You are currently viewing in Traditional Blog mode. (Click here to switch back to Knowledge Bank mode.)
Our eyes are wonderful devices. They are autofocus, auto-zoom, autoexposure, and (to a large degree) auto white balance. Our cameras, on the other hand, see things more objectively.
Today, how to finesse that difference when adding light.
Read More
In this Lighting Cookbook installment, something different: An in-depth BTS/360 look at both the how and the ecosystem behind a photo.
Read More
Strobist's 2019 X-Peditions workshops (Havana in January and Hanoi in the fall) have both filled.
Our Hanoi X-Pedition actually filled before any public announcement. So if you think you might be interested in a future workshop, please make sure to sign up for advance notice on the X-Peditions info page.
If you would like to be placed on a wait list for either trip, you may do so at the individual workshop pages linked above.
More Info
As Halloween approaches, a timely story about a little prank available to any lighting photographer. All you need is a remote flash trigger, a clueless friend and the maturity level of a 12-year-old.
Read more
That grid spot isn't just good for the tight zone of light it creates. It's also very useful for the unlit space it leaves behind.
Read more
No matter how long you have been doing something, be it lighting or photography or, well, anything, you're never too old to be dumbstruck by a cool new idea.
Take the linens drying on the line above, for example. In the right frame of mind they are essentially super-portable outdoor light sources.
Read more
The photo above, of photographer Ray Alvareztorres, by Brent Christensen, shows the control you can get with a single softbox as opposed to an umbrella.
Today in Strobist Lighting Cookbook we'll discuss how to choose from the many different softboxes out there, how to best adapt them to speedlights, and how to save money in the process.
Read more
Using one light against sunset (or dusk) leaves very deep shadows on your subject. A second light can make your subject look less "lit" by making the shadows look more like the way your eye naturally perceives them in a contrasty ambient environment.
Read more
At $23 shipped—and available in 30 colors and patterns—the perfect bag for compact lighting gear, technically speaking, isn't even a photo bag.
Read more
Using manual flash against a fast-moving sunset or dusk environment can be daunting. Here's how to hack it.
Read more
The more you understand light, the less important your gear.
Read more
Ultimate wrap: How to build a $20 DIY portable doorway.
Read more
Two photos. Same light source and background, different direction.
Read more
Learning to be more fluid as you move between flash and ambient.
Read more
Strobist Lighting Cookbook:
Fun fact: this was the very first-ever photo published on Strobist. Twelve years later, we circle back for an updated look at the light-inside-the-frame approach.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-1L-02
Strobist Lighting Cookbook:
Three tricks to help you pull off a well-lit, large group shot in daylight with two speedlights.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-2L-02
Even in full-blown daylight, you can use two bare speedlights to craft some pretty sophisticated, sun-overpowering light. The key? Using gels, and very careful placement of your fill light.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-2L-01
For the first post in the "one light" section of the Strobist Lighting Cookbook, a solid tip for shooting outdoors when you have just one speedlight: find yourself some shade.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-1L-01
New for 2018, the Strobist Lighting Cookbook will grow into an organized and practical guide to help you get the most out of your flashes. For this module, it is assumed you already have read Lighting 101, 102 and 103.
Go to the Lighting Cookbook
Lighting 103, the latest addition to Strobist's comprehensive free lighting courses, is complete and posted. If you haven't sorted it yet, feel free to begin your dive down the non-white light rabbit hole at your leisure.
Go to Lighting 103
Are you stuck in a rut with your lighting? Maybe your kids aren't up for another living room studio session. Or perhaps the family cat now quietly leaves the room when you show up with your camera.
You could always head outside, set up some lights, and see what you can catch. That's pretty much what Strobist reader Nayan Khanolkar did...
Read Full Post
Originally published in 2007, Lighting 102 has just been completely revised and updated.
Go To New Lighting 102
At $55 a set, the Phottix Ares remotes bring a ton of value to the table, making them our recommended pick for photographers building out a beginner's lighting kit.
For many photographers, in fact, these are the only remotes they will ever need.
Read Full Post
Shoot-through or reflective? Standard or double-fold? Baffled or plain?
