Lighting How To

If there's one camera variable that doesn't fit into the set-it-and-forget-it category it's the ISO you select for every scene you confront. Choose wisely and you're on the road to success, but an incorrect pick can severely compromise the quality of a photo.

New Yorker Chris Gampat calls himself a “Headshot Photographer,” although his 10 years in the business also includes photojournalism, fashion and wedding photography in addition to portraiture. He’s also a creative, funny guy as you can see in these images from his series ‘The Secret Order of the Slice.”

If you carefully analyze a selection of outstanding landscape photos, you'll realize that contrast plays a big part in their impact. Yet, discussions of outdoor photography techniques often ignore this essential component.

Every so often we come across a really nice scene, compose it properly, and nail both focus and exposure. Yet we're left with a feeling that by adding "a little bit extra" we can transform the image into something super special.

Shooting in the rain is a great way to capture some very impactful images, but without the right equipment it’s also a great way to ruin your expensive gear. In this instructional video from Matt Granger, however, you’ll learn how to get dynamic “rain” portraits on the cheap—without getting yourself or your equipment wet.

There are two real reasons to use a flash bracket. The first is to raise the flash high enough above the lens so that shadows just drop behind the subject instead of off to one side. When keeping a suitable distance from the background, the shadow will usually just disappear. The second is to eliminate the dreaded "redeye" caused by the flash being too close to the...

It’s a good thing that early photographers didn’t have to pass through airport security with their flash equipment. The pyrotechnics they used to light a scene would surely have merited more than a pat down. Many years ago, long before the flash tube or flashbulb, a century or so before the Flashcube, cameramen used a flash powder called thermite.