As a freelance commercial and editorial photographer, you never quite know what the job will bring you. Today you could be inside a state of the art studio, photographing the CEO of a Fortune 100 company.
When Ellie asked me to write for the annual “Lighting” issue, she suggested “Lighting Patterns.” My first thought was dark, gloomy closeups with sad people and of course Rembrandt.
As someone who shoots with any kind of light available to me, I’m pretty resourceful when it comes to incorporating external lighting within my shoots. A lot of my photoshoots are spontaneous, so I don’t like to weigh myself down with heavy gear or props.
Photography is an expensive undertaking, whether it’s your hobby or your career. From the hardware (camera and lenses) to the software (Capture One/Lightroom/Photoshop) and all the little things in between, the costs add up.
We know that weddings can be extremely unpredictable. You can do all of the preparation in the world, but as the famed fighter Mike Tyson once said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
Nailing the perfect shot doesn't always have to involve endless posing or complicated lighting. Sometimes you can capture a magical photo just by thinking outside the box and using an everyday item in an unexpected way.
Simply defined, gels are transparent colored material used to modify lights for photography (both stills and motion). Gels are placed over light sources to create colored effects. The two basic types are color correction gels and non-corrective (color effect) gels.
I love the challenge of shooting on location with wildly varying lighting situations and environmental conditions between sets. It can be an exciting way to exercise blending ambient light and existing light sources with your speedlights or OCF systems and modifiers.
There are two main approaches you can take in the studio or on location. And which lane you choose will have a huge impact on the outcome of your images. You could choose to emulate window light, or you could choose to simulate sunlight.
Headshots don’t have to be complicated. When it comes to lighting for women, soft and even light is key. So you want to make sure you have a decently-sized Octabox as the modifier for your main light. I chose to use the Westcott Rapid Box Switch Octa-M paired with the FJ200.
