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4 ways that using grids will take your images up a notch

Mar 19, 2022 by Alex Baker Leave a Comment

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Do you use grids on your light modifiers? Well, if you don’t, you might be missing out. In this video from Adorama fashion and beauty photographer, Lindsay Adler walks us through a few different ways that using grids can take your images from good to great.

“Grids will change your photographic life,” says Lindsay, “I don’t feel hyperbolic saying that!” So how exactly will using a grid help?

So first of all, what is a grid? It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a grid of either metal or material that fits onto the front of the light modifier and controls the spread of the light. The light becomes much more directional and gives you far better control over where you want it to go, rather than having it bouncing all over the scene. It’s particularly useful if you just want to light a small area of your subject such as in product or tabletop photography.

So how else do grids help? They can help reduce lens flare, always a good thing! They can also be extremely helpful if you’re shooting in a small space, particularly if all the walls are painted white. Using a grid will help prevent the light from reflecting off all the surfaces and then you can add reflectors where you want them.

Lindsay further adds that using one light to shoot is certainly not wrong, however, layering light and using grids to make the light do specific things is a little more sophisticated because you can shape the lighting to exactly how you want it. It’s the difference between having an additive mindset (starting with zero lights and adding them one by one) when it comes to lighting as opposed to an elimination mindset (taking away light).

The video contains some brilliant demonstrations and will give you some great ideas about how to creatively craft your lighting to do exactly what you want it to do.

 

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Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: creative lighting, grids, layered lighting, portrait photography

About Alex Baker

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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