When you first get started with photography, you might only have an on-camera flash. Or, you might be limited and need to be mobile with your lighting. Using a flash on top of your camera can still be a powerful tool. And while pointing it toward the ceiling is a
Fill flash is a great way to work with the weather and lighting conditions we have at the moment. Oftentimes we can’t schedule our photoshoots around perfect sky conditions. Especially during the summer, the long days and high sun becomes challenging, leaving you guessing at having clouds in the sky,
The past several months have been pretty busy for me, but not with the kind of work I’m used to. While I certainly continue to photograph my share of corporate events, I’ve been photographing more food and drink than ever before. I’ve worked with local magazines, as well as some
If you give a boy a hammer, everything looks like a nail and he will pound it. If you give a photographer a flash, everything looks like it needs to be lit. That means that you’re doing the right job for the tool instead of using the right tool for
Welcome to a brand new feature — the Weekly Wrap-Up — a compendium of some of the articles published this week on Photofocus. Controlling the “feel” of an image with the Illuminati meter After years of shooting, I also tend to get set in my ways. However, sometimes it’s good to
When MagMod first announced its new MagBox softbox system, I have to say I was excited. While I’ve long been a user of AlienBee strobes, they’re starting to age, and in need of replacement soon. The MagBox had what seemed to be a system that made sense, especially given the
Editor’s Note: Tracie Maglosky is a portrait photographer specializing in weddings, maternity & newborn photography. She loves teaching and inspiring other photographers in lighting, posing, business techniques and balanced living. Tracie is an Olympus Visionary, MagMod Ambassador and a part of the Miller’s Speaker Team. Follow Tracie’s work at http://www.traciejeanphoto.com. If you’re
As a corporate event photographer, I have a pretty standard setup that I take to each event I photograph. I typically use two lenses — my Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8 (equal to a 24-70) and Olympus 40-150 f/2.8 (equal to an 80-300). Then I have my flash, my MagMod MagBounce diffuser,
A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a photo I selected for Photographer of the Day. It was of a skateboarder at a skate park, doing some tricks. Needless to say, I was inspired. I really had never tried to capture skateboarding in action, but I knew that with a
You need great light to direct attention to your subjects and help your photos appear natural. If you want to make great light with flashes, you need gels. Gels simply color your flash’s light which allows you to match the flash color to the light in a room. When the
Making great light is essential to making great portraits. And I mean that: you’ve got to make great light. You can find a good source of available light, but I’ve rarely seen any available light that couldn’t be made better, either with reflectors and flags or by adding light somewhere
