Lighting How To

Summer is in full swing, and that means a trip to the beach. And what better way to make eye-catching images than shooting seaside portraits of pretty models? Keep reading if that sounds like fun, because we have five simple tips to improve your results.

(Editor’s Note: Exploring Light is a monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon Explorers of Light education program. This month's column is by Bob Davis on how collaboration with other photographers can improve creativity).

Many photographers prefer to shoot portraits outdoors, either because they don’t have a studio or they like the look achieved with available light. There’s a bit more to this method than you may think, but it’s all explained clearly in the behind-the-scenes video below.

Landscape photographers tend to head out in the field with a bunch of gear—everything from filters and a sturdy tripod to an assortment of lenses. The challenge often occurs when you come upon a beautiful scene and can’t quite decide on which lens to pull out of your bag to get the best shot available.

When shooting scenes with a wide range of tones, it can be difficult to balance exposures and details across highlights, midtones, and shadows. One way to do that, that’s recently fallen out of favor, involves High Dynamic Range (HDR) adjustments than often deliver unnatural results.

A "mistake" in photography is something to be avoided, right? That's not always the case and in the below tutorial, pro photographer and educator Karl Taylor explains how a lighting error can sometimes add sex appeal to a portrait.