Three Tips for Better Portraits
So, your photos look a little boring, despite your use of off-camera flash? Here are three ways to dramatically improve your portraits using intentional lighting placement, basic posing, and background lighting.
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Shutter Speed and Continuous Light
When using flash, adjust your shutter speed to control the brightness of continuous lights in your exposure. Continuous lights include ambient lighting, natural light, lamps, LED lights, and so on. Here’s the deal: let’s say you’ve got your flash dialed in for a perfect exposure on your subject, but that cool lamp in the background…
Godox Flash Setup Guide
This is my Godox TT685s flash setup guide for off-camera flash. Included are the menu and settings instructions for using the Godox TT685s flash as a master or remote slave flash. Also, how to setup the X1Ts radio trigger for wireless control in off camera flash photography setups. Also: Godox vs Yongnuo Flash Flash for…
Five Recommended Lighting Modifiers
Lighting modifiers come in all shapes, sizes, and styles. Here, we’ll focus on modifiers that provide diffusion panels that effectively make the light bigger relative to the portrait subject’s head. Shoot-through umbrellas, softboxes and simple light panels can all do the job effectively. You just have to select the best options for the way you…
Mixing Ambient Light with Flash for Portraits
One of my favorite lighting techniques involves mixing flash with natural light, particularly when the natural light is strong and coming from behind the subject. This method creates a beautiful backlighting effect that adds dimension to your photos. The Basics Using natural backlighting alone can work if there’s enough illumination bouncing around to reach the…
How to Use a Softbox for Portraiture
There’s a misconception that softboxes and other diffusion modifiers produce soft light. I address this in, The Correct Use of a Softbox for Portraiture. I made this video in response to a question from one of my YouTube viewers about the Godox 24″ x 24″ vs. the Lastolite Ezbox. Specifically, he asked about the contrast…
The Key Light Explained
In a portrait photography lighting setup, the key light is the foundation. This is the primary source of illumination for your subject. The “key” is also the light that provides the most information about your subject’s features and shape. It’s the way the key light casts illumination AND shadows across your subject’s face that gives…
