You can create your own magic anywhere you want with a battery-powered light and a small softbox or umbrella. When shooting outside, I love using the sun as my hair light and a softbox as my main light. No matter how bright the natural light is, placing the sun behind your subject will either create a subtle rim light on a cloudy day or a brilliant one on a sunny day.
As photographers, one of the things we gravitate to is light. Makes sense right? Light is the foundation of an image. How you use light is what starts to help you develop your identity as a photographer.
Back in July I wrote the article on five tips for shooting the Milky Way.. In it we covered the basics of shooting this beautiful piece of our galactic home. I talked about gear, planning, safety, settings and how to set your focus for tack-sharp stars. Now I’m going to explain how to add a human subject into your Milky Way images.
Let’s start with the why. Why would you ever want to shoot in high-speed sync? Well, for starters, we have to understand a little about our cameras and how they work. In order for flash and cameras to work together, they have to be working at the same speed. Think about the light coming from your flash like a car speeding down the highway
Join top photographer Sal Cincotta in this free video where he helps you make the most out of your studio portraits with one light.
Quickly Create Stunning Portrait Lighting. This arched reflector was inspired by the unique curvature of the human eye. Specifically designed for beauty and portrait photography, the Eyelighter 2 reflects light toward your subject, leaving a catchlight that follows the natural curve of the eye. Unlike triflectors, this catchlight is seamless, without unflattering gaps.
Although you can simply take any color image and convert it to grayscale, I get the best results if I walk into a shoot knowing the final outcome will be black & white. I allow this to dictate my lighting and color choices, which translate into shades of gray and tonality. It’s crucial to understand what would work better in black & white or color, and this is something that can be mastered with practice.
The bottom line is whether you’re photographing for black & white images or color, learn the difference between an f-stop and a bus stop, print and frame your work, and look at life in shades of gray, not hard and fast rules.
Portrait photography is both fun and exciting. A lot of photographers find studio work to be difficult, mostly because they are intimated by using studio strobes. However, as you will see below, it's not that complicated if you stick to process.
I am excited to announce the new Profoto OCF light shaping tools. Barn doors, grids, gels and snoots made with magnetic attachments are now available for your Profoto B10 lighting system. Now you have the flexibility to expand your lighting system—and your creativity.