All umbrellas are not the same—or even similarly priced. Knowing how you will use them will help you make the right call...
Read Full Post
Why just "A" clamp your backdrop to a crossbar when you can easily build an exposed wood mounting bar for chump change?
It's a very easy project, and it leaves you with a support you may well want to include in the frame...
Read Full Post
While visiting Fuji's headquarters in Japan in 2013 I saw prints that were better that anything I could get done here in the US.
Three years later, I found out how to get them done here, and where. Do yourself a favor and try this stuff out.
Read Full Post
Lighting outdoor portraiture doesn't have to mean gearing up like a pack mule. With a carefully chosen small kit, you can own the sun (and the wind) without breaking the bank.
This On Assignment piece walks you through each of the gear choices, and how they work together to help you efficiently control your environment.
Read Full Post
Up for a quick shot of knowledge, with an order of motivation on the side?
Take a few minutes to watch this interview with photographer Alexis Cuarezma, a sports portrait specialist based in San Francisco and LA.
Read full post
This On Assignment is a bit of a two-fer. On the one hand, it's a quick BTS on a one-light macro shot (seen above) for Fujifilm Japan with the new X-Pro 2.
But it's also a look into just how a flagship camera like the X-Pro 2 comes to be.
Read full post
Photo ©Mans Duffani
Strobist reader Mans Duffani reached out via Twitter to show off a photo (above) and ask how it could have been done better.
It's a lovely and storytelling portrait, which he shot of a relative who he noticed at a family event. I would have loved to have made the photo myself. That said, there's one suggestion that really jumps out at me...
Read full post
POC Oil Painting by Zhixing Zhang from a Photo by Alex Mazurov
Look closely: that's not a photo. It's an oil painting. Through Strobist's sister site, Photographer's Oil Collective, any photographer can produce museum-quality oil paintings of this caliber—either for themselves or for their clients.
Read full post
If you are remodeling a room, a few key decisions can make a lot of difference going forward. The shot above, for instance, is available light. If it looks like I put up a soft box, that's because I kinda did—two years earlier when we remodeled the room.
Inside, some quick thoughts on how to think like a photographer when you design the ambient lighting for a room.
Read full post
Photo ©Jonny Armstrong
American photographer and research scientist Jonny Armstrong combines camera geekery, speedlights and his outdoor skills to make evocative portraits of wild animals in their natural habitats.
Read full post
Reader Alison Carlino asks, via Twitter:
"How could I light posed formals in front of tank w/no umbrella reflection showing?"
Read full post
Reader Christopher Wharton has a flash-camera combo that will not work in TTL mode, so how he can shoot run-and-gun events?
Long forgotten in the age of TTL, this post explains how to use your flash's "automatic" mode.
Read full post
This photo is 100% flash, 0% ambient. But it almost looks like the reverse. And for this portrait of soprano Robin Steitz, a timeless available-light look was what we were going for.
But when you are working with flash (a single speedlight) and controlling your light (a scrounged "fill blanket" from the couch) you can keep the best of both worlds of strobe and ambient.
Read full post
I seldom review gadgets these days, but sometimes something is so useful that it's worth telling people about. Such is the case with the SD card-enabled Western Digital My Passport Wireless hard drive.
Read full post
So the UPS guy just dropped your very first lighting kit at your front door. WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
Read full post
A cool little trick that forever changed the way I photograph dancers.
Read full post
In which we travel to London to serve as a lighting tech for a documentary. Our goal? Lighting for a photographic reproduction of the Mona Lisa.
Read full post
Such a simple idea, and not so difficult to do—unless you count all of the self-inspection it will require. Iranian-born (now in Dubai) photographer Atbin Eslami's video-bio of herself first made me think, "that's really cool."
And second, "Why haven't I done that?"
Read full post
Who needs a studio when you have a bridge abutment? Today, we'll explore a few of its facades while making an actor's portrait.
Read full post
Little? Big? Aluminum? Carbon fiber? New? Used?
Three legs, many choices.
Read full post
Full walk-through: Using a leaf shutter and two battery-powered monoblocs to bend the sun to your will.
