Yeah... that's right. We can actually create an impression of more power with our speedlights by carefully thinking about the images we make. Photoshop gives us the edge. First we will look at the technique in action in the field. Our light is not nearly strong enough to light our subject at a distance that would allow the composition that the photographer wanted.

Let’s face it: there are plenty of challenges to overcome whenlighting your set for a portrait or fashion image. Some are known and planned for in advance while others pop up unexpectedly. I will often have a general idea of what I want to do but fine tune it (or scrap theidea and start over) when I see the wardrobe that the model brings.

Here is a very simple, yet effective portrait lighting scheme that anyone can use whether you are on a tight budget or in a tight space.We were wrapping up a studio shoot with Rayna and we wanted one more quick “look.” We shot my version of a beauty headshot, so we had a strobe in a “large” (30X40) Photoflex softbox and two strobes in Small Stripdomes set up.

Sometimes it is nice to take the studio lighting outside of the studio.Because there are a myriad of issues that you can run into, shooting on location usually requires a certain amount of problem solving. There can be a shortage of space, too much space, bad reflections, hazardou sconditions, not enough ambient light, too much ambient light, etc. That is just a drop in the bucket of things photographers run into when shooting outside of the studio. But for me, for some reason, that is the fun.

This month we’ll search for soft light by using two softboxes to do the work of both key and fill lights, yet look like only one source.  The reason this will work so well is because the lights are placed very close together and each side will be individually controlled.

I’ve written many times about high key lighting techniques and how to achieve them.  The term “high key” is a bit misleading.  As I’ve said previously, high key has nothing to do with overexposure of the subject (although there’s nothing to prevent a photographer from taking that approach if it suits the subject); it merely means the vast majority of tones are above middle gray and that the background is almost always white but may show some detail.

I was working with a couple of new and enthusiastic assistants on a couple of recent location shoots. You all know by now that my location shoots are productions that involve finding or creating shade and then using a studio strobe or two to balance the light falling on my now underexposed model and the background.

The classic dusk exterior view is one of the hallmarks of great architectural photography.  However, today’s latest photographic software and innovative shooting techniques make it easier than ever to achieve a stunning result.

This past weekend I did a workshop in Chicago. We spent the first day working with light in the studio and out. The second day was all on location. I rarely shoot at workshops - that I leave for the students attending. I believe they have that honor, while I have the honor of teaching.

If there’s one rule that gets drilled into photographers of every skill level, it’s the one that says the worst time of the day to shoot outdoors is between 10:00 and 4:00.  At the risk of drilling it in even deeper, that’s because the sun is high and very bright.  The angle of the light is completely unattractive and so contrasty that shadows cannot fill.  You may look at your subject and think the sun’s highlight is beautiful (it might be), and you may think that if you expose for the shadows the now overexposed highlight will add to the composition (it probably won’t).

Last month I described how to construct an inexpensive grid spot attachment for your speedlight.  This month let’s look at using the grid spot to light a complex interior shot. First, you’ll need to do a little experimenting to arrive at some exposure values for your speedlight grid using your various size grids.  If you have a flash meter this will be a snap, otherwise you’ll need to shoot a few test shots.

I wanted to talk this week about a piece of equipment that has become a favorite in my arsenal for beauty work. It is the Fresnel Spot. It looks like sunlight and is focusable to broaden its coverage or focus the light down to only cover a small area. The small specular qualities of the light are a little difficult to get used to, especially if you are used to shooting with soft light sources, but if you are going for snappy details, crisp shadows and great color saturation you should consider trying one.