Lighting How To

For decades, soft light has been the bee’s knees for portrait photography. It’s flattering, pleasant to look at, and undistracting.

The first time I met Craig La Mere was at an ice cream shop in Brunswick, Maine, at about 11 p.m. Really. It was the night before the Maine Professional Photographers Association conference was going to kick off. I was there as a print judge, La Mere as a speaker. I recognized him from his Moz (his studio name) logo hat, although he didn’t know who this stranger was who was accosting him.

The imaginative, dramatic photographs of Alexis Cuarezma showcase the skills of an imaginative master of dramatic lighting.

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.

Professional photographer and Shutterbug contributor James Patrick has no shortage of great photography-related tips so we had him step in front of the camera recently to share them with our readers. 

Shutterbug reader Larry Young has managed to freeze a moment in time and transform a drop of water into an alien universe all from the comfort of his garage. So, how did he do it?

Shutterbug featured the unique work of expert light painter Jason Page back in 2014, and he has a fascinating new tutorial that will help you learn this popular technique. In this video, Page uses the Light Painting Brushes system to create some imaginative effects.