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Lighting and Studio Gear

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Control the light

Photography=Painting with light. Here are your brushes.

By Mason Resnick - March 11, 2009


Natural light is great—when it's cooperating. For the other 90 percent of the time, there's flash, continuous artificial light, and light modifiers. Welcome to Adorama's guide to all sources of light and light modification and find out what you need when that tiny little built-in flash just isn't doing the job.

Many flash units are significant investments, especially when you're building a studio. But portable flash can pack a lot of illumination, and new flash accessories let you control this light—soften and shape it—in new and previously unheard-of ways.

Light equipment includes:

  • Portable flash: They attach to your camera via a hot-shoe, although most can now be operated off-camera, wirelessly, giving you more directional lighting options.
  • Studio monolights and AC/DC packs: Not as portable, these flash units boast more power and have modeling lights so you can preview what the final result will look like.
  • Light modifiers: These attach over, in front of, and around flash units to shape and change the light, intensify it or diffuse it, or control the ambient, or "found," light in a scene.

Join us as we shed some light on lighting gear!

 

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The Best HD Video Lighting Kits Right Now!

Top kits for video production. UPDATED FOR WINTER 2012

ArticleBuying Guides Gear Guides & Reviews - by Jason Schneider, 4 days ago

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For the best image quality when shooting HD video indoors, you need to supplement the light. Here are some top kits.

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TAGS: buying guide,  DSLR,  light,  light stands,  lighting,  digital SLR,  buying tips,  hd video,  Focus on HD Video 

Stunning fashion photos on a shoestring budget

How to do anything photographic on a shoestring budget, Episode 1

ArticlePortraits and People Techniques and How-Tos - by Sandy Ramirez, 15 days ago

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Ahh the economy. It has driven many of us insane trying to figure out how to do more with less. Clients constantly approach us asking for miracles with shoestring budgets. A fine example is shooting anything fashion related. Editorial work these days pays almost nothing if you are lucky or nothing at all for the most part.

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TAGS: flash,  fashion,  flash heads,  flash diffuser,  lighting technique,  Flashpoint,  flash modifier,  Pentax Q,  Focus on Fashion Photography 

StarLite Kits: Perfect for Stills and HD Video

A Web Photo School presentation

ArticleLighting and Studio Gear Gear Guides & Reviews - by Guest Author, December 28, 2011

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Yes, modern cameras (and even some cell phones) can capture good quality images, but it takes beautiful light to make beautiful pictures. That’s a truism about art, and technology won’t change that. The good news, however, is found in another truism about art: Beautiful light is often simple light.

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TAGS: digital,  light,  light stands,  strobe,  lighting,  studio,  digital SLR,  studio lighting,  lighting technique,  subject,  strobist,  strobism 

Man of Steel—Shooting on Location

A Web Photo School presentation

ArticleLighting Techniques and How-Tos - by Guest Author, November 21, 2011

Learn how to set up a four lighting setup and arrange a two-person portrait on location.

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TAGS: photography,  digital,  digital camera,  profiles,  light,  professional,  light stands,  strobe,  lighting,  studio,  photographer,  studio lighting,  location,  photographs,  photography tips,  lighting technique,  photo technique,  photography tip,  products,  photo tips,  subject,  strobist,  strobism,  Photoflex 

Still life tent buying guide

Your guide to digital camera scene modes

ArticleLighting and Studio Gear Gear Guides & Reviews - by Fred Singer, November 15, 2011

Still life tents consist of a white translucent fabric supported by an internal “snap-to” support system.

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TAGS: photography,  tips,  online,  ebay,  auction,  still life tent 

Location Assignment: Firehouse Portraits

A Web Photo School presentation

ArticleLighting and Studio Gear Gear Guides & Reviews - by Adorama Learning Center Editors, October 12, 2011

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In this lesson, New York photographer Ian Spanier walks you through his prep work and setup while demonstrating how he handled the inevitable roadblocks that always seem to pop up while shooting on location.

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TAGS: photography,  light stands,  strobe,  lighting,  studio,  photographer,  digital SLR,  studio lighting,  soft box,  photography tips,  lighting technique,  photo technique,  photography tip,  Digital photography,  photo tips,  strobist,  strobism,  photo business,  Ian Spanier 

Lighting a Wine Cellar with a FirstStudio Kit

A Web Photo School production

ArticleLighting and Studio Gear Gear Guides & Reviews - by Adorama Learning Center Editors, October 6, 2011

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Ben Clay uses a classic approach and simple lighting kit to add depth and interest to the wine cellar of a historic hotel. His technique of working with the ambient light of the room, and adding contrast where needed, can be used by realtors, architects, builders and architecture photographers.

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TAGS: digital camera,  Olympus,  strobe,  lighting,  digital SLR,  off-camera light,  depth of field,  lenses,  lighting technique,  Digital photography,  depth,  strobist,  strobism,  Olympus E-5 

Ring Flash Effects with the OctoDome: extra small

A WebPhotoSchool lesson

ArticleLighting Techniques and How-Tos - by Adorama Learning Center Editors, September 7, 2011

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How to create the ring flash look without a ring flash.

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TAGS: light,  lighting technique,  focus on portraiture,  Photoflex,  Focus on Fashion Photography 

Portrait of a Makeup Artist

A WebPhotoSchool Lesson

ArticlePortraits and People Techniques and How-Tos - by Adorama Learning Center Editors, September 7, 2011

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Noted editorial photographer Ian Spanier takes photos that tell a story. Whether he’s shooting images of celebrities, fitness models or doing a portrait, he crafts the shot so that we can learn something about the subject.

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TAGS: monolights,  portrait,  studio lighting,  soft box,  lighting technique,  modeling,  Photoflex,  Focus on Fashion Photography 

Westcott 7 Foot Parabolic Umbrella—AdoramaTV

Product Reviews

ArticleAdorama TV Techniques and How-Tos - by Mark Wallace, August 18, 2011

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Adorama Photography TV presents the Westcott 7-foot parabolic umbrella for studio and outdoor use.

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TAGS: light,  lighting,  umbrella,  flash modifier,  parabolic 

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