Lighting How To

Bright summer days are great for trips to the beach, sitting around a pool, or casting a line into your favorite stream. But when it comes to outdoor portraiture, well, not so much.

We’re always looking for ways to help our readers capture professional looking portrait photos without a huge investment in studio lighting gear. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to do exactly that, using a simple light modifier called a “beauty dish” that you can find for less than $100.

It's no secret that professional photographers are less concerned with cameras and lenses than they are with understanding and controlling the light that allows their images to be made.

What's a softbox and how do you use it in photography? What are the best ways to use a softbox to light your subject for portraits?

As people move through different stages of their life, photographic records of these events are the mainstay of the portrait photographer’s business model. The idea of hiring a professional photographer to capture life’s important moments will never be completely replaced by relying on family or friends to “just take a picture.” 

We’re all familiar with the notion that the camera adds 10 pounds to people in our photos. Rather than debating the veracity of that claim, we’d thought we’d share the following video from SLR Lounge, describing a simple lighting technique for making portrait subjects appear thinner.

Modern cameras have excellent AE (Automatic Exposure) features, so users can get great shots without thinking much about what’s happening under the hood. The light meter, of course, is built-in and somewhat autocratic—and therein lies the rub.