Read full post
Racing against encroaching dark and a string of thunderstorms to photograph a super-expensive cello with a super-cheap plastic lens....
Read full post
How I spent my year: traveling around the world for Lynda.com, to help you get the most out of your next trip...
Read full post
Whether you have one light, two lights, three lights or four, here are some tips on how to best put them to use when photographing indoor sports.
Read full post
World-famous portraitist Dan Winters uncorks an epic tome that will serve as a road map for many an aspiring photographer.
Read full post
Just what the headline says—yes, you can get perfect coverage for your beauty dish with just a small strip gel.
Read full post
Go behind the scenes with music photographer Loren Wohl to see how his beautifully backlit images were created.
Read full post
We All Screw Up. Don't Worry About It.
Think you're the only one who uncorks the occasional burst of idiocy? Well then let me tell you a little story...
Read full post
__________
For older posts, please see the Monthly Archives dropdown menu on the right sidebar.
Living in the In-Between
Our eyes are wonderful devices. They are autofocus, auto-zoom, autoexposure, and (to a large degree) auto white balance. Our cameras, on the other hand, see things more objectively.
Today, how to finesse that difference when adding light.
Read More
Latest: Thank You [BTS/360]
In this Lighting Cookbook installment, something different: An in-depth BTS/360 look at both the how and the ecosystem behind a photo.
Read More
X-Peditions 2019 Season has Filled
Strobist's 2019 X-Peditions workshops (Havana in January and Hanoi in the fall) have both filled.
Our Hanoi X-Pedition actually filled before any public announcement. So if you think you might be interested in a future workshop, please make sure to sign up for advance notice on the X-Peditions info page.
If you would like to be placed on a wait list for either trip, you may do so at the individual workshop pages linked above.
More Info
Opportunity Knocks
As Halloween approaches, a timely story about a little prank available to any lighting photographer. All you need is a remote flash trigger, a clueless friend and the maturity level of a 12-year-old.
Read more
Use a Tight Grid to Create Color
That grid spot isn't just good for the tight zone of light it creates. It's also very useful for the unlit space it leaves behind.
Read more
Cheap, Portable Outdoor Lighting Source
No matter how long you have been doing something, be it lighting or photography or, well, anything, you're never too old to be dumbstruck by a cool new idea.
Take the linens drying on the line above, for example. In the right frame of mind they are essentially super-portable outdoor light sources.
Read more
How to Choose a Softbox for your Speedlights
The photo above, of photographer Ray Alvareztorres, by Brent Christensen, shows the control you can get with a single softbox as opposed to an umbrella.
Today in Strobist Lighting Cookbook we'll discuss how to choose from the many different softboxes out there, how to best adapt them to speedlights, and how to save money in the process.
Read more
Use Your Second Light to Hide Your First Light
Using one light against sunset (or dusk) leaves very deep shadows on your subject. A second light can make your subject look less "lit" by making the shadows look more like the way your eye naturally perceives them in a contrasty ambient environment.
Read more
Off-Label Compact Lighting Bag: $23
At $23 shipped—and available in 30 colors and patterns—the perfect bag for compact lighting gear, technically speaking, isn't even a photo bag.
Read more
A Manual Flash Hack for Sunset
Using manual flash against a fast-moving sunset or dusk environment can be daunting. Here's how to hack it.
Read more
Shiny Object, No Flash, Smartphone
The more you understand light, the less important your gear.
Read more
DIY Portable Doorway
Ultimate wrap: How to build a $20 DIY portable doorway.
Read more
Need More Edge? Point Your Light Away From Your Subject
Two photos. Same light source and background, different direction.
Read more
Flash or Continuous, Light is Light
Learning to be more fluid as you move between flash and ambient.
