The most adaptable and versatile continuous lighting setup currently might well be the Spekular LED lights (B&H / Amazon). They come as a set of four LED sections (11.8" x 1.57") that can be connected in different ways - as panels or strips or geometric shapes. You decide. The Spekular website shows some of the options. The specifications of the Spekular LED kit only gives a dry idea of what these are capable of. Therefore, with this video review of the Spekular, I wanted to show some of that adaptability, and how these lights might be Read more inside...
Profoto has a very strong reputation in the industry for making gear that are reliable, easy to use, powerful, and, well ... looks really good. When Profoto entered the market a few years ago with the portable Profoto B1 flash (affiliate), and then the Profoto B2 flash (affiliate), it was inevitable then that at some point they would make a grand entrance with a speedlight style flash. With this review of the Profoto A1 flash (affiliate), I wanted to show more how I would use it, than just cover the specs of the flash.
I met up Read more inside...
With the article on lighting a white seamless studio backdrop in the studio, the question came up how you would do that in a home-based studio where there is less space. The answer? In pretty much the same way. This tutorial video on how to set up a small home studio using speedlites, will show you that the techniques remain the same, whether it is a speedlite, or a powerful studio light.
A few notes about this video:
For this video, I ended up going with B&W images only of our subject, Matt. I liked the result. It worked very well with Read more inside...
Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light
My favorite light modifiers when working with studio-type flashes like the Profoto B1 and D1, are gridded stripboxes. In the studio where I have space, I tend to prefer the larger Profoto 1’x6’ strip-box (affiliate). When I have to travel with gear, or work with kids, then the Profoto 1’x4’ strip-box (affiliate), is my preference. Both of them with a grid on them. That egg-crate grid on the front helps control how the light spills.
This video explains how I use them as the main light, and what makes gridded stripboxes such Read more inside...
Many of the tutorials and articles on the Tangents blog deals with getting the best from your on-camera flash. My approach has always been one of - what technique would give me the best light? Of course, there are so many different scenarios we could find ourselves in - so we have to adapt to where we are, and what we want to achieve.
With on-camera flash, I've always pushed back against the idea of there being a single do-everything device that will make your flash photography look better. Specifically with light and lighting, We Read more inside...
Online video class: Portraits with on-camera speedlight
There have been many requests for a video tutorial series or a kind of online workshop of the articles on the Tangents website. Working in conjunction with Bluprint - a company that produces professional looking online video tutorials on a number of topics - we created two video classes.
The first class is Portraits with On-Camera Speedlight, and has just been completed and is available! The follow-up class is Off-Camera Flash Photography, and is a natural extension of this class.
The online classroom has a platform where Read more inside...
The second video tutorial series in conjunction with Craftsy, is on the topic of: Off-Camera Flash Photography. Craftsy is a company that produces professional looking online video tutorials, and with their help, we created what is a kind of online workshop. The first class is Portraits with On-Camera Speedlight, and has received great feedback from those who enrolled. This follow-up class is about using Off-Camera Flash and is now available.
The online classroom has a platform where anyone who is subscribed can ask questions. So Read more inside...
Video tutorials: Wedding photography - The romantic portrait session
My third video tutorial series in conjunction with Bluprint, covers an interesting topic in wedding photography - the romantic portrait session. Bluprint is a company that produces professional looking online video tutorials, and with their help, we created what is essentially an online workshop.
We cover the topic thoroughly, from the initial client meeting, through to the engagement photo session, to how I would approach the romantic portrait session on the wedding day. Photographing a couple that is actually Read more inside...
Wedding photography - Posing and sequencing the family groups
The fourth video tutorial in conjunction with Bluprint, is an interesting one - photographing the family groups at weddings. This is one area where newer photographers have difficulty in finding traction. Suddenly under pressure and with dozens of people pulling in different directions, it is easy to come apart. With this video tutorial, we'll cover ways of sequencing and posing the family groups.
With numerous useful tips, I cover this topic and explain how I keep everything on track during this part of the wedding Read more inside...
Video tutorial - Using LED video light for photography
Regular visitors to the this website will know that I favor video lights for dramatic portraits. The what-you-see-is-what-you-get nature of continuous light, makes it really easy to get interesting light on your subjects. But it does need some finessing in how you position it for portraits. Meeting up with Anelisa, one of my favorite models, we created this tutorial video clip to show exactly how I use the video light for portraits. It also explains my starting point in choosing the direction of light, and also shows how I often Read more inside...
