A Simple Portrait by Tomas Jansson

A Simple Portrait by Tomas Jansson

  This portrait of a young man was shot by Tomas Jansson, Norway.   Tomas used a softlighter umbrella (a bounced position umbrella with a diffusion screen over the front) for his main light, and a silver reflector for a secondary light source from camera...

Still Life for a Water Repellent Company

Still Life for a Water Repellent Company

The assignment was to show two images for a company that made water repellent spray. It could not have the spray in the shot, and the client wanted a second shot for the banner across the top of the website. Type and images would be placed on it, so it was to be...

Lighting Basics, Class Two

Lighting Basics, Class Two

The Lighting Angle: Part One Now that we are starting to understand the metering a bit better, we are going to look at how the angle of the light can create different presentations - AND different exposure situations. The camera is a fixed position. It is where the...

“Tungsten”

Photographer Anders Ericksson, Sweden. A combination of several photographs, Anders Eriksson creates a 'magical' moment of light. The bulb was shot alone in order to get the edge lighting exactly right. A strip light was used to light either side and then the two...

Lady in Blue

Photographer Girish Bashavar, Ohio   In this photograph by Girish Balshavar of Dayton, Ohio, the model is lit with one large source to camera left, and slightly below the subjects elbow. The light source, a softbox, is only a little out of frame and providing...

Through the Rainy Glass

Photographer Anna Gunn and Filipe Martins, Portugal.   A thin sheet of glass was sprayed with water to provide a bit of an out of focus foreground and create a mood for this stylish portrait by Anna and Filipe. To create the feel of a rainy day, they used a large...

“Firemen”

Photographer Julie Clegg, Seattle.   A main light softbox from slightly to camera left provides the overall illumination. Julie added a fill card to camera right, and it is just out of frame. Directly behind the center fireman there is a gridded spot to add very...

Bob Knill’s “Moody Style”

Photographer Bob Knill, Maryland.   Bob Knill of Frederick, Maryland wanted a very dark, moody portrait. Using a main light consisting of a 5-in-one scrim (the inside of a 5-in-one reflector system) with a speedlight he created a very earthy, dark but sublime...

One Light Glamour

Photographer Alicia Bonaterre (Trinidad) For this shot, Alicia used a single strobe in a dish reflector from slightly to the left of her camera. The hard light provides a wonderful highlight on the models legs and sculpts her form well. Using a single hard light is...

Lighting Basics: The Introduction

Lighting Basics: The Introduction

It's February 1, 2014. This begins the "Year of Teaching" for me. I may or may not be doing any workshops, but I love to teach so here goes. What this year long series will be: A comprehensive look at what I call "Subject Centric Lighting" - the understanding that the...

And We Are Back

And We Are Back

That medical issue took more out of me than I was willing to admit. But I am back - and so is Lighting Essentials... a new post every day. Lighting, gear, photography and fun... What's gonna be new? Watch and see. We will have a new photograph, complete with lighting...

The “Help Me Pay My Docs Off” Sale… LOL

The “Help Me Pay My Docs Off” Sale… LOL

The "Help Me Pay My Docs Off" Sale   As many of you know, I was hospitalized for a week in August for a severe blood clot, and a PE which resulted in a heck of a lot of clots in my lungs. I am on the mend, and things are getting back to normal... but I also have...

“Everyone is a Photographer Now…”

Photography: A recent quote by photographer Mary Ellen Mark has had some angst-driven controversy: "“People are bidding on something that has no value. I thought it was a joke, so I just took a cell phone picture of a real photograph. It is easy to take a good picture...

Impatient Patience

Impatient Patience

Impatient Patience...Keeping The Momentum While Learning the Ropes You know how you think about things around the edges, trying to formulate the thoughts into some kind of pattern that makes sense and can be challenged and won from various angles? You do? Cool, then...

An Excerpt From New E-Book

Chapter Eight Becoming Exceptional As we move toward the beginning of our business plan, I want to take this time to discuss becoming exceptional. Being exceptional means you are a cut above. Maybe two. Being exceptional means you do things differently, and better....

Camera Phones and the Future

Photography: "Everyone is now fully aware that professional Dslr are going to be replaced by mobile phone cameras. It is just a question of time. Already, this year, there has been more phone cameras sold than point and shoots. One main reason: Phone cameras can now...

First Roadtrip: Flagstaff and Jerome

First Roadtrip: Flagstaff and Jerome

I have not had the chance to do much roadtripping lately. The docs wanted me to stay pretty close to home for a while, but heading up to Flagstaff is only a couple of hours - well within the four hour limit. I wanted to catch some fall foliage, something I have never...

Kyle Jones Shoots the Reno Rodeo

Kyle Jones Shoots the Reno Rodeo

Project 52 Member Kyle Jones shot the rodeo in Reno recently. Kyle is a photographer of many interests and talents. He is working on building a book and getting out in the Reno market by the first of the year. This fun shoot is one of the stories he is working on for...