I have been using Westcott's light banks and umbrellas for glamour, fashion, and portraiture almost since the company entered the photographic business and have always been impressed by their quality and value. Previously I used their rugged and flexible Spiderlite family of hot and cold continuous lighting products and now they've introduced a line of monolights built...

A monolight (or monobloc, in some circles) is a self-contained strobe--and possibly the best way to get started in studio lighting. Self-contained means it does not require an external power pack to control its various functions with all the controls housed in the body. Most monolights plug into an AC outlet, although a few are driven by a separate, external battery pack. You...

Monolights are a handy and portable way to work and I am always interested in testing out new models. When I tested these new lights from Adorama I received an added bonus, some of their new Belle Drape Muslin backgrounds. This was going to be fun--it was like getting a new studio setup in one box. When I opened the box I found two of the Flashpoint II 2420 monolights, a...

It appears someone hit the dimmer switch when it came to lighting this year: the number of entries was sporadic, at best. But the good news is that there were a few shining lights. In strobe lighting the focus was entirely on self-contained monopacs, notably in lighting designed with digital control, smaller and easier-to-use lights, and one super-lightweight battery...

Even though I know I look like 30 something (ahem), I've been at this game for some time. But sometimes having all those years of background (I think some people call that experience) comes in mighty handy for putting things in historical perspective. And while 30 years isn't exactly an eon in terms of the history of photography, I guess you could say I've been...

The first time I met a wireless radio trigger was while writing a review of White Lightning monolights, circa 1998. The Paul C. Buff company sent a RadioRemote One transmitter and four receivers to use with their lights, so I decided to give them a try just to see what they could do. By the time I was through I had purchased the lights from Paul C. Buff, not because I needed more...

The kind of photography I do can take me almost anywhere. Today I could be photographing in my studio, tomorrow on the streets. I can often "get away" with available light or a Speedlite mounted on a flash bracket--and sometimes I do just that. But getting away with something is not always the best way to get the results my clients need.

On location...