Lighting How To

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Wes Kroninger  |  Apr 27, 2012  |  First Published: Mar 01, 2012

In his new book, Wes Kroninger’s Lighting (ISBN: 978-1-608952-54-0, Amherst Media, $34.95 US), the author and photographer draws on his experience as a portrait, commercial, and editorial photographer to present strategies that will help photographers bring out the beauty and character in all of their subjects—from kids, to businessmen, to fashion models.

Joe Farace  |  Oct 23, 2015

The trend of using continuous light sources for portraiture that I saw at last year’s WPPI show continues unabated with Westcott’s Two-Light Daylight D5 Softbox Kit being the latest offering. The kit uses fluorescent bulbs as a light source, although that word barely appears in Westcott’s early press material for the kit. Part of the reason may be that when it comes to photographs of people, fluorescent has a negative connotation but nothing could be further from the truth.

Dan Havlik  |  Sep 21, 2020

Professional portrait photographer Anita Sadowska is back with her latest lighting tips and advice. This time she's comparing what it's like to shoot portraits in direct sunlight vs shooting backlit portraits vs shooting in an indoor studio using strobes.

Seth Shostak  |  Oct 10, 2016

For decades, soft light has been the bee’s knees for portrait photography. It’s flattering, pleasant to look at, and undistracting.

Deborah Sandidge  |  Mar 07, 2017

Somewhere along the line in a pro photographer’s career, or amid an enthusiast’s pursuit of picture making, you achieve a balance between geared up and weighed down when it comes to lens choices. You want versatility, but you also want to be mobile, even comfortable.

Ron Leach  |  Jun 03, 2023

There are a multitude of reasons why what you observe in the field may appear vastly different than the image you capture unless you make adjustments while shooting or do so later during the editing process. The quick video below from the Hoffman Photography YouTube channel explores an "enlightening" oft-ignored fact.

Ron Leach  |  Sep 28, 2022

Photography is no different than other creative pursuits, in that mistakes happen regardless of one’s skills. That’s often true with exposure, particularly under difficult lighting conditions. 

Ron Leach  |  Apr 26, 2023

It’s not uncommon for photographers to adopt a “set-it-and-forget it” mentality when configuring their cameras, thereby ending up with photographs that aren’t as good as possible. Whether you call this habit lazy or uninformed, there are times when the choice of a custom setting results in more creative images.

Ron Leach  |  Jul 20, 2023

Many photographers set their camera for Auto White Balance and never modify the setting regardless of the subject at hand. If that sounds like you it may explain why the colors in your photos don't accurately convey the colors in a scene.

Ron Leach  |  May 23, 2023

The quick tutorial below from the Adorama TV YouTube channel is all about the basics of using ISO when selecting your camera settings, and when choosing the sensitivity setting should be the first thing you do. Then, depending upon light levels and the scene at hand, you can modify shutter speed and f/stop if need be.

Ron Leach  |  Apr 26, 2024

Most experienced photographers turn up their noses at the Program exposure mode, preferring to shoot in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Manual. But as you'll see in this quick video from the Great Big Photography World channel, there are situations under which this "beginner" mode makes total sense—even if you have advanced skills.

Ron Leach  |  Mar 20, 2023

One of the primary goals of landscape photographers is to arrive at a “correct” exposure, and we regularly post tutorials on this subject to help get the job done. But in the quick tutorial below you’ll see why certain types of scenes look much better by adding a bit of intentional overexposure during the editing process.

Ron Leach  |  Feb 02, 2023

Nailing exposure is often a challenge with all forms of outdoor photography because of ever-changing light, complicated scenes, and a variety of tones from foreground to background. With wildlife subjects this task may require even more thought and precision.

Jim Zuckerman  |  Apr 24, 2015
I have wanted to photograph some of nature’s details with x-rays, but I just never got around to doing it. In writing this issue of the Petersen’s Photographic Digital Photography Guide, I thought it would be interesting for you to see what can be done with this unique way of capturing images. So, I decided to put the extra effort into taking the pictures in this section.
Ron Leach  |  Jul 27, 2017

Doug McKinlay is a successful photojournalist who does a lot of street photography, and in this quick tutorial he describes two great techniques for making your images more interesting.

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