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Speedlights vs Studio Flash for Small Product Photography

Recently I did a live show where I photographed a pair of earphones. The main purpose of the show was to demonstrate how to photograph earphones based on our fourth photography brief assignment, but there was another lesson I wanted members to take from the shoot: that it’s not about the brand or type of lights you use, but more about your knowledge and understanding of light.

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The best budget modifier for portraiture

I’ve tested, rented and owned a lot of different modifiers over the course of my career, but what would be my choice of modifier for beauty, fashion and portrait work if I only had £50 or £100 to spend? Recently I tested a large number of modifiers for a new tool we’re creating, including an independent brand modifier that cost less than £50 ($70). Surprisingly, this modifier gave great results that were comparable to the Octabox 150 and it’s even easier to transport!

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Product lighting techniques using minimal equipment

Not having enough lights can make product photography challenging, to say the least, but the good news is that there are a few ways you can overcome this problem. I recently shot an antique-style image of a saddle where I showed two other ways you can light creatively even if you only have a couple of lights.

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Karl Taylor Light Cone

The Light Cone enables anyone to snap professional looking product photos. No skills or expensive kit needed. Perfect for eCommerce or catalog businesses.

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Parabolic Reflector Comparison and Budget Modifier Hack

Parabolic reflectors are one of my favourite modifiers, but due to the price of them many photographers often try to find more economic solutions compared to some of the top brands. But how do the more budget options actually perform compared to the top brands? I did a direct comparison between two different brands of parabolic modifiers and also tried a hack to try and make a cheap parabolic softbox modifier work more effectively.

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Studio Lighting Setups Using 2 Lights

There’s a lot you can do with just two studio lights — trust me, I’ve shot everything from bottle product photography to fashion photography using just two lights. I’ve put together two different examples of two-light setups for portrait photography, product photography, and fashion photography and I’m also going to explain how you could use similar setups to these for your own photography.

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Are LED Photography Lights Better Than Traditional Studio Flash Lights?

LED lighting has come a long way in recent years and grown in popularity, so why do most professional photographers, including myself, still prefer studio flash (strobe) lighting? To help you understand the two kinds of lighting systems and, more importantly, which is better I’m going to explain the differences between them, the pros and cons of each, and where each is best applied.

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Parabolic Softbox vs Octabox: Lighting Comparison

Photography can be an expensive hobby, and the last thing you want is to waste your money on something that’s little more than a marketing gimmick. One of the greatest marketing gimmicks with see at the moment is parabolic softboxes, and in a recent Youtube video I did a side-by-side comparison with a popular portrait lighting modifier — a large octabox — to test the results for myself. Read on to discover…

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Case Study: Speedlight Product Photography

Shooting professional product photography using speedlites isn’t necessarily the easiest way to go about it but it can be done, as I showed in a recent Youtube video where I photographed a clear glass bottle using just three speedlites.

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A Guide to Creating White Backgrounds for Product Photography

Creating a plain white background for a product shot or e-commerce shoot sounds simple, and when you know how it is! Whether you’re shooting packshot photography for an e-commerce website or are looking to refine your technique for commercial photography projects, I’m going to explain the important considerations and necessary equipment…

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Case Study: Natural Light Product Photography

When you apply the knowledge of light, you can achieve professional photography results with little to no equipment. In this article I explain how I managed to create a close replica of a previous wine bottle studio shot using nothing more than natural light from a window, some diffusion material, a reflector, and two iPhones.

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Mistakes to Avoid When Using Studio Lighting

I’ve been a photography educator for more than 12 years now, so I’ve seen pretty much everything when it comes to common mistakes relating to first-time studio lighting users. From relying on a light meter to shying away from understanding the physics of light, here are nine mistakes you should try to avoid when using studio flash or strobe lighting.

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A Guide to Understanding Studio Lighting

In this guide to studio lighting you’ll learn the difference between continuous light and flash; different power systems like monobloc lights or power packs; flash power and how to adjust it; how flashes are triggered; and much more.

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Everything You Need to Know About Umbrella Lighting

In any photography studio — amateur and professional alike — you’ll probably find at least one or two umbrellas. These lightweight and affordable modifiers can be used to achieve a number of different results, which is part of the reason they’re so widely used.

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Portrait Photography Lighting Ideas: 3 Creative Ways to Use 3 Lights

From soft, angelic lighting to darker, more contoured lighting, there’s no end to how creative you can be using three lights for portrait photography. If you’re looking for some creative three light portrait ideas, I’ve put together three different setups you can add to your arsenal. These setups use only basic modifiers and show effective techniques that can help add three dimensionality to an image.

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Portrait Lighting Setups: 2-Light Setup Ideas

When it comes to portrait photography, whether you’re using one light or four, you can get some fantastic results just with a little creativity and the right knowledge. Here you’ll see how to use just two lights with a variety of modifiers to get some amazing portraits.

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Portrait photography: 3 Creative 1-Light Portrait Lighting Setups

Looking to create a beautiful soft light portrait image? Or perhaps you want something more dramatic and moody? Even if you’ve only got one light, with a little creativity you can get a variety of different results.If you’re looking for some inspiration, I’ve put together three easy studio setups that use only one light with basic modifiers.

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Light Meters and Why I Don’t Use Them

My stance on light meters is one that can often spark fierce debate, and you’ll quickly notice that I never use a light meter when shooting. I’m not saying you can’t use them, I’m only here to explain why for me they are a waste of money and can negatively affect creativity.

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Lighting Modifiers: Softboxes

Softboxes are popular modifiers that are well suited to many genres of photography. Here I explain the advantages, disadvantages and effects of softboxes as well as offer some alternatives.

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Lighting Modifiers: The Beauty Dish

The beauty dish is often a popular lighting modifier among fashion and beauty photographers because of its versatility and unique light. In my next live show I’ll show you exactly what you can achieve with it and demonstrate how you can modify it even further.

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The Magic of Parabolic Lighting

As a professional photographer, one of the most common questions I get asked is “If you could have just one lighting modifier, what would you choose?” And my answer is always the same — “The Para 133”.

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A Simple 2-Light Portrait Setup

It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to create a high quality professional studio portraits & fashion images. In this video you’ll see a simple portrait & fashion photography lighting setup using softboxes.

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Choosing the Right Lighting System

Choosing or even switching studio lighting equipment brands can be a big decision, so I’m going to share the things I considered before switching my own system from Elinchrom to broncolor. Hopefully by sharing this, you’ll understand my decisions and thought process so that you can make the right choice for your own photography.