Would you like to become a photographer’s assistant? Or you already got hired, but you want to get rehired? Well, then you should really watch this video from Jay P. Morgan. In a humorous way, he teaches you what not to do if you want to get and keep the assistant’s job. These are eight certain ways to get you fired from the set.
How to create low key Rembrandt light portraits in the studio
Rembrandt had a wonderful way of simulating light in his paintings. So much so, that there’s a whole photography lighting technique named after him. Not surprisingly, Rembrandt lighting. It’s characterised by a small triangle of light under the subject’s eye on the shadow side of the face. It’s typical of how Rembrandt painted his subjects.
This video from Jay P Morgan shows us how we can get a Rembrandt style lighting setup in a low key portrait. With the help of a couple of young ladies, a pomeranian and a chicken, we see how the shot is built up to provide a classic look with a modern twist.
How to fire your strobes 3 different ways and when to use each one
All the time, I see new flash and strobe owners ask “How do I fire these things?, which isn’t an unreasonable question. For speedlights, it’s fairly straightforward. You buy the one that fits your camera’s hotshoe, slide it on, and beyond that you read the manual to figure out what all the different functions do. But what if you want to get it off your camera, or you’re using studio strobes?
In this video, Jay P Morgan shows us the three main ways to fire flashes with your camera. It’s fairly simple to do using either a sync cable, optical slave or radio slave. But each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Not all methods suit all circumstances. So, it’s good to know and understand all three, and when might suit a certain situation best.
Turn your bathroom into a natural light softbox for amazing portraits
When most portrait photographers want to create a directional soft light look, they break out the strobes. Then they usually stick a big octabox on the front of it. But what if you don’t have all that gear? How else can you get soft directional light? Well, you may be able to use the window in your bathroom.
In this video, Jay P Morgan shows us how we can get great soft directional light using only what enters through the bathroom window. Or whatever room in which you happen to be shooting. It’s a great technique if you don’t have flash gear and want to practise your portraits.
How to create natural looking window light on set with artificial lights
Creating big soft natural looking window light on set presents some real challenges. Whether it’s for stills or photography, it’s not always straightforward. Sometimes we get lucky with our environments and they actually have great big windows. But often that is not the case. It’s a desirable look, and one that’s worth learning how to achieve artificially.
In this video, Jay P Morgan goes over the lighting setup for a shoot he did with Zuma Juice. This was a video project, but the same principles apply with photography, too. While most of us won’t be shooting on a set the size that Jay uses here, the technique can be scaled easily to smaller spaces.
How to turn smoke into low lying fog for your next spooky photo shoot
Low lying fog can be fantastic for those creepy photo shoots, especially out on location. Or, perhaps you’re trying to recreate the look of a particular 80s pop music TV show. Whatever your reason, low lying fog often works much better than a more elevated smoke-filled atmosphere choking your subject.
In this video from Jay P Morgan for The Slanted Lens, we see how to make a smoke machine produce low lying fog. And all you need is a cooler and a big block of ice.
What is the best full frame camera under $2,000? 5DIII vs 6DII vs A7II
Making the decision to go full frame is an easy one for some people. Full frame cameras offer a shallower depth of field for a given aperture & field of view combination. They also tend to be the cameras with the best high ISO performance. But most people don’t have an unlimited budget. So, what’s the best full frame DSLR under $2,000?
That’s what Jay P Morgan wanted to figure out when he put the venerable Canon 5D Mark III up against the Sony A7II and the shiny new Canon 6D Mark II. Rather than just bleat on about specs, this video is a look at how the cameras compare in the real world, and how each affects the final result. Note that the 5DIII is technically over $2K, but they can be found used for much less.
Learn how to light the inside of a cube for better interior architectural shots
Architectural photography has never really appealed to me. Not shooting it, at least. I do enjoy looking at it occasionally and there’s some fantastic work out there. For me, an interior is basically just an environment for a portrait rather than the subject itself. But the principles that go into lighting the room are the same regardless of your reason for shooting in it.
This video continues Jay P Morgan’s Laws of Light series. We’ve already seen how to light the outside of a cube. Now we learn how to light the inside of one, to illustrate how we can light a room interior. Light bouncing around inside a room often seems quite complicated. But it’s a lot easier to understand when it’s broken down into simple steps and principles.
These tips will make photographing animals easier and more efficient
While I love photos of animals, I believe that animal photography is one of the most difficult genres to master. You need a hell lot of patience and focus when working with them, even when they are trained and obedient.
Jay P. Morgan has some awesome animal shots, and he shares some tips that will help all aspiring animal photographers. You’ll find his tips and tricks useful for making the photo shoot more efficient, and getting the shots exactly as you want them.
Coloring shadows can make your photo, this is how you do it with gels
Do you use gels to add color to your photos? Jay P. Morgan shows you four different ways to use them, but with a twist – he focuses on adding color only to the shadows. By using gels, he achieves the desired effect in camera. Some of these four methods can work for you too, and they’re great ways to minimize the time you spend editing the photos.
