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Shooting in a studio intimidates a lot of photographers, but the truth is it’s not hard at all. There are a few basic lighting configurations to learn, and with the immediate feedback from the LCD monitor on the back of the camera, you can see immediately if you have the lighting, the pose, and the expression you want. In addition, you don’t need a huge space and it’s not necessary to spend thousands of dollars on lighting equipment. You can even set up a mini-studio with a $10 photoflood and a background with a white wall or a piece of black fabric.

On The Cover
While we don’t offer a formal “Buyer’s Guide” for this time of year we thought we’d bring you a host of gift ideas that (only) a photographer might love, including tripod heads, tabletop tripods, and the always popular gimbal mounts. And for good measure we mixed in a roundup of today’s most fashionable camera bags aimed at the distaff side and a trio of cameras that cover the gamut from advanced amateur to semipro.

When industry mavens get together to ponder the future of photography, all too often the discussion centers around megapixels, file formats, sensor configurations, optical design, storage options, and other technical minutiae. Of course there’s nothing wrong with those prognostications, particularly since many of us are techno-nerds. It’s also true that sophisticated tools undoubtedly play an important role in a photographers results.

Photographing subjects with outrageous combinations of colors is a lot of fun. As great as complementary colors are, and as pleasing as subtlety and mood are, there’s nothing quite like color combinations that virtually knock your eyeballs out of their sockets! Combinations like orange and lime green, deep purple and red, and orange and magenta are extremely potent in drawing attention. Sometimes these juxtapositions of color are found in nature (surprisingly enough) but often they can only be found in man-made objects. One of the reasons I love photographing festivals is because the costuming is frequently shocking and outlandish.

November 2011

On The Cover
This month we feature lighting tools, techniques, and tips from pros covering new gear, new lighting options, and some great lighting setups and ideas. Each of our product reviews contain tips as well and can help you decide which type of setup is best for the type of images you want to create. We cover lighting accessories as well, those modifiers that can help you make creative lighting decisions that bring a unique look to every image. Finally, we cover the wide range of wireless TTL lighting systems that can free you to make great shots in the studio, or on location. Our cover shot, by Lindsay Adler, shows just the kind of great effects you can achieve using the gear and tips featured in this special issue.

One of my favorite color combinations is white on white and I want to introduce this approach to using color because the results can be so beautiful.

There is something ethereal and captivating about images that are devoid of the colors that we associate with the spectrum. Images that are primarily white seem pristine, intriguing, and they will complement virtually any type of home or office décor if you are looking to frame some of your photography.

A “great” photograph isn’t necessarily a beautiful photograph. In fact, some of history’s most compelling images have been those that made a statement about contemporary culture or motivated people to support a cause. These days, the power of photography to instigate social change is perhaps most evident in documentary images of public protests here and abroad.