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Dramatic studio lighting with the Profoto Spot Small

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  For portrait photography, soft, flattering light is easy to work with. You can more easily pose your subject compared to when the light source is small. Also, it is more immediately flattering to you subject. You have to be really specific in how you pose and position your subject when you use a harder / smaller light source.  This is true whether you use available light or studio lighting or off-camera lighting. For example, much of what I do with on-camera bounce flash, is to create directional soft light from what starts out as a small light source -- a speedlight. For all  Read more inside...

Using gelled flash in the studio 

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Using gelled flash in the studio

Shooting in the studio with Brian and Anette to do promotional portraits of their band, Cut Like This, this one sequence was really fun to shoot. The images directly out of camera had impact already with the swath of blue light against the wall. The lighting is fairly simple - I used a gelled flash to get that color effect. The flash, a Profoto B1 flash  (B&H / Amazon), was bare, with just the turquoise gel taped over it. The main light (to camera right) was one I often use when I want that interesting combination of soft light  Read more inside...

Profoto: How to use gridded strip boxes as the main light

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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...

Gesture and posing – building up a photograph

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Gesture and posing - building up a photograph

This striking photograph of Anastasiya, like some flying super-hero, didn't just happen on a first take in the studio. It started with an idea, and then through several iterations, finally took shape. I wanted to test the Profoto B1 flash's Freeze mode, where the duration of the flash is much shorter - perfect for freezing fast motion. However, with a jumping shot like this, the photo is timed pretty much at peak movement - and there isn't really as much blur as we'd need to show that the Freeze mode is effective. We're going to need  Read more inside...

Using a gridded stripbox as the main light

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Using a gridded stripbox as the main light

As I show in the video clip how to use gridded strip boxes as the main light, I love how I can flexibly shape the light falling on and around my subject. Specifically in the studio, I mostly use the large gridded Profoto 1’x6 strip-box  (B&H / Amazon). It is simultaneously capable of dramatic light and soft light. Or an interesting combination of that. More than that, I can vary the interplay between light and shade, by how I swing the softbox around, or rotate it. I often do this while shooting so that I continuously  Read more inside...

Studio photography – Lighting simply for impact

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Studio photography - Lighting simply for impact

This striking image is from a commercial gig, shot in my studio for a company launching a range of hair extension products. For this sequence, one of several different setups we did, the client wanted this view and this look - so I had to decide on the best way to light their suggestion. We really make the hair the focus of the image, so I had to shoot from above on a short step-ladder. The decision on how to light this, was based on the commonly accepted principle of starting with a single light first, and only then building it up  Read more inside...

Boudoir photography with a Hollywood glamor feel

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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...

Studio photography – Working with a large Octa Softbox

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Studio photography - Working with a large Octa Softbox

It was exciting when I equipped my studio last year with a variety of lighting gear - so much to choose from. A little kid in the toy store! I want everything. The decision obviously has to be made between various lighting items that are only slight changes from other, with little real world difference. And then there ia also lighting gear that is quite esoteric. I chose various gridded stripboxes and reflectors, in addition to the soft boxes and beauty dish that I had. Then I had my eye on an octabank - specifically  Read more inside...