Lighting How To

One of the first techniques I learned in photography was to use long exposures at night to blur traffic lights. I liked it decades ago, and I still enjoy seeing artful streaks of light superimposed over an urban environment. You never know exactly what the resulting images will look like, and that’s part of the fun. When the background happens to striking, like the Walt Disney Theater in Los Angeles, California (#1), the combination of abstract lights and architecture makes a winning photograph.

One of the many joys of photography is travelling to unfamiliar locations and capturing images of unique scenes you can’t find at home. But what if you arrive at a location amidst poor weather conditions, or at the wrong time of day with nothing but “bad light”? 

Portrait lighting can be an art form in and of itself. But in the quick tutorial below you’ll learn how to create dramatic portraits using nothing more than two basic off-camera speedlights and some simple adjustments.

Have you ever wondered how to shoot dynamic photos with soft silky water, cotton-like clouds moving across the sky, or light trails emanating from cars cruising down the road at night? If so, the comprehensive guide in the video below is all you need for getting the job done.

Most beginning photographers are taught to shoot will the sun at their back and avoid composing scenes with the sun behind their subject. While that technique is super easy, it often results in photos that could best be described as snapshots.

It seems like every time we post a tutorial about the use of external flash we receive a bunch of comments from photographers who insist on shooting with available light—despite the fact that this approach doesn't always deliver the best possible results in certain situations.

As one of our favorite pros insists, “Lightroom’s histogram is one of the most important things to understand in photography.” If you’re new to this powerful tool, the beginners guide below from our friends at The Phlog Photography will get you up to speed in barely eight minutes.