Flash Tutorial // Motion meets flash
All photographers draw inspiration from one another. I first came across the lighting technique featured in this month’s article—mixing strobe and constant light—after seeing some of photographer/retoucher Julia Kuzmenko’s images. I was immediately inspired to try it out myself. If you’re unfamiliar with Julia’s work, you owe it to yourself to look her up. It turns out she was inspired to try this lighting style after seeing similar techniques used by her colleague Oleg Tityaev . . . and so on and so on. Now I, in turn, will hopefully inspire you to try your hand at this cool lighting technique.
Naturally, I’d dragged the shutter before to bring in additional ambient light in mixed-light situations. This was different—more a controlled studio application—and I loved the look. As you experiment, you’ll find your own unique vision and bring your own artistic voice. When I started, I was trying to replicate the effect Julia and Oleg had gotten, but in the end I created something totally different and personal. I used the technique but gave it my own signature. That’s the best part of inspiration: Be inspired, then make it your own.
