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Adaptalux expands its macro lighting range with new Xenon Flash Arm units

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Adaptalux was launched through Kickstarter back in 2015, just creeping past its £100,000 goal. It was a new way to light macro easily with flexible magnetic arms and LED lights that you could get in close to your subject from all angles. LEDs aren’t typically all that bright, though, even when very close. So now, Adaptalux has announced new xenon flash lighting arms, compatible with the existing system.

They’ve taken to Kickstarter again to launch the new flash units. They’re backwards compatible with the previous modular “pods”, retain the same flexible functionality as the LED heads, and they can be controlled via a mobile app for Android or iOS.

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The DOP Choice Universal Snapbag is a softbox you can mount to any light with barndoors

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There are a lot of LED panels out there these days with no real access to add modifiers. Sure, there are some that are Bowens mount that let you use the same sorts of things you’d use with strobes, but for panels, not so much. There are also a lot of Fresnels out there, that can be a pain to attach softboxes to as well. DOP Choice’s Universal Snapbag solves that problem by attaching directly to the barndoors on the front of the light. We spoke with DOP Choice at IBC 2019 to find out more.

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Halloween is coming – Use these lighting tips to plan your spooky photo shoot

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Ok, so, we’re in the latter half of September. I think that means it’s ok to start talking about Halloween now. Christmas is still definitely off-limits, but Halloween? Yeah, I think we’re good. And you know what that means. Spooky photoshoots!

This video from the folks at Aputure goes over how to create suspense in your film with lighting. But the tricks and principles contained within it apply just as equally to shooting photos, too.

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Here are 17 light modifiers compared and how they affect your portraits

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No matter what kind of photography you prefer, there are so many light modifiers to choose from and give your photos the look you want. A wide choice is a great thing, but it can also be confusing. To help you out, Scott Choucino has compared as many as 17 of light modifiers in his studio. So, let’s see in his video how different light modifiers work and how they affect your images.

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This comprehensive video helps you understand, achieve and utilize color balance

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For all photographers and cinematographers, color temperature is one of the key areas to understand. If you’re new to it, it sounds complicated and overwhelming. But in this video from Kinetek, director and cinematographer Matthew Rosen will help you learn more about color temperature. You’ll learn how to understand it, and how to utilize it into your shots just the way you want.

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Three cheap and easy tricks to make any location shot look cinematic using water

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Ok, so, the title says “any location shot”, but it’s probably more like any outdoor location shot, when you think about things practically. Sure, you could use these tips indoors, too, although they wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense. But Ted at Indy Mogul talks to Phil Rhodes, writer at American Cinematographer in this video, to chat about water and how it can make a big difference to your shot.

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This is what a gaffer does and why you need one on a film set

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Gaffer is one of those titles that unless you actually become part of the photo or film industry, you’re not really sure what it is. It’s just one of those jobs that scrolls up the titles at the end of a movie along with countless others. But they play a vital role on a film set. They’re the guys who make the light look the way the director or DP wants it while still making it look natural.

In this video from Vanity Fair