In the studio you use a low-key or high-key background to create contrast between the background and the face. Which key is most effective for the background is mostly influenced by the tone of the clothing, which needs to blend into the back ...

On-camera single light. Wired Off-camera single light. Wireless Off-camera single light. Hotshoe FILL + Wireless KEY light. Wired FILL + Wireless KEY light. Hotshoe FILL + Wireless KEY light + Wireless BACKGROUND light. ...

"Bounce is a great alternative to direct flash, especially for people pictures made under low ceilings or near white walls. As its name implies, you bounce the flash off a nearby surface rather than blasting it directly at your subjects. Boun ...

One of the least expensive ways to get started with off-camera flash photography is by using the Cactus Wireless Triggers. The Cactus is also referred to as the Ebay trigger since this is where it first caught the attention of photographers a ...

"Warm up your eye and compositional brain using the sunlight properly, then convert to using your strobes to make a composition that you need for your concept or for drama. You must first understand the importance of balancing your subject an ...

Why start with just one light? Because you can get amazing portraits, that’s why. Did I mention less equipment, less complication, less cost, and less time? Oh, and once you’ve mastered portraits with a single light, using more lights is pure ...

"Typical indoor ambient light, for instance, might be about 1/60th at 4/f at ISO 400. So If I shoot you in that light, available only, you are going to be properly exposed. You'll still probably look pretty bad -- we nailed the quantity, but ...

I have always loved using off-camera camera flashes and want to extend my arsenal of different flash modifiers. In this first round I will concentrate on the type you can mount directly on the flash. I may return to umbrellas, softboxes, diff ...

Hand Held This is, without a doubt, the cheapest option. You’ve already got a hand, so why not put it to use? The idea is to hold your camera in one hand and your flash in the other. While this gets the job done, it can sometimes be a more d ...

If you have ever shopped for a flash or read a review, you may have noticed a section of the spec called the guide number or GN. While this value is a measurement of power that the flash has and allows you to compare flash models, is this num ...

Outdoor portraits can offer a sense a drama or romance that can be hard to achieve in a studio setting. The early morning or evening sky can serve as a stunning backdrop for a portrait. The trick is in lighting your subject properly. T ...

Camera panning is a photography technique used to follow a moving subject when taking a photo. This creates a blurred background but keeps the subject sharp, which gives a sense of motion to the photo. Panning refers to the horizontal move ...

" The artificial lighting learning curve for most photographers starts with a built-in flash or external flash mounted above the viewfinder. The photographs they take with a single flash look flat and boring because they lack shadows to creat ...

" Single Flash Limitations : A single direct hot shoe flash regardless of where it is positioned will create sharply defined dark shadows because the size of the lightsource is small and there is no secondary light source to "fill" and mo ...

"In portrait photography, it helps to have a sense of imagination, vision, composition, and at times, a sense of humor. Interaction with your subjects is paramount and maintaining that interaction while simultaneously juggling the technical a ...