Advanced Photography Techniques

August 17, 2017

Paying Tribute To The Masters Of Painting
As photographers and filmmakers, most everything we try to achieve visually with lighting, a camera and storytelling through composition goes back to the Masters
Dan Brockett
the Masters of painting
“The Supper at Emmaus” by Caravaggio. The lighting is a wonderful example of chiaroscuro, translated from Italian meaning literally “light-dark,” but for those of us who create images, both filmmakers and photographers, this is a common method we use to create contrast, mood and, most significantly, depth and dimension. I recently visited a... Read more
August 1, 2017

Wireless Flash
Radio waves and light beams can make the difference between getting the shot or not
David Schloss
wireless flash
Like many photographers, I worked for a time as an assistant in a studio, where one of my most important tasks was to follow behind (or in front of or beside) the photographer and make sure they didn’t trip over their PC cable, thereby unplugging the lights while simultaneously falling unceremoniously on their face. A remnant of the same era where... Read more
July 17, 2017

B&W Conversions
Try these creative adjustments using Photoshop, Lightroom and third-party software programs for striking black-and-white images
Text & Photography By Tom Bol
b&w conversions
Ballet dancer in Cuba. Photography began with black-and-white images and the darkroom process, where images came to life. Today, photographers have many more choices. Some photographers still shoot black-and-white film and develop in the wet darkroom. But for most photographers, we capture in digital color and decide later if we want to convert to black-and-white.... Read more
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June 21, 2017

Cooke Optics UK Factory Tour
How to get the Cooke Look
DL Byron
Cooke Optics lenses
A vintage Cooke Optics lens Cooke Optics has been making lenses for 130 years, and their coatings haven’t changed much since the ’60s—that’s what contributes to the Cooke Look cinematographers want on their digital bodies, like RED and ARRI. The coatings are like pixie dust and seen here (decades of them built up) on a flange. The flange holds... Read more
June 14, 2017

Self-Assigned Challenge: Cine Lenses
Manufacturers are responding to ever more capable cameras with cinema lenses, and Byron tries out two of them
DL Byron
cine lenses
“The Initial Mystery that attends any journey is: how did the traveler reach his starting point in the first place?” — Louise Bogan For this journey I’m on in London, it’s an initial mystery of shooting with cine lenses, but let’s back up to the starting point. If you’ve never heard of a cine lens, that’s shorthand for cinema, and what’s... Read more
May 17, 2017

Telling A Story With Environmental Portraiture
On assignment with Jim Cornfield, as he uses a subject’s history to tell the story of an honored vet and the airplane that saved his life
Text & Photography By Jim Cornfield
portrait photography
For a recent photo assignment, Jim Cornfield chose to create an environmental portrait of Air Force Capt. Kenneth Curry, telling a story in images by connecting the pilot to his former military experience. The environmental portrait is one of photography’s simpler ideas: An image of a subject that includes his or her external life—some place or... Read more
May 10, 2017

Adjustments With A Restrained Hand
Faithfully and creatively reproducing your images with careful post-production techniques can yield huge dividends
Text & Photography By Brian Matiash
restrained adjustment post-production techniques
The left half of this frame shows the original photo, as taken by my camera. I had a 6-stop ND filter applied, which not only allowed me to get this long exposure, it also applied a visible blue tint. The right half is the exact same photo except I applied a custom white balance that targeted the gray part of the rushing water. The improvement is quite... Read more
April 5, 2017

The Power Of Portable Light
Using speedlights to tell a more compelling visual story
Text & Photography By Tom Bol
portable light
Moai Statue At Sunset. Nikon D3, 24-70mm ƒ/2.8 lens, shot at 1/50 sec. at ƒ/8, Nikon SB-800 used off-camera to light the statue. I have traveled 4,625 miles to get this image. I’m stumbling through the volcanic landscape in the murky predawn darkness trying to find the Moai statues. The salty breeze and crashing surf remind me of early-morning shoots... Read more
January 23, 2017

The Mixed Studio
Blending modern LED lights with strobes for unique lighting options
Text & Photography By Tom Bol
Mixed Studio
This image uses two LED lights and one strobe. An 18” circular flapjack is the main light on the left, with a ring flash as an accent light on right. An Elinchrom ELB 400 strobe using a 30-degree grid lights the blue background. I love my strobes. Watching them pop away during a shoot energizes the set and amplifies my creativity. My obsession with... Read more
November 16, 2016

In Your Face: Photography In The Age Of Virtual Reality
Photography In The Age of Virtual Reality
By David Schloss
Just as this issue was going to press, Pokémon GO swept the country. Overnight it seemed like everyone was looking face-down at their phones, flicking pretend balls at pretend creatures. Thanks to the intelligent use of a smartphone’s camera, developer Niantic is able to superimpose the various wild Pokémon in a video stream of the real world, a... Read more