This shoot was a continuation of my video project with Bella Torre Make-up Academy in Honolulu. Kecia Littman was demonstrating a beauty make-up technique called “Smokey Eye.” My job was to light the set to show the make-up.

No matter what the niche of photography, lighting and how to measure and capture it is the most important aspect for a photographer to understand, however, being able to control and anticipate its effects is equally as important. One of the best ways to anticipate and view the effects of light is by paying attention to the light present in your everyday surroundings.

I devoted a whole section of my new book Portrait Lighting for Digital Photographers: The Basics and Beyond demonstrating the principal known as Quality of Light, but what’s the big deal? There was a recent discussion on the PPR Flickr group recently discussing the importance of understanding your lighting--and the Quality of Light in particular (yes, we have a Flickr forum!!!) Wes Kroninger started the thread with a fairly “simple” and straightforward set of questions.

Thanks for tuning in to read the first PPR articles of 2010. It is going to be an exciting new year here on the site. I took a month off while I wrapped up my instructional lighting book that will be available through Amherst Media in the spring of this year.

Many of us use soft window light for portraiture, and the results are typically beautiful.  When your kids look out a window, for example, the mellow indirect light will cause their faces to almost glow.

Gesture in portraiture is something I love to work with. Many times it is a subtle bit of motion, or composition that creates a dynamic feeling... a gesture so to speak. And other times I like the gesture to be grand, big and boisterous. These portraits show some grand gestures in the use of light, dynamic composition and simple whimsy.

I’ve often talked and written about the value of overexposure as a creative tool.  While it’s true that it’s hard to control and,generally speaking, cannot be undone, when it’s planned out the effect is terrific.  With a little extra Photoshop work, the effect is nothing short of superlative.I began by setting my largest softbox, a 6x7 Lastolite HiLite, directly behind where my model would be placed.  A large, traditional, softbox such as a 4x6 could also be used in much the same way.  The way this is set up, a medium 3x4 or 3x5 box could also be used, although the smaller box would limit the space available for movement.

What is the difference between using a rectangular soft box and an octagon bank?  I get these types of questions all the time and you have to admit, when it comes to strobe lighting the options available are sometimes a bit overwhelming.  So how do we make sense of it all?

By Steve Dantzig I go through cycles in my lighting. I'll go through a phase where It seems like I use every light I own. Then it seems like I want to create images with as few lights as I can. I am in one of those modes now. The attached video shows two very simple set-ups to create a commercial/glamour swimsuit image and then photographs with a sexy glamour feel. Three lights were used for the first shots while only two were used (with a reflector) to create the glamour images.

Since the publication of my first book,  Minimalist Lighting:  Professional Technique for Location Photography, back in May of 2008, I've been asked from time to time to review products that people think may be useful to photographers working with small flashes.  If they are yet another variation of the small, on camera fill card I usually decline.  But every once in a while you get some really interesting things to test out.

Last month I took a trip back to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, (where I used to own a portrait studio) to do portrait sessions for clients that were still requesting my services. I was only in town for a week and jammed as many sessions as I could in that time. I no longer have a studio to work in so I opted to do the sessions entirely outdoors. This proved to be a challenge in and of it’s self. Given the fact that we were dealing with South Louisiana the weather played havoc with scheduling.

I've noted many instances throughout my columns where a piece of material was placed between the light and the background (a "gobo" or, "go-between") or where some of the light was diminished by attaching a piece of material to an accessory arm and cutting some light to a selected area (a "flag"). Essentially, both gobos and flags accomplish the same thing by reducing the effect of a given light but, by virtue of jargon, gobos are placed on the floor while flags are attached to light stands, above the floor. Either can be opaque or translucent.