Lighting How To

Sort By: Post DateTitle Publish Date
Cynthia Boylan  |  Oct 01, 2014

All artists must learn to harness the power of light in order to create successful images. Author, and noted photography educator, Rosanne Olson’s new book ABCs of Beautiful Light: A Complete Course in Lighting for Photographers offers readers an in-depth study on the use of proper lighting techniques for photography, videography—and art in general.

Dan Havlik  |  Apr 10, 2018

Here’s a loosey-goosey studio lighting tutorial from Photo-Me-Ike where he tests out the new Orlit Rovelight 610 TTL system to see if it’s a viable alternative to the popular and relatively inexpensive Flashpoint (aka Godox) system.

Joe Farace  |  Sep 27, 2017

“Photography is all about light, composition and, most importantly, emotion.”—Larry Wilder

Ron Leach  |  Jan 30, 2017

Lou Freeman is an acclaimed fashion and lifestyle photographer with a client list that’s second to none. And in the video below, she shows how to create glamorous boudoir photos by using portable, continuous light sources.

Ron Leach  |  Feb 28, 2017

Zach Smidt of Zach Alan Photography is a Houston-based shooter with a creative approach to portraiture. He recently teamed up with his girlfriend Juli to make a series of stunning outdoor images using light painting techniques.

Ron Leach  |  Aug 25, 2022

Typically when we discuss photographing birds in flight, the emphasis is on techniques for capturing super sharp images. But as you’ll see in today’s tutorial, there’s another critical consideration under certain lighting conditions.

Shutterbug Staff  |  Jan 07, 2019

If you’re interested in portrait photography, you’ve likely had to decide whether to shoot your subject with natural window light or artificial light from a flash or strobe. Most photographers will admit that neither is “better” than the other; they’re just different and suited for different subjects, different situations, and different tastes.

Ron Leach  |  Jun 06, 2024

Most of us have the skills to capture beautiful photos of family members, be they our spouse, kids, grandkids, or other members of the clan. And because you're a photographer it's a good bet that your friends may ask you to do that for them too—even if portraiture isn't your thing.

Jack Neubart  |  Sep 20, 2013  |  First Published: Aug 01, 2013

“I have a mantra that I live by,” states San Diego-based Tim Tadder. “I believe that I work with the best clients in the world, and that they demand the best out of me. If the job calls for equipment I don’t have, I’ll make sure that I have it available so that I’m delivering the best product I can.”

Dan Havlik  |  Dec 15, 2014

We reviewed the Profoto B1 500 AirTTL battery-powered studio light earlier this year and while we, generally, loved this portable strobe solution the one thing missing was high-speed sync. Profoto corrected that this morning by offering a new High-Speed Sync (HSS) feature to the B1 that’s available now via a free firmware update.

Ron Leach  |  Jul 27, 2023

All serious photographers study their craft and practice diligently to improve their skills. Hence, the thought of losing our precious images can best be described as a nightmare. The quick tutorial below will help wipe that thought from your mind.

Dan Havlik  |  Apr 23, 2018

Manny Ortiz is a photographer who always has helpful, easy-to-understand lighting tips and his latest tutorial is no exception. In the below video he shows you how to use off-camera flash outdoors in three minutes.

Jack Neubart  |  May 22, 2015

Light is a precious commodity in close-up and macro photography. The closer you get to your subject, the more light you lose through lens extension. Move to within inches of the subject and your camera or body may block the existing daylight. Also, the closer you get, the more depth of field you lose, so it would help to stop down. All of this translates to a need for additional light—in other words, a supplementary light source. What’s more, when shooting live critters and wind-blown plants, we may also need that light source to freeze subject movement, or at least provide shutter speeds that are fast enough to contain movement. To meet these needs, I’ve often turned to a macro ringflash and, alternatively, a macro twin flash. An economical alternative is an LED ringlight.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 18, 2016

Reuben Wu is an artist with the fascinating vision of creating otherworldly landscape photographs that evoke both science fiction and 19th century Romantic paintings. He does this by selectively light-painting his scenes with a powerful done-mounted light.

Joe Farace  |  Feb 05, 2016

LED lighting is all the rage with the cool kids and why not? It’s continuous and that’s important for new photographers or anyone wishing to capture hybrid—video and still—imagery. It’s also literally cool, with no eyebrow-melting hot lights making subjects uncomfortable.

Pages

X