Category Archives: Light

Building a studio portrait

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Michael Willems

A “standard” studio portrait is very simple to build if you have three or four flashes; and it is entirely repeatable, that is its beauty. Here’s how you do it in six easy steps: ONE set the camera to settings … Continue reading →

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What is wrong here?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Michael Willems

Look at this picture – a demo shot I made during a recent course, to show what not to do. Can you see what is wrong here? Yes, her eyes and face are all shadowy. Becuase I aimed my on-camera … Continue reading →

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Light

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Michael Willems

I shot a few pictures featuring light, Monday night. Light can be depressing. Light can show as bright, in courtyards that to us look pitch black. Just turn up the ISO, lower the f-number, and slow down the shutter speed: … Continue reading →

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Rhonda

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Michael Willems

Here, from Friday’s workshop, is a photo of Rhonda: Wonderful smile, truly! So that photo is good before we even start – how can you fail with a subject like that? And yet, we have to get the focus and exposure right. Especially exposure … Continue reading →

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Shampooey Goodness™

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Michael Willems

You have heard the term “hair light”? It’s the Shampooey Goodness™ look that makes hair look alive and wonderful. That is why we use it in portraits. In yesterday’s flash course, I shot a few images of one of the … Continue reading →

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Umbrella or softbox?

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Michael Willems

Umbrella or softbox? That’s the question. Whether t’is nobler in the mind to… never mind. But the question is valid: when you want to diffuse light, like in a portrait, which one do you use? An umbrella: Is light and small and … Continue reading →

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Tools Matter

Posted on March 16, 2013 by Michael Willems

For the past two days, I photographed a lot of this: The national championships were held in Toronto in the Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel. And the photo may not show it, but grand ballrooms are dark, lit by … Continue reading →

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Light Shifter

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Michael Willems

Your camera, as regular readers here know, is a light shifter. It shifts light to not “what it is”, but “what you want”. So the first question you always (always) ask when doing a flash shot is, what should the … Continue reading →

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Sam The Studio Man

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Michael Willems

When I prepare a tricky shot, I tend to use  stand-in model while I work on light, so the model does not need to stand there for half an hour while I adjust and move lights. But these stand-in shots … Continue reading →

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Breaking the rules

Posted on March 3, 2013 by Michael Willems

One of yesterday’s shots was a shot with very bright back light: As you see, this image is so bright, that the flare in the lens is causing a lack of contrast. Here’s how much I blew out the background: … Continue reading →

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