In the Western US, sunrise and sunset photography can often be especially challenging because there aren't any clouds. Without clouds or haze, the sky simply fades from a very pale, burnished blue to gray. No drama. No flash of color. No spectacular...

No matter what tourist-saturated locale I find myself at, I can't help but notice all the cameras getting packed away just before sundown (unless, of course, there's a spectacular sunset brewing). If water, in its myriad forms...

Correct lighting is the key ingredient to producing any photographic image worth a second glance. Outdoors you don't have much control over the light other than to possibly use some type of reflector, diffuser, or flash fill. But...

There was an era long before my time when a pro photographer shot with big, heavy, hot tungsten lighting. In the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, hot lights were the state of the art. Giant 1k, 2k, and 5k tungsten fixtures from Hollywood suppliers flooded the...

The modern automatic electronic flash system can be a mind trap. You focus, aim the flash at the ceiling or directly at the subject, press the shutter release, and it's virtually a cinch that you'll get reasonably well lit images--with no...

When portrait photographers get together, they talk about light, lighting, and lighting equipment. Right after money and cameras, it's a major topic. Especially the "big four," because most photographers use a four light setup in their studio. Let...