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Richard Avedon once said, “I think all art is about control—the encounter between control and the uncontrollable.” That’s what a dedicated studio, no matter what size it may be or where it may be located, provides a photographer. It is a safe haven from the real world where, like the Outer Limits voice says, you can control the lighting, the background, and the subject. When working in this kind of environment, I control everything from the subject’s pose to their clothing and makeup and the resulting photographs tend to be as much a portrait of me as they are of my subjects. What often emerges from all that control is a style. Photographic style is not something I’m conscious about when shooting but the truth is that over time we all develop a signature way of shooting. The danger is, of course, that we keep shooting that same way or different versions of the same shot for the rest of our lives, so any style you develop must grow and change as you learn. To get you started, here are a few tools that will help enhance or define your style.

In Fashion Flair for Portrait and Wedding Photography (304 pages, Course Technology, ISBN: 978-1-4354-5884-0, $34.99) Lindsay Adler shows photographers how to apply the concepts of fashion photography, including preparation, styling, props, lighting, posing, and post-processing, to their portrait and wedding photography. This practical guide demonstrates how to prepare for a shoot, including choosing the location, wardrobe, hair, makeup styling, and poses, as well as considering the lighting and equipment. You’ll also find in-camera techniques, fashion lighting essentials, Photoshop techniques, and a variety of other tricks to achieve the fashion flair aesthetic. Also included are business and marketing tips, including useful social networking sites, products, and services to help you maximize the fashion flair approach and make it work for you. Chock full of great shots and extensive how-to and lighting diagrams, this can easily serve as a study and workbook that will help elevate anyone’s portrait and wedding work. In this excerpt we’ve chosen just a few of the many lighting diagrams and tips found in the book.—Editor

Increasingly, manufacturers are coming out with cameras and speedlights that support wireless TTL flash operation. What this means for you is a simplified approach to using dedicated flash units off camera—especially multiple speedlights, alone or mixed with other light sources. With wireless TTL you’re free to move the off-camera flash a few inches or a few feet here or there, not to mention modifying the light in any desired fashion, and all without having to recalculate exposures, use a flash meter, and link everything together with wires. The camera’s metering system does the math for you. Beyond that, wireless TTL assures you that all speedlights on and off camera will fire in sync.

The last thing I ever want to do is pose someone. On my travels I want pictures of people acting naturally, doing what they normally do, and if they acknowledge the camera at all, or pause for a portrait, I want them to do it in the most natural way. The people I photograph are always aware of me, but I never want them to play to the camera—which can be tricky because the very presence of the camera changes the situation.