Search results for: photography tips solutions how to use a softbox
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by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
First, a disclaimer: Like composition, lighting portraits is a subjective exercise. A setup that works for one situation may not work for the next, and lighting that one photographer adores might repulse another. Cultivating a personal lighting style involves an awareness of conventional approaches and willingness to go beyond what everyone else is doing. Study portraits
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
Lighting is the key to all photography. While elaborate, multi-light setups may appear to be the standard, the creative photographer can produce a seemingly endless range of images using just one light source. This guide is designed to help those beginners out there build the perfect one-light kit for portrait photography.
Why One Light?
I completely understand why multi-light “studio in a box” kits are tempting to beginner and budget-conscience photographers. Why spend hundreds of dollars on one light when you can get three lights complete
by Cory Rice · Posted
The trick with any home studio is in creating a space that can be used to create images that do not betray the fact that you shot them in your living room, in your pajamas, using your pet dog as an assistant. Luckily, creating a home studio can be done fairly easily without breaking the bank. This article will help get you up and running.
Planning Your Studio
Before making any purchases, it is important to sit down first and answer some basic questions about what you want your studio to accomplish. First, what type of photographs do you plan
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
One of the most effective ways to improve your portraiture is by controlling the light, and one of the most effective ways to control your light is to move it. Seems like a simple enough concept, but it can be daunting at first, especially if you're using a speedlight or an on-camera flash. Despite its misleading name, an on-camera flash can, very easily, be used off the camera. The "on-camera" part simply refers to its form factor
by Darrell Holdaway · Posted
There is a first time for everything, and if you have your mind set on producing a wedding video, you will encounter plenty of “firsts” during that initial wedding weekend. There is a first kiss, a first dance, and a first slice of cake. Where will you have your cameras set up for each of these memorable moments? Will you need lights for every shot? How will you manage the audio? When the bride says “I do,” you will want everything in place to ensure that you capture every word and angle. This guide will address equipment needs, event
by Lindsay Finnegan · Posted
Are you new to food photography or looking to advance your lighting techniques? This article takes you through how to use existing light to your benefit as well as how to create it yourself. Both approaches will yield similar results, but each has its own unique advantages. It’s up to you which path to take.
Natural: Work with Window Light
The simplest way to photograph food is to shape light that already exists
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Texture is one of those multi-sensory things that we can feel with our sense of touch and “feel” visually with our eyes. Because texture transcends the senses, we must account for it when we create photographs. Sometimes the goal is to accentuate a specific texture. Sometimes we wish to “smooth” the texture visually. How you light your subject has a lot to do with how you reveal, or hide, texture.
Photographs ©Todd Vorenkamp
by Cory Rice · Posted
Like many photographers, I prefer being behind my camera to sitting in front of my computer. Any steps that I can take to minimize the amount of work needed in post, I make sure to incorporate into my shoots. One way that I do so is by choosing and lighting my backgrounds carefully. Evenly lit backgrounds have endless applications and are not hard to accomplish with the right tools and techniques. Here are some tips for getting consistent black, white, and color backgrounds straight out of camera.
For inky-black backdrops, choose a material
by Cory Rice · Posted
One of the first challenges awaiting portrait photographers new to studio lighting is how to produce soft light. Anyone who has used a flash or strobe knows that there is more to lighting portraits well than simply pointing a light at a subject and rattling off shots. At the same time, creating soft light does not necessarily require an investment in a ton of expensive lighting modifiers. This article covers the basics of soft light along with some light-shaping tricks for achieving soft light with and without modifiers.
by Cory Rice · Posted
Collecting studio lights can become an addictive vice for the adventurous portrait photographer. Once you realize all that can be done with one light, you will soon want to add another, and another, and another. With each additional light come new techniques and creative possibilities. For portrait photographers, one of the most commonly used multi-light setups is three-point lighting. This tried-and-true approach to
by Jill Waterman · Posted
As described in our companion article that makes up Part 1 of this story, both teachers and students scrambled to face unique challenges and solve unforeseen problems with the sudden shift from face-to-face classes to remote learning in March 2020. Since a new school year is now upon us, we asked a diverse group of educators for updated tips, as well as insights about the online teaching/learning process.
In Remote
by Steven Gladstone · Posted
If you look on the B&H website under Lighting, you will notice the category Continuous lighting, which is separate from strobe or flash lighting, which is most commonly used with still photography. Continuous here refers to lighting units that are not strobe units, and these are mostly used in film and video, as well as theater. Once, this type of lighting was
by tom kirkman · Posted
A softbox is an enclosure designed to fit around an artificial light source, such as a flash tube or halogen lamp. Its reflective interior intensifies the light output and projects it through its only means of escape—the front diffusion screen. This creates a quality of light long appreciated by photographers and videographers, which resembles the softer light one might find streaming through a window. It also creates square or rectangular highlights in the reflective surfaces of your subjects. The "soft" name stuck because of the quality of
by Jill Waterman · Posted
The bright lights and lively bustle of the city at night is especially captivating to photographers, who have long sought to capture this rich spectrum of color, contrast, and motion in images. Yet there is more to consider in the world after dark than just a snapshot approach and automatic camera settings. With this in mind, consider these seven tips to help you get the most out of urban environments in low light.
Establishing time and place
by tom kirkman · Posted
After posing for a few gigabytes of formals in a hall, you can sense the wedding party’s palpable relief when, weather permitting, it’s time to take it outside. If you’re lucky enough to have nicely landscaped grounds, it’s a great opportunity to stop fighting with the tungsten light sources inside and take advantage of that flash-friendly sunlight.
Whether you’re just starting out as a wedding photographer or a friend asked you to shoot his or her wedding or you’re a seasoned professional, you’ll need some kind of help to maximize your