Lighting

In this video and article, we’re going to show you how to spice up an ordinary portrait using off-camera flash to simulate window light photography.

Window light portraits are something we all can do from the comfort of our own homes. It's quite amazing during this time of lockdown, actually having the time to observe the light around the home at different times during the day and how it can transform a room as the sun pops out from behind the clouds. So what a perfect time to learn and practice lighting.

If you have been shooting streets for some time or have been following the genre, you might have already thought about some of the things that I am going to talk about below. Street photography is a very volatile genre by virtue of the volatility of the decisive moments.

New Zealand-based commercial photographer Chris Cameron wanted an ultra-portable solution for supporting lights in cramped indoor spaces, so he created a simple 2-legged leaning light stand.

Rogue has announced the latest version of its FlashBender shapeable reflectors and softboxes. Version 3 features a number of improvements over the previous iteration, including improved grip and shapeability.

If you're looking for at-home photo ideas, here's an 18-minute behind-the-scenes video by photographer Irene Rudnyk showing how you can get dappled light for a portrait shoot with a small budget and studio space.

There are a million-and-one ways to add creative flares and effects to your shots in post-production after you’ve taken the image, but nothing beats the look and feel of an image that has used in-camera flares and bokeh effects.

The Filipino electronics company Innovatronix has announced the CPFlash 550W: it's the most powerful off-camera flash ever made for smartphone photographers and videographers.

Shooting with continuous lights can be the easiest thing in the world. Why? Because you can see exactly what the light is doing, where it’s placed, its intensity, and how it’s affecting your subject. In a way, I like to think of shooting with constant lights as a baby step to off-camera flash photography. They help you start to see how manipulating lights forms the image you’re creating, without the added element of calculating the flash burst with the ambient light exposure.

In this short tutorial, well-known portrait and fashion photographer Lindsay Adler will show you how to use "the most inexpensive and under-appreciated" lighting modifier to capture beautiful studio portraits. She's talking, of course, about the lowly umbrella.

When it comes to landscape photography, what's most important: light or composition? This question has been making the rounds in some online communities recently, so Australian photographer Andrew Marr decided to tackle the subject and share his take on how to best balance these two key elements.

Profoto has finally announced Android support for the battery-powered B10 and B10 Plus monolights, giving Android users control over almost all of their flash settings via the free Profoto Control app.

Light, shadow, and highlight -- this is always a great combination for creating portraits from a lighting point of view. This is the interesting part: changing the intensity of the highlight or the tone in the shadows while maintaining the exposure can produce a different feel to an image, from being dramatic to soft and subtle, and that is what is so intriguing about photography.

Paul C. Buff today announced its new LINK 800WS flash. It becomes the most powerful and flexible product in the Paul C. Buff lineup, and it aims to "link" the company's past products with the demands of modern photographers.

Wondering how to make the most of the gear you have on hand? Here is a quick tutorial on how you can use your on-camera flash and a simple 5-in-1 reflector to create the look of an off-camera softbox.

In this 8.5-minute video, we’ll explain the 5 primary key light patterns and the ‘why’ or purpose behind each of them. It's all about “key” or main light positions and namely, understanding the why or purpose behind each one of these 5 primary lighting patterns.

Event and wedding photographer Mik Milman has released a handy buying guide that lists all of the gear a beginner needs if they want to get into this niche. From camera bodies, to glass, to flash guns, he covers all the bases so you don't waste money buying stuff you don't actually need.

In this video, we’ll talk you through 3 common misconceptions when it comes to flash. These are easy mistakes any photographer can make so pay attention and see how to correct them with these easy tips!

Less than a week after reports indicated that "Made for iPhone" certified strobes were on the way, we have our first official product. Made by Anker—better known for their battery packs—the cube-shaped LED flash is compatible with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro models, and will be available to purchase next month for a reported $50.

Portrait photographer Miguel Quiles is back with the third part of his series on various lighting modifiers. Part one covered the beauty dish, part two covered the umbrella, and part three is all about the different ways you can use a softbox to capture distinctive portraits.

I'm photographer Jay P Morgan of The Slanted Lens, and today I'm going to talk about umbrellas!

What started off as a quick lighting test in my garage has turned into a full investigation and installation of my own DIY photography ceiling rail system. My shooting space measures 7x10 feet (2x3m) -- not a great space for shooting portraits.

