As a wedding photographer, I envy portrait shooters who work inside a studio and not on location. They get as much time as they need to set up the perfect lighting and settings, and do everything else that goes into a studio photograph.
In my previous articles, I’ve talked about how light patterns are the building blocks of what I do and how I create those patterns. With a firm understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each pattern, you can create any look or mood you want, using them singularly or combining them.
As a full-time wedding and portrait photographer located in Southern California, rarely do I get the luxury of shooting in perfect light.
I open most of my articles for Shutter Magazine by reminding readers that wedding photography is the most difficult genre to shoot.
“Art is subjective” is one of the most irritating cliché’s I know. It doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t help beginner artists grow. It can be an excuse for artists refusing to take creative criticism.
You can’t underestimate the power of planning. Being deliberate with your ideas, concepts and shoot plans pays massive dividends every time.
When is black and white not black and white? Answer: Always. A lot of shooters oversimplify the black-and-white imagery they create.
Do you see the world in black and white? No one does. So why does black-and-white photography stir up such an emotional response?
A quick search on Google reveals hundreds of tutorials explaining different ways to convert your vibrant color images to beautiful black and white. What most of those tutorials fail to mention is that the key to creating compelling black-and-white images happens long before post-production. It starts with lighting.
Strobe lighting can feel extremely intimidating when you’re first trying to understand light. What constitutes great lighting? What would a professional photographer consider great lighting versus terrible lighting?
