Hi, my name is Michael and I’m a gear addict. There, I said it. I love sexy gear. I’ve drooled over my fair share of stratospherically priced Broncolor Paras, Profoto Giant Parabolics and Briese lights.

Because I shoot so many genres, other shooters sometimes ask how I describe my style. And because I’m the most immature human on the planet, my answer is usually: “My style is badass!”

I love a good lighting puzzle, or what I like to call “decoding light.” Reverse-engineering the light you see in images is a great way to learn how it was achieved.

As a wedding photographer in the highly saturated market of Los Angeles, I have always looked for ways to differentiate our brand. Early in my career, I experimented with different ways of using light.

Light modifiers are a subject I love to talk about, because I’m a gadget junkie. I’ve used hundreds of different modifiers.

There’s no perfect camera-setting recipe for every scenario. Every situation is different. The guidelines here will help get you in the...

One of the main dilemmas faced by newer shooters is deciding which type of artificial light to invest in with a limited budget. The basic question is: What is the best bang for the buck that will help you grow the most? This month, I talk about the pros and cons about the two most common solutions to OCF shooting: speedlights versus mono strobe lights.

Many of the ShutterFest faithful have been telling me loud and clear that they need help with the basics of off-camera lighting. I’ve spent years cultivating studio and location skills ranging from simple one-light setups to complex multiple-light, large-crew productions, so I often assume everyone understands the basics. Clearly this isn’t the case. This month, let’s dig into the foundations and some basic techniques.

One of the most common statements I hear from shooters is: I can’t get my images to look the way I want. That statement can mean many things, ...