Here's a 7-minute video in which photographer Dustin Dolby of Workphlo demonstrates how your choice of shooting table influences the resulting lighting when shooting bottles.

We're not sure if adding airflow to various photography gear counts as "innovation," but yet another Canon patent has been unearthed that shows just that. This time it's not a DSLR or a lens, but a hybrid speedlight that Canon is planning to upgrade with on-board cooling.

When a light source is large relative to a subject, that light is considered “soft.” Soft light casts a shadow with a less defined, soft edge. Skin and other kinds of texture will be minimized. When a light source is small relative to a subject, that light is considered hard. Since the light comes from a smaller area relative to the subject, the shadow cast by hard light will have defined edges and the appearance of skin texture will be maximized.

Kevin and Tracy over at Canada's Strobepro Studio Lighting recently put together an lighting shootout where they tested out various continuous LED lights for studio portrait photography. The question they're trying to answer: can continuous lights replace strobes?

The Elinchrom Rotalux Softbox system is finally complete. 25 years after the popular light shaping system debuted, Elinchrom has finally debuted "Rotagrids" for all 12 modifier shapes, allowing Rotalux users to better control their light spread.

Light macro photographs can be tricky. If you are a beginning macro photographer and do not know where to start when it comes to using a speedlight to illuminate your subjects, here is a complete guide to different flash diffusers you can use for macro photos.

In this video, I’ll show you a simple Photoshop compositing technique to remove light stands from your images in less than two minutes. Then, we’ll do a complete rundown of how the image was shot, lit, and processed.

With the huge range of lighting modifiers available–umbrellas, beauty dishes, soft boxes, octaboxes, and on and on and on—it can be hard for a first time buyer to understand the differences and decide how to best spend their money. Photographer Scott Choucino to the rescue.

Earlier this week, high-end lighting brand Profoto released a teaser for a new light that it claimed would "forever change the world of photography." Don't get too excited though: according to the most recent rumors, this "game-changing" product is an expensive LED flash for smartphones.

Elinchrom has partnered up with Light & Motion to announce the new Elinchrom ELM8: a battery-powered continuous LED light for photo and video shooters that they're calling "the most versatile continuous LED light on the market."

Yongnuo is teasing that it has a new pocket flash on the way. Called the YN200, the product will look strikingly similar to the popular Godox AD200 (AKA the Flashpoint eVOLV 200).

My name is Jay P. Morgan from The Slanted Lens, and in this 6.5-minute video and article, I'll illustrate the balance of strobes with ambient light. Whether it’s inside or outside, you’re going to have to learn the formula to balance strobes with ambient light. It’s not that hard, so let’s go back to 1930 and learn the formula!

Photon is a new modular mini studio for product photographers that features a powerful system of flexible LED lighting.

Profoto today announced the new B10 Plus, a "slightly bigger brother" to the B10 that doubles the power to 500Ws from 250Ws while only adding about 25% to the price.

Photographing a Porsche is a special experience for me, as I am a racing fan, and Porsche is racing. They are the essence of speed on the curving tracks they have graced around the world, and on a photo shoot, they are just as incredible sitting still. It is for this and many other reasons that I count myself lucky to stand behind the camera while photographing the art pieces that are Porsche racecars.

Shooting professional-quality portraits with artificial lighting doesn't have to weigh heavily on your bank account. Here's a 22-minute video in which photographer Sean Tucker shares how to shoot great portraits using a single speedlight and a cheap modifier.

That title is a mouthful, but I didn’t know how to better describe the style. Over the years, I’ve been refining and perfecting my newborn photo technique to get the specific light and airy high-key look I want. While every home I visit is different, and some are more challenging than others, these strategies have given me the best and most consistent results.

Profoto has just announced the new A1X, a "new and improved sibling" to the A1 round-head flash that was announced back in September 2017.

A little while ago I was teaching one of my lighting workshops and one of the attendees was looking to implement some of the set-ups I was sharing into his workflow. Seems simple enough right? Well, it turns out this photographer was a Formula 1 trackside shooter that needed to get portraits of drivers and crew.

Lighting two people can be difficult to do, so I’m going to use 5 portrait lighting positions to breakdown how to best light a couple.

So you have just picked up your first light or you have had one light for a while now, and you are wondering what more you can create with just that one light. Well, you can create loads.