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Projection tricks to make the most out of a small studio

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The Light Blaster has become one of my favourite lighting tools over the last few months. I first got to play with one in person at The Photography Show in March. Some of you might remember the cartoon portrait tutorial by Dracorubio posted here shortly afterwards. The image shown in that tutorial was shot at the show, with a Light Blaster projecting onto the backdrop behind me.

Now, Joe Edelman has gotten his hands on one, and put a video together on some of the different ways it can be used. Joe also offers some tips on how to get the most out the Light Blaster, and how to work with it more easily in the studio.

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Tips and tricks for building a DIY home studio on a budget

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Building a studio in your home is the dream for many photographers. Assuming you can convince the rest of your family it’s a good idea, it can even become a reality. For those just getting into studio photography, building a home studio may be an afterthought to a home you already own. You may be very limited on space, so how can you make the most of it?

In this video, photographer Joe Edelman walks us through his home studio. While many of us might not be able to dedicate the space that Joe has, there’s always ways to make things feel bigger than they are. Joe shows us some of his space saving tips, as well as props and tools which serve multiple functions. No matter how large or small your studio, there are always ways to optimise your space and workflow.

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How to find a person’s “good side” and why you probably got yours wrong

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The idea that a person’s face has a “good side” is not an unfamiliar concept. Many of us consistently favour one side of our face when we see a camera pointed at us. We are presenting what we believe is our “good side”. But, have we got even our own face wrong?

In this video, portrait photographer Joe Edelman discusses some of the science behind a person’s “good side”. Science, however, can only take us so far. Other factors like lighting, expression, hair and makeup also affect how the camera sees us. Joe expands on these ideas with some of his observations from his time as a portrait photographer.

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Quickly and easily retouch shiny skin in Photoshop & Lightroom

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Shiny skin can sometimes be a problem for portraits, especially if you don’t have a makeup artist. Camera LCDs are so small that you might not notice the shine while shooting. When the shoot’s all over and you’re looking at the images on the computer monitor, what can you do?

There are a million different ways of dealing with shiny skin, but Photographer Joe Edelman is here to give us a couple of very quick methods for both Photoshop and Lightroom. It may not work for every situation, but you can never know too many techniques for Photoshop or Lightroom.

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One flash is all you need to make amazing portraits

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If you’ve only got one flash, or you’re about to dive into flash, and aren’t sure how many lights you need, or which lights to get in order to shoot portraits, then you’ll probably want to watch this video from Joe Edelman.

In it, you’ll see that it’s really not about how many lights you have, but how they are used. Or rather, how one light is used, in this case.

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Build your own set of LED studio lights using off-the-shelf gear for under $250

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LED lights have made massive leaps in quality and consistency for photographers over the last few years. With camera ISO performance getting better and better every year, many are turning to continuous LED lights as an alternative to flash.

In Joe Edelman’s newest video, he shows how to pick and modify some standard LED strip shop lights in order to mount them on light stands and use them in the studio.

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No Flicker Fluorescent Studio Lights – CHEAP

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Who said that hi-end lighting equipment has to be expensive?

And who says the only way to shoot with fluorescent light is to use the flicker-free kino-flo lights that can cost you thousands of dollars?

I began using this fluorescent lighting technique nearly 10 years ago, long before kino-flo’s and Peter Hurley became popular. I have been asked to describe it so many times that I decided it was time to put together a few tutorials to show how to build it and how to use it.

In this article, I am going to deal with the “how-to use” the fluorescent studio lights. Jump to the end and you will find a video and parts list that will help you build your own set-up for less than four hundred dollars.[Read More…]

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