Lighting How To

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Ron Leach  |  Mar 31, 2023

Photography is all about maximizing light, and landscape photographers are always at the mercy of prevailing conditions. The quick tutorial below demonstrates how to make necessary adjustments in Lightroom when Mother Nature fails to cooperate.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 17, 2017

Canon has two innovative lenses that incorporate built-in LED “Macro Lites” on either side of the front element, the EF-M 28mm f/3.5 Macro IS STM for M-Series mirrorless cameras, and the EF-S 35mm Macro IS STM for Canon DSLRs. In the video below, you’ll see what you can accomplish by using these lenses instead of a conventional on-camera flash.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 23, 2021

Everyone loves people pictures, right? So why do so many photographers shy away from portraiture? Perhaps it’s because of the popular misconception that expensive, complicated lighting gear is required for quality results.

Ron Leach  |  Jul 25, 2023

If you were taught to always shoot at the lowest ISO setting possible, join the club. But as you'll see in the enlightening tutorial below, this is one of those "rules of photography" that's meant to be ignored.

Jim Zuckerman  |  Feb 18, 2015
I think it would be helpful to you if I explained how I handled different kinds of low light photographic situations. Apply my approach to your own images and make note of the technical solutions for each subject and scene. As photographers we are constantly challenged with shooting in circumstances where the light is not sufficient to get what we really want—sharp pictures, effective depth of field, minimal noise and a good exposure. We often have to make compromises but our goal is to get the best images we can under often trying conditions. In this chapter I’ll be sharing my thinking process in dealing with tough subjects in a variety of circumstances.
Jim Zuckerman  |  Nov 20, 2015

Low light photography presents many challenges, but like any challenging situation it also opens up opportunities to create unique images. Think outside the box and you will be surprised at the kind of images you can produce. The techniques I describe below will get you started. Try each one and see why there is no limit to what you can create with some imagination and effort, and have some fun in the bargain.

Mike Stensvold  |  Aug 01, 2004

Shooting good photos in dim light is challenging, but can also be quite rewarding, because capturing the feel of the existing light generally produces a more pleasant picture than using on-camera flash.

The basic problems facing the low-light photographer are being able to use a fast enough shutter speed to permit hand-held shooting, and being able to use a small enough lens aperture to...

Jon Sienkiewicz  |  Jul 11, 2014

You may have used a beauty dish in the studio. Here’s a very portable model that you’ll find hard to leave at home. It’s quite affordable, too.

Jim Zuckerman  |  Dec 24, 2014

Capturing the details in nature requires getting close to small subjects and sometimes you will want to use flash. Shooting close-ups with flash is very different than using flash as you normally do.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 13, 2018

Budding portrait photographers are constantly in search of new ways to shoot creative images without a heavy investment in expensive studio equipment. This quick tutorial is designed to help you do that with basic lighting gear and a few simple tricks.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 10, 2017

Don’t be confused by the diminutive size of the new Fotodiox Pro PopSpot LED Fresnel light. While it’s barely the size of a soda can, this little powerhouse packs plenty of punch, runs on AC or battery power, and unlike other Fresnel lights never gets hot.

Ron Leach  |  Oct 29, 2025

Your camera's light metering system is one of the most important tools in photography, yet some shooters fail to understand how it works. So if your images often appear too bright or unnaturally dark, this tutorial from the Hamed Photography YouTube channel is just what you need to solve this frustrating dilemma.

Deborah Sandidge  |  Mar 17, 2023

Camera technology these days is amazing; it’s practically magic. The problem, though, to my way of thinking and photographing, is that the magic offers a very wide and deep comfort zone—you might call it a zone of automatic decisions, and it’s probably best not to spend a lot of time there, certainly not if you want to create individualistic images.

Ron Leach  |  Oct 15, 2024

It's been a while since we featured a boudoir photography tutorial and this 10-minute lesson takes a different approach than the high-contrast b&w techniques we've shared in the past. Today you'll learn how to shoot alluring color indoor portraits with available light.

Ron Leach  |  Aug 08, 2024

There are two main reasons that some photographers hesitate to give indoor boudoir photography a try, one being the misconception that complicated (and expensive) lighting equipment is required.

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