Lighting How To

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Ron Leach  |  Nov 14, 2017

If you’ve been following our product reviews, you know that one of the benefits of today’s advanced lenses is that they are designed to minimize lens flare, ghosting and other stray light artifacts. But what if you could use these light anomalies to create attractive portraits with a unique look?

Ron Leach  |  Feb 28, 2018

The eye-opening video below is the latest in a series of tutorials by a British pro, demonstrating how to recognize good light and use it to create dynamic imagery. In this episode, photographer Sean Tucker explains how to use reflected light when shooting on the street.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 09, 2018

It’s easy to become intimidated by the myriad of lighting methods available, especially if you’re a photographer who likes to shoot with natural light. And if there’s only one lighting technique you need to understand, you’ll find it in the five-minute video below.

Ron Leach  |  Feb 07, 2019

Hand-held light meters seems to have fallen out of favor as most photographers have made the switch from film to digital. But these powerful tools can be just as important today, as they were with our 35mm cameras.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 07, 2023

What if we told you there’s an easy-to-used tool that helps nail exposure with every image you shoot? There is, and it’s called the histogram. Unfortunately it’s often overlooked.

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Dec 27, 2024

Whether the holidays bring out your “Humbug!” or your “Ho, ho, ho!” there’s one thing you must admit: it’s the most colorful season of the year. Except maybe for spring. And autumn. Anyway, all seasonal colors are just begging to be zoomed, blurred and pleasantly smeared. Smartphone users: you can play too.

Ron Leach  |  Jun 22, 2023

Yesterday we featured a primer on exposure bracketing, explaining how to get the light right by shooting three images of the same scene, and merging them during the editing process. Today you'll learn how nail exposure in the camera by using the oft-ignored histogram that you can set to appear on the rear LCD.

Ron Leach  |  Nov 01, 2023

Getting the light right is perhaps the most essential component of all great images, whether they're captured indoor or out. But there's another crucial component that can really add depth and impact to a photo, namely the thoughtful use of shadows.

Ron Leach  |  Jul 03, 2023

If you're unsure sure how to use a camera's White Balance settings to modify the look of an image, the quick tutorial below is just what you need to eliminate the confusion. You'll also receive a clear answer to this common question: "WTF  are Kelvins?"

Ron Leach  |  May 16, 2025

Are you struggling to capture perfectly exposed photos with balanced tones, deep shadows, and highlights full of detail? It a common problem that we often address in post-processing tutorials. Today, however, we're taking a close look at how a camera's meter-mode setting will greatly impact the look and feel of every image you shoot.

Ron Leach  |  May 22, 2025

We all face a difficult compromise when processing our photos: When edits are insufficient, photos will appear flat and uninspiring, while a heavy-handed approach results in overcooked results that have no relationship to reality.

Shutterbug Staff  |  Jan 31, 2018

Photographer Gary Daniels captured this epic image during this year’s July 4th celebrations in Addison, Texas. The plane is a World War II-era B-25H Mitchell bomber from the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, which was taxiing on the runway just as fireworks were going off behind it. 

Ron Leach  |  May 17, 2023

There’s one constant when shooting outdoor photographs: You’re always at the mercy of Mother Nature, and she’s anything but predictable. So you have two choices when weather is threatening or the light is less that ideal. You can either learn how to deal with it or go home.

Ron Leach  |  Jan 19, 2021

One often overlooked technique for improving outdoor photographs is using a your camera’s built-in flash or a more powerful external unit for filling in shadows, adding sparkle to a subject’s eyes and much more. If you think this requires complicated camera and flash settings, read on.

Henry Anderson  |  Aug 18, 2021

A lingerie photo shoot might sound simple to some photographers. Put a model in lingerie and click the shutter. That's all there is to it, right?

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