Read more
Strobist Lighting Cookbook:
One Light, Inside the Frame
Fun fact: this was the very first-ever photo published on Strobist. Twelve years later, we circle back for an updated look at the light-inside-the-frame approach.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-1L-02
Strobist Lighting Cookbook:
16-Person Daylight Group Shot with Two Bare Speedlights
Three tricks to help you pull off a well-lit, large group shot in daylight with two speedlights.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-2L-02
SLC-2L-01: How to Own the Sun With Two Speedlights
Even in full-blown daylight, you can use two bare speedlights to craft some pretty sophisticated, sun-overpowering light. The key? Using gels, and very careful placement of your fill light.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-2L-01
SLC-1L-01: Outdoors? One Speedlight? Find Shade
For the first post in the "one light" section of the Strobist Lighting Cookbook, a solid tip for shooting outdoors when you have just one speedlight: find yourself some shade.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook: SLC-1L-01
Introducing the Strobist Lighting Cookbook
New for 2018, the Strobist Lighting Cookbook will grow into an organized and practical guide to help you get the most out of your flashes. For this module, it is assumed you already have read Lighting 101, 102 and 103.
Go to the Lighting Cookbook
Lighting 103 is Complete
Lighting 103, the latest addition to Strobist's comprehensive free lighting courses, is complete and posted. If you haven't sorted it yet, feel free to begin your dive down the non-white light rabbit hole at your leisure.
Go to Lighting 103
On Assignment: Alley Cat
Are you stuck in a rut with your lighting? Maybe your kids aren't up for another living room studio session. Or perhaps the family cat now quietly leaves the room when you show up with your camera.
You could always head outside, set up some lights, and see what you can catch. That's pretty much what Strobist reader Nayan Khanolkar did...
Read Full Post
Completely Updated: Lighting 102
Originally published in 2007, Lighting 102 has just been completely revised and updated.
Go To New Lighting 102
Gear Guide Update: Choosing Remote Triggers
At $55 a set, the Phottix Ares remotes bring a ton of value to the table, making them our recommended pick for photographers building out a beginner's lighting kit.
For many photographers, in fact, these are the only remotes they will ever need.
Read Full Post
Updated: How to Choose an Umbrella
Shoot-through or reflective? Standard or double-fold? Baffled or plain?
All umbrellas are not the same—or even similarly priced. Knowing how you will use them will help you make the right call...
Read Full Post
Build a $10 Custom Wooden Backdrop Mount
Why just "A" clamp your backdrop to a crossbar when you can easily build an exposed wood mounting bar for chump change?
It's a very easy project, and it leaves you with a support you may well want to include in the frame...
Read Full Post
Fuji Crystal Archive Deep Matte Paper is Freaking Amazing
While visiting Fuji's headquarters in Japan in 2013 I saw prints that were better that anything I could get done here in the US.
Three years later, I found out how to get them done here, and where. Do yourself a favor and try this stuff out.
Read Full Post
On Assignment: Overpowering Sun with a Small Kit
Lighting outdoor portraiture doesn't have to mean gearing up like a pack mule. With a carefully chosen small kit, you can own the sun (and the wind) without breaking the bank.
This On Assignment piece walks you through each of the gear choices, and how they work together to help you efficiently control your environment.
Read Full Post
Watch This: The Secret(s) to Alexis Cuarezma's Success
Up for a quick shot of knowledge, with an order of motivation on the side?
Take a few minutes to watch this interview with photographer Alexis Cuarezma, a sports portrait specialist based in San Francisco and LA.
Read full post
On Assignment: Mum for Fuji
This On Assignment is a bit of a two-fer. On the one hand, it's a quick BTS on a one-light macro shot (seen above) for Fujifilm Japan with the new X-Pro 2.
But it's also a look into just how a flagship camera like the X-Pro 2 comes to be.
Read full post
Twitter QA: The Magic Lamp
Photo ©Mans Duffani
Strobist reader Mans Duffani reached out via Twitter to show off a photo (above) and ask how it could have been done better.
It's a lovely and storytelling portrait, which he shot of a relative who he noticed at a family event. I would have loved to have made the photo myself. That said, there's one suggestion that really jumps out at me...
Read full post
Introducing The Photographer's Oil Collective
POC Oil Painting by Zhixing Zhang from a Photo by Alex Mazurov
Look closely: that's not a photo. It's an oil painting. Through Strobist's sister site, Photographer's Oil Collective, any photographer can produce museum-quality oil paintings of this caliber—either for themselves or for their clients.
Read full post
Remodeling? Think Like a Photographer
If you are remodeling a room, a few key decisions can make a lot of difference going forward. The shot above, for instance, is available light. If it looks like I put up a soft box, that's because I kinda did—two years earlier when we remodeled the room.
Inside, some quick thoughts on how to think like a photographer when you design the ambient lighting for a room.
Read full post
On Assignment: Studio in the Wild
Photo ©Jonny ArmstrongAmerican photographer and research scientist Jonny Armstrong combines camera geekery, speedlights and his outdoor skills to make evocative portraits of wild animals in their natural habitats.
Read full post
QA: Killing Umbrella Reflections in a Cylindrical Aquarium
Reader Alison Carlino asks, via Twitter:
"How could I light posed formals in front of tank w/no umbrella reflection showing?"
Read full post
QA: Shooting Events Without TTL Flash
Reader Christopher Wharton has a flash-camera combo that will not work in TTL mode, so how he can shoot run-and-gun events?Long forgotten in the age of TTL, this post explains how to use your flash's "automatic" mode.
Read full post
On Assignment: The Light You Don't See
This photo is 100% flash, 0% ambient. But it almost looks like the reverse. And for this portrait of soprano Robin Steitz, a timeless available-light look was what we were going for.
But when you are working with flash (a single speedlight) and controlling your light (a scrounged "fill blanket" from the couch) you can keep the best of both worlds of strobe and ambient.
Read full post
On the Road? Backup Without the Bulk-Up
I seldom review gadgets these days, but sometimes something is so useful that it's worth telling people about. Such is the case with the SD card-enabled Western Digital My Passport Wireless hard drive.
Read full post
Your Basic Lighting Kit: A Spin Around the Block
So the UPS guy just dropped your very first lighting kit at your front door. WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
Read full post
On Assignment: I Got Rhythm
A cool little trick that forever changed the way I photograph dancers.
Read full post
On Assignment: Lighting Like Leo
In which we travel to London to serve as a lighting tech for a documentary. Our goal? Lighting for a photographic reproduction of the Mona Lisa.
Read full post
Inspiration: Atbin Eslami's Video Bio
Such a simple idea, and not so difficult to do—unless you count all of the self-inspection it will require. Iranian-born (now in Dubai) photographer Atbin Eslami's video-bio of herself first made me think, "that's really cool."
And second, "Why haven't I done that?"
Read full post
On Assignment: Ben Lurye
Who needs a studio when you have a bridge abutment? Today, we'll explore a few of its facades while making an actor's portrait.
Read full post
Gear: Choosing a Tripod
Little? Big? Aluminum? Carbon fiber? New? Used?
Three legs, many choices.
Read full post
On Assignment: Full-Sun Group Shot
Full walk-through: Using a leaf shutter and two battery-powered monoblocs to bend the sun to your will.
Read full post
On Assignment: Cellist Carolyn Rosinsky
Racing against encroaching dark and a string of thunderstorms to photograph a super-expensive cello with a super-cheap plastic lens....
Read full post
On Traveling With Your Camera
How I spent my year: traveling around the world for Lynda.com, to help you get the most out of your next trip...
Read full post
The Strobist Guide to Lighting Indoor Sports
Whether you have one light, two lights, three lights or four, here are some tips on how to best put them to use when photographing indoor sports.
Read full post
You Want This: Dan Winters' Road to Seeing
World-famous portraitist Dan Winters uncorks an epic tome that will serve as a road map for many an aspiring photographer.
Read full post
How To: Strip-Gel a Beauty Dish
Just what the headline says—yes, you can get perfect coverage for your beauty dish with just a small strip gel.
Read full post
Chokra-and-Awe: Loren Wohl Blasts Throught the Fog and Noise
Go behind the scenes with music photographer Loren Wohl to see how his beautifully backlit images were created.
Read full post
We All Screw Up. Don't Worry About It.
(A Confession)
Think you're the only one who uncorks the occasional burst of idiocy? Well then let me tell you a little story...
Read full post
For older posts, please see the Monthly Archives dropdown menu on the right sidebar.
Reviewed by MCH
on
August 11, 2015
Rating:
No comments: