In the last few weeks I have had an opportunity during a few portfolio shoots as well as a weekend Beauty and Glamour Photography Workshop to do some more advanced studio lighting setups, something that I usually avoid because when I am shooting a modeling portfolio it is important that the photos don’t sell my lighting setup or cool makeup - they have to sell the model. In this article I am going to share a four light setup that let’s you create lots of drama and makes a bold statement as you can see in the included images. As always I have included a lighting diagram and I am also... Read More...

  I have been getting a lot of requests to show lighting diagrams of my studio set-ups. So I will do my best to generate diagrams and also shoot behind the scenes shots of the set-ups in the future. This set-up is a high key lighting set-up that uses three studio strobes (Yes – you could do it with Speedlight’s or hot lights) and it relies on the fact that the studio space has 4 white walls and a nine and a half foot ceiling that is also painted white.     The set-up uses a white vinyl seamless background that is approximately 8 feet behind the subject. Two... Read More...

I have received an incredible response from the article and video series that I produced last year about the DIY Fluorescent Studio Lighting Set-up. I have also received TONS of questions about the fixtures and how to use them so it is time to write a quick follow-up to pass along some very helpful information about the set-up and even some great solutions that people have sent to me. Let’s start with the mounting brackets that I used for the T-8 fixtures in the Part III Video. I think this piece of the rig has caused the most stress for people who have tried to duplicate it. I used the mounting... Read More...

Radio DJ’s often say that they have a face made for Radio. Hence the reason they aren’t on Television. (Unless your name is Ryan Seacrest) There is a reason I work behind the camera, I simply hate having my picture taken.  Probably because I am never happy with what I see in the finished result.  YES - I am my own worst client.  Not to mention that I have relatives who have spent a lifetime perfecting the art of catching me off guard to actually get a photograph that proves I was at a family gathering. I recently had the great experience of losing 40lbs and decided it was time for some... Read More...

  Better yet... why not join a camera club? Education, hands-on learning opportunities, competitions, new experiences, field trips and friendship amongst peers with similar interests and passions are just some of the benefits of a camera club membership. Oh and did I mention EDUCATION? Have you ever wished you could find a real person to talk to about photography or to get a review of your work to help you improve your technique? If your answer is yes – a camera club could be the perfect answer for you. Posting questions or photos on amateur photography websites will sometimes... Read More...

  If you have been following my blog or my YouTube Videos you have heard me state over and over again… “Keep It Simple!” With that in mind here is a recent Beauty shot that I did at the end of a modeling portfolio shoot. I did the shot with just 2 flash heads and one of them was BOUNCED onto the ceiling. The model is a young 16-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio who traveled here for me to shoot her portfolio. Lighting As you can see in the diagram below I had one head, a Paul C. Buff AlienBees™ B800 Flash Unit sitting on a stand at about 6 feet tall and aimed at a 9 foot... Read More...

  Who said that hi-end lighting equipment has to be expensive? And who says the only way to shoot with fluorescent light is to use the flicker-free kino-flo lights that can cost you thousands of dollars? I began using this fluorescent lighting technique nearly 10 years ago, long before kino-flo's and Peter Hurley became popular. I have been asked to describe it so many times that I decided it was time to put together a few tutorials to show how to build it and how to use it.   In this article, I am going to deal with the “how-to use” the fluorescent studio lights.  Jump... Read More...

  NEVER SAY SMILE! Stop smiling… I am serious about this!  Never tell your subject to smile if you want a great expression!   To begin with you need to remember what your Mamma taught you! If you’ve watched any of my videos or read my articles, you know the warning…  Don’t use 4 letter words!   Words like:  RULE… There are no rules.  AUTO… Your camera will not “automagically” make a good photo.  FILM… Enough said!  POSE… Tell a person to POSE and you are encouraging them to be stiff and self-conscious.  Well there is one 5-letter word... Read More...

  Ok… I admit it… this post is part educational – part rant.   Let’s get the rant out of the way first.  It drives me crazy when I see talented young photographers posting images on Facebook or Flickr or their personal web sites and they show 10 or 15 shots of the same thing.  There may be small variations in the pose or occasionally cropping but basically they are all the same shot with the same hair and makeup taken at the same time.   The more images you post of the same thing… the more BORING they become and the more FLAWS become obvious and the images... Read More...

  Ok.. I am sharing this information purely for educational reasons.... ;-)   I wanted to take a few minutes and show you that if you can get past the incredible beauty of Adriana Lima and the other Angels that there is quite a bit that you can learn as a Model or Photographer from a Victoria’s Secret Behind The Scenes Video.   The video is at the end of the article...   Since I am a gentleman we will put ladies first and begin with the models.   So what can a model learn from this video?   You need CONFIDENCE to be a good model. Let’s... Read More...