Lighting How To

Most photographers adhere to the notion that you should employ the lowest ISO setting possible to achieve maximum image quality, and they routinely set the camera for ISO 100 when conditions permit. But as you'll see in the tutorial below, one of our favorite outdoor photographers takes a different approach.

We've all had the misfortune of traveling to a promising location, only to be confronted with bad light that's guaranteed to result in flat, boring photos. Under this situation you have two choices; return on a better day or do the best you can and see what you can accomplish when processing your shots.

We've all had the misfortune of nailing composition only to get a photo that's too bright or way to dark. Despite what you may have been told, it's not necessary to rotate your camera's mode dial to M in order to avoid these exposure problems.

All photographers are looking for an edge when it comes to shooting in mixed light outdoors, where there’s often a wide range of tones from bright highlights to deep shadows. While arriving at a balanced exposure can be challenging in these situations, there’s a way to use varying light levels to advantage.

When discussing photography gear, Joe Edelman likes to say “Keep it simple, stupid.” That’s exactly what he does in this quick video tutorial that will teach you how to make dramatic portraits and beauty shots with one monolight or speedlight and a single reflector.

The trend of using continuous light sources for portraiture that I saw at last year’s WPPI show continues unabated with Westcott’s Two-Light Daylight D5 Softbox Kit being the latest offering. The kit uses fluorescent bulbs as a light source, although that word barely appears in Westcott’s early press material for the kit. Part of the reason may be that when it comes to photographs of people, fluorescent has a negative connotation but nothing could be further from the truth.