Lighting

Before you read any further, please note that this post is a repost from DIY Photography. I am NOT the author of this post - I am simply sharing valuable information that I personally have found useful and would like to share it with my fellow photographers and in doing so, hopefully boost the exposure of this article. I love this kind of creative photography. I hope you will all find this article as interesting as I did. Our How I Took It Contest got an impressive number of steel wool light painting tutorials. I wanted to share this one from Mike Mikkelson as it introduces two new elements...


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Before you read any further, please note that this post is a repost from DIY Photography. I am NOT the author of this post - I am simply sharing valuable information that I personally have found useful and would like to share it with my fellow photographers and in doing so, hopefully boost the exposure of this article. I love this kind of create photography. I hope you will all find this article as interesting as I did. Light painting is a fascinating technique that’s evolved over the last few years from the humble flashlight into an elaborate array of tools, gadgets, gizmos, and even...


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Before you read any further, please note that this post is a repost from Model Mayhem. I am NOT the author of this post - I am simply sharing valuable information that I personally have found useful and would like to share it with my fellow photographers and in doing so, hopefully boost the exposure of this article. Part II will attempt to cover some of the unique problems encountered when using window light, as well as explaining some techniques for artistic expression. Two difficulties are presented by window lighting: uneven light levels color temperature shift These...


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Nine times out of ten, I would rather shoot with natural light. But no matter how prepared I am or how keen I am on picking out the perfect moment, the reality is natural light sometimes needs a little assistance to capture the vision I have in my mind. It’s at times like these when I do my best to combine the best of both worlds: natural light and flash. To show off how best to bring together these two beasts photographer Adam Angelides has created a helpful tutorial. Throughout the five minute video, Angelides walks through his reasoning and thought process for blending natural light...


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Some people prefer to use continuous light and some prefer strobes, but if you combine the two you get a certain kind of magic. The continuous light gives you the smearing effect you would get from dragging the shutter, while the strobe will freeze the action. Photographer Erik Christian used that fact to create compelling portraits for a local newspaper annual basketball all-stars piece. After some practice with a light as a basketball stand it, Erik had the setup nailed. Each shot would start under the continuous gelled light and end at the exact spot where two gridded strobe would...


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Strip lights have become quite popular over the last couple of years, and we’ve seen numerous options released compatible with both speedlights, as well for continuous light. The StrobiStrip from Strobius presents something unique, not seen in these types of light modifiers before.  As well as being extremely thin, and usable with pretty much every speedlight ever made, the StrobiStrip is also collapsible, with the StrobiStrip 50 breaking down into a small pouch not much bigger than your average 105mm lens. Available in three sizes (50cm, 100cm, and 150cm), the StrobiStrip range...


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How do we view reality? How contrast sparks our interest I have for years pondered how to render 3 dimensions on to 2 dimensional walls and surfaces, or how to add greater topographical richness to predictable lighted interior landscapes. © Benjamin Kanarek Our brain, through our eyes and life experiences, allows us to determine how light will be rendered in our familiar environments and, as a result, we are rarely surprised when we turn on the corner lamp of our room, or the sun comes shining through the picture window in the library. But have you noticed that, when those rare lighting...


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Speedlights often go hand in hand with shooting portraits on the street, especially at night, but small flashes have one big issue.  Due to their size, they often give very hard, harsh and unflattering light, especially if you’re forced to use one on the hotshoe. After being asked to photograph a night time outdoor music event, and wanting the minimise the risk to expensive equipment, photographer Tom Simone came up with a DIY solution to help make that light a little bigger and provide a more pleasing look with help from a Chinese paper lantern lampshade. You could use one on a light...


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Just got this quick tip from photographer Andy Manis. It may seem trivial, but I love it nonetheless. If any of you use the Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini battery pack (definitely worth the money), here is an easy way to attach the pack to a light stand by using the strap that comes with the pack and some simple modifications. The pack comes with a spring loaded piece that did not work for me. So my answer was use the strap, some pipe insulation or polyethylene (flat) foam and Velcro (which I always have around). The only “work” I had to do was sew the Velcro (hook side) to the strap,...


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I like to look at lighting in one of two ways: as sculpting or as painting. “Sculpting” light for when you start with an overall wash of light, and “painting” light for when you commence in complete darkness. Given this way of looking at it, I would like to suggest lighting systems and accessories that may assist you in attaining your final goals in lighting your subject or scenario.   © Benjamin Kanarek As a preface, these examples relate more to interior lighting situations, but they can also apply to close-quarter outdoor scenarios. If shooting outdoors, you will need...


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