LATEST ADDITIONS

The Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Santa Barbara in southern California (a 1.5-hour drive west of Los Angeles) is my favorite national park in terms of photography, adventure, and natural history.

During the last Ice Age there was just one super island known as Santarosae. At the time, the channel crossing was roughly 5 miles across.

I 'll admit to it--ever since I was first introduced to the Interfit flat panel strobes a few short years back, I've become enamored of this company's products. And I still use those lights. Every year since, Interfit would introduce new lighting gear, but these newer monolights were either too big or too basic for my needs. Then along came the EXD200.

Although some outdoor photographers prefer to shoot everything by available light, electronic flash can be surprisingly useful. In the past, it was difficult to produce a natural looking effect with flash in outdoor photography without a bit of expertise. All too often the results appeared to be artificial, with a harsh effect caused by flash becoming the primary light source.

This issue is dedicated to lighting with reviews, how-to articles, and roundups of gear, all intended to get you thinking about the best way to illuminate your subject. At the most basic level exposure is about aperture and shutter speed--that's how light is controlled. But it is in shaping light, using modifiers for existing light and various types of bulbs, controlled...