Studio Lighting

The Photography Blog

Beyond the Studio

Travel photography is the antithesis of a commercial studio. You have no control over the available light and your models are not the kind of people who sign consent forms. Shooting in the field presents challenges that you may not find in a studio, and hence requires a way of thinking that goes beyond the studio.

Keeping The Lights On

One of the great advantages of shooting with flash is you can dial-up the lighting you require any time of day, or night. It’s a seriously big advantage over natural light, consistency and quality. For the last few months we have set aside our usual flash rig for something a little bit different. Continuous LED lighting is here, and it might just be useful.

Dark and Moody Food Photography

Mastering the art of Dark and Moody food photography, and going beyond the basics of 'black box' styling. Dip into the velvet shadows and embrace your darker moods. Warning - this article may contain traces of very delicious dark chocolate.

Take it Slow at the Night Market

Last week I shared a series of stills from the Queen Victoria Market, from the reopening of the Night Market. This time I've gone back with my very modest video rig to capture a slow-motion series using the high-speed ability of the Lumix G9 and a single lens.

Priorities

In the space of a fortnight I've had the same story told to me by two different people, both of whom are very talented with a camera. They went to a workshop to learn new skills and came away with less control over their camera and creativity. They were forced to shoot fully manual and ended up moving away from their best creativity instead of towards it.

Why Is More Important Than How

Sometimes we focus too much on the style and not enough on substance. What motivates us to capture images is far important than the camera itself.

Make The Custom Dial Work For You

One of the most powerful features on any Lumix G or S series camera is the custom dial. C1 and beyond. This is a short primer to put you in control of the custom settings, and start working your own baseline towards better captures.

Pentax 645Z and Capture One

You may have heard that Capture One will open DNG files from the Pentax 645Z, which is entirely true. Just don’t expect to be able to do anything especially useful beyond that.

Capture One Turns Five

It often surprises my travellers to learn that I don't use Lightroom to process my RAW files. I don't use Aperture either. My choice might seem eclectic at first but my loyalty to Capture One has rewarded me many times over. Find out how.