Learn How to Light.
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Read 6 days ago and current, but nothing has been published for 2 years.
For fifteen years, this site focused on lighting. Before that, I worked as a newspaper photojournalist. Lighting was part of the job. So were access, preparation, and learning how to walk into unfamiliar situations and come back with something useful. Lighting solves technical problems. The harder problems are usually human. The Traveling Photographer’s Manifesto grows out of that larger frame.…
In 2006 I started a lighting blog while working full-time as a staffer at The Baltimore Sun. By early 2007, it became obvious that I didn't have the personal resources to give 100% to both Strobist and my job at the newspaper. That’s exactly the position I find myself in today. For the past year I have been working on a new project. It is photography-based, and will be as unique to the photo space…
When lighting with small subjects, a speedlight is generally all you’ll ever need. Further, because of the scale and distances involved, even with a small flash you’ll be working at low power settings. For these photos of some of the resident animals at the Howard County Conservancy, we used a single speedlight generally at one-eighth power, and let the environment of the impromptu studio to the…
Apple’s new AirTags are a straight-up gift for photographers. After testing one for the past couple of weeks, I’ll be hiding an AirTag in my scooter, one in my car and another one in my camera bag. Read more »
The Paul C. Buff Link monobloc studio strobe ($895.95) delivers 800ws of portable power, and deserves consideration from anyone in the United States who is considering a big gun for use on location. Please note: This is not a full review. There have been several thorough examples already published — most notably this one by Mike McGee. There are many others, from the usual suspects, a Google…
Lighting with flash can give you more than just the ability to control the quality of your light. With the inherent consistency of light from (manual) flash, you can layer in slices of time as well. But first, you’ll want to lock down two things: the ambient light portion of your exposure, and your camera’s physical position. Read more »
Whew. What a year. But if you're reading this, you made it through! As we all move into a hopefully much better 2021, here are three things you can do to improve your experience as a photographer for the coming year. Read more »
Quick, guess the lighting. If you said two lights, and use of high-speed sync to get the shallow depth of field, that's a pretty good guess. If you said zero lights and a rigid high-efficiency reflector, that's an even better (and correct) guess. When working with an inexperienced assistant — or looking to introduce someone to the world of off-camera lighting — a rigid/high-efficiency reflector is…
At first glance: a simple, one-light portrait of activist gardener Janssen Evelyn. Dig deeper: a look at tonal mapping via specular highlights, stretching the range of your modestly powered flash, and how to discover your next project. Read more »
There are two main schools of thought when it comes to lighting. One is to light your subject in a way that is not grounded in reality but merely looks cool. And the other is to use lighting to translate the way your eye sees light into a way that your camera can better understand it. That latter choice is the option we'll be exploring today in a walk-through of a sunset portrait of artist Wendy…
