Lastolite
Mastering studio lighting can feel like a Herculean feat when you’re just getting started. Like any aspect of photography, it requires patience, practice, and plenty of mistakes before it comes naturally. In an effort to shorten your learning curve, we’ve rounded up 10 common issues that beginners encounter and how to fix them.
Technical Issues
Lighting setups can be as simple or complicated as your heart desires—or your shot requires. However, before you can begin to think about how to use your lights creatively, you need to understand how
One of the most effective ways to improve your portraiture is by controlling the light, and one of the most effective ways to control your light is to move it. Seems like a simple enough concept, but it can be daunting at first, especially if you're using a speedlight or an on-camera flash. Despite its misleading name, an on-camera flash can, very easily, be used off the camera. The "on-camera" part simply refers to its form factor
Fans of Lastolite's panoramic backgrounds will be happy to hear that the popular system has expanded to include Chromakey Blue as a color option. The new color offering shares dimensions with its predecessors and is available as a cover only for those who already own a Lastolite frame,
Lastolite has announced the Ezybox Pro Strip Softbox, designed for modifying a variety of light sources while offering quick assembly and easy transport. At 10 x 59", it is well equipped for portraiture and even some full-body action shoots, making background separation as easy as its unique RapidExoframe assembles. Its softbox fabric remains attached to the exterior support system and assembly is a matter of simply clipping the
Lastolite has expanded its SkyLite Rapid line to include a trio of new kit sizes of its light-modifier panels. Now in kit form are the square 6.6 x 6.6', rectangular 3.6 x 6.6', and square 3.6
Though the initial Lastolite HiLite Illuminated Background was designed to create smooth, clean backgrounds for high-key setups, such a large, soft light source quickly found a second calling as a softbox. Measuring 6 x 7', the HiLite has become one of the most effective solutions for backgrounds and lighting and, to get even more out of it, Lastolite has developed a series of accessories and shapers to control the light even
If I had to recommend one accessory to photographers getting started with portraits, it would be a reflector, over and over and over. Cheap—especially by photo-gear standards—and extremely versatile, reflectors are matched only by gaffer tape on the scale of photographic utility. Depending upon your needs, they come in all shapes and sizes, from hulking 5 x7-foot behemoths to dainty
Adding to its Joe McNally Signature line of products, Lastolite has just released the Ironworks Collapsible Background, a 5 x 7' backdrop that provides photographers and videographers with a unique, industrial-style look for their shoots. Mimicking the look and feel of a hand-painted background, the Ironworks graphic is appealing for portraits, fashion, and product photography and its double-sided design offers added
As photographers, we tend to monitor weather conditions before deciding whether to shoot outdoors on any given day. After investing thousands of dollars in a camera and lenses, we are determined to protect our gear at all costs. But if you truly think that rain or snow is an obstacle to getting outdoors and building that portfolio, you’d better think again!
Lone man walking in Times Square during a snow
Getting great pictures of your newborn or infant is certainly no easy task. Indeed, the window of opportunity for coaxing a perfect expression and a picturesque pose from your little bundle of joy is fleeting, at best. For parents (and others) who aspire to capture such moments, user-friendly gear, highly functional accessories, and photogenic props can make all the difference. With this in mind, here are our best recommendations to help make photo sessions with your unpredictable little darlings a success.
Pick the Right Camera for the Job
In this B&H Photo Event Space video, photographer Steve Hansen explains and demonstrates the uses of LED lighting in the studio. LED lights enjoy the advantages of being continuous and daylight-balanced, which makes them ideal for still and video applications. Hansen discusses the pluses and limitations of LED lighting, how to expose for LED lights, and how to maximize the attributes of LED lighting systems when shooting commercial still-life photographs in the studio.