining older material which have been polished and streamlined, with lots of new material and trawling the Tangents blog for the best material on how to use your on-camera flash to best advantage. Details about the book:  On-Camera Flash (2nd edition) You can either purchase a copy via Amazon USA or Amazon UK. The book will also available as  Read more inside...

Photography book – Direction & Quality of Light

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Photography book: Direction & Quality of Light

When Direction and Quality of Light was released in March 2013, it felt like an even bigger achievement than my previous two books. Here I share many of the "aha!" moments which took me years to completely grasp - that at the heart of it, every aspect of photographic lighting is dependent on understanding the direction and quality of light. I do believe this book can make a difference to your photography. I'm that confident about it. All the more amazing to see that 2 years later, this book is still bouncing up and  Read more inside...

Studio photography: Never shoot at 320 ISO @ f/5.6 with white seamless

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Never shoot at 320 ISO @ f/5.6 with white seamless

...  because Amazon's patent on how to shoot against a white background, 
(with camera settings given as "about 320 ISO" and "about f/5.6" ) 
has been granted to them by the US Patents office.  Yes, I know, this makes no sense. One of the oldest studio photography techniques - shooting against a white backdrop - has been patented by Amazon.  Udi Tirosh at DIY photo reported on this. So I guess the easiest way to circumvent this, (aside from easily proving  Read more inside...

After Dark photography education

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After Dark photography education

This photograph was taken at one of the stations at the After Dark workshops. Two strip lights on either side, freezing this acrobatic performer doing jumps on his board. Pretty wild, I think. "Pretty wild" would also sum up the general experience of attending the After Dark workshops.  This is where After Dark differs from other workshops and conventions, in my opinion.  Just a simple description of the workshop as being 3 days of a series of seminars and demonstrations, doesn't quite encompass it ...  Read more inside...

Video tutorial : Direction & Quality of Light

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Video tutorial : Direction & Quality of Light

Thank you to everyone that came out to the presentation at B&H’s Event Space. It was jam-packed! That’s always a big compliment. The photo was on B&H’s Instagram feed, and was taken in the minutes before the presentation started. And no, it’s not my doh! facepalm realization that I’ve forgotten something. The topic of the presentation was – Direction and Quality of Light – and it is based on the material in my new book. I do think this presentation was solid, and going by the stream of questions, very well received.  So  Read more inside...

Finally, my own studio space!

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Finally - my own studio area.

Today has been an exciting day - I signed the lease on a large studio space. I've been sharing studio space the last year, but it's become obvious over time (even before then), that I really, really need my own space. My own studio, and my own office area away from home. And here it is - the studio as it is now. Two iPhone photos just to show what it is. It is huge, and as you can see, lots of window light. And it's just 10 minutes' drive from my home here in New Jersey. I'm obviously very pleased with this. The studio space will hopefully be the  Read more inside...

news: Chinese translations of my flash photography books

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Chinese translations of my flash photography books

It was with great surprise when my publisher notified me that my 1st book, On-Camera Flash Photography, has been translated into Chinese and is now available for purchase in China. While still trying to digest that news, I got an email from the translator of my 2nd book, Off-Camera Flash Photography, wanting to clarify a few things. So that's pretty big news, especially because it's already getting good reviews, if I go by the star ratings. As soon as I get my copy, it'll sit comfortably next to the Polish translations of my 1st  Read more inside...

news: Polish translation of my book: Off-Camera Flash

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Fotografia z lampa blyskowa w praktyce

Google's translation says that means: "Photography with a flash in practice". Either way, I'm very proud to announce that my second book, Off-Camera Flash, has been translated and released in Poland. More details here on this Polish site. A big thank you to the followers of the Tangents blog there in Poland who made this possible!  Read more inside...

Photographing on location: Photo permits in Hoboken, NJ

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Photographing on location: Photo permits in Hoboken, NJ

Photographing a model in Hoboken can be complicated. A few weeks ago in October, a friend and I arranged to photograph Kerri, the model shown here. My friend had just bought a Nikon D3s and some serious glass, so I thought that instead of me just telling her about the camera's functions and settings, it would be more interesting to hire a model to photograph. Then we get to play with the new toys, and get some photos. More fun than just being lectured by me. So the two of us picked Kerri up along the way to Hoboken, to shoot  Read more inside...