To demonstrate lighting control, we challenged Karl to see how many different lighting effects he could create when shooting a simple object.

Following on from our recent live chat show, which centred around the topic of ‘Lighting Control’, ‘The Egg Challenge’ will see Karl put these points into practice as he demonstrates how to control light to achieve a number of different moods, all while photographing the simplest of subjects: an egg.

Often photographers will use techniques such as different poses, interesting props or exciting locations, relying on each to enhance or change the mood of an image, but what happens when your model is an inanimate subject, you don’t have any props and you can only work in one location? How creative can you be?

That’s exactly what we find out in this live show. We challenged Karl to see just how many different results he can come up with when shooting an inanimate subject in the same location and with absolutely no props - he will only be allowed to use a few different base surfaces and backgrounds. So how exactly will he do this?

Karl will make use of a number of different lighting techniques to see how many different results he can create while shooting the exact same subject.

Drawing on his knowledge of light and lighting control, Karl will demonstrate a number of techniques for controlling the mood and feel of an image, including:

• The position of the light,
• Direction of the light,
• Hardness / softness of the light,
• Colour / temperature of the light
• Choice of modifier
• Invoking emotion
• Composition, and
• Sculpting the subject.

Using both standard, affordable modifiers as well as a few pro light shapers, Karl will explain and demonstrate a number of these techniques to show just how powerful a good understanding of light can be. 

This show covers both the theoretical and practical side of controlling studio lighting, which means it will provide an invaluable reference for any photographer wanting to learn more about studio lighting.

Studio lighting, and how to control it, is something we cover extensively throughout our site, so if you’d like to learn more, make sure browse our extensive collection of classes.

In this live show Karl demonstrates how, by thinking outside the box and applying an understanding of light, it’s possible to achieve great results, even when photographing simple subjects.

Live Workshop – Softbox lighting & theory

Introduction & understanding light

Live Workshop - A Guide to Lighting Emotion

Live Workshop - Creative Portrait Lighting Techniques (Part 1)