As a professional portrait photographer, the bulk of my work is done in my studio by choice. From the beginning of my photography career, I have been in love with studio portraiture. As a new photographer, I was eager to learn how to light my subjects through tutorials, online classes and workshops, but the demonstrations were typically held in large spaces with high ceilings.
Off-camera lighting is easily the most challenging and rewarding experience any photographer can endeavor. One misstep and it punishes you with mediocre results that make you feel like a complete novice all over again.
Photography has so many disciplines to master if you want to move freely between lighting styles, composition, story, genres... It feels almost endless. That’s why it’s often recommended to focus on one genre of photography so you can master all of the elements that are typical to that genre.
When setting up a photoshoot, one of the most significant decisions a portrait photographer can make is the stylistic choice between shooting outdoors or in the studio.
With editorial portraits, you always want to mix things up so you have a good variety of looks to choose from. For this shoot, I started with a Westcott FJ400 with the Joel Grimes Beauty Dish on camera left, with the Westcott FJ80 as a hair light behind my subject, camera right.
I have never met a photographer that hasn’t struggled with their reception lighting setup and after years of trying to come up with the perfect setup, I’ve slowly realized that like everything else, less is more. With that being said, I want to cover three different types of lighting setups that I use throughout a wedding reception. All three use minimal equipment and all three yield excellent results!
When we think about how to create window light, the first thing we have to ask ourselves is: What exactly is window light? But what we really have to ask ourselves is: What are we trying to re-create—hard direct sunlight coming through a window, or indirect soft light on a cloudy day?
Why is it important to understand and test your gear? Well, because Murphy’s Law is the source of all pain when it comes to run & gun photo shoots. What do I mean by this? Simply, what can go wrong, will go wrong.
The new Clic Softbox Octa generates a soft and flattering light ideal for close-up portraits, flat-lay, and still life/product photography with the Profoto A-range flashes.
It’s all about who you know… at least that’s how the saying goes out here in Hollywood. A few months back, I decided to take full advantage of one connection.