Studio & Location Lighting Secrets for Digital Photographers

Chapter 4. Creative Lighting Tips

Vered and I started writing this book by selecting some of the photographs in this chapter from her portfolio and then writing a creative concept for each. You'll find lots of good ideas here to help you awaken the artist within.

In this section, find new ways to work with lights and accessories to create timeless images that you and your clients will love. Good reading and good fun.

Overcome Meter-Challenging Exposure Situations

As a studio photographer, you need to be prepared for all types of lighting and subject situations. And some are more difficult than others.

The photograph on the left was an exposure challenge because the dark-skinned model was posed in front of a bright-white background. The photograph on the right was even more challenging, because the model was wearing a white outfit. Ahhhh!!! White on white; it's one of the most challenging exposure situations. You need to keep details in the white outfit and prevent it from blending into the white background—all while making sure the background remains pure white!

To overcome this type of situation, it's especially important to get a good in-camera exposure (as opposed to relying on Photoshop for a photo fix). The key is to use a hand-held meter to measure the light on the subject and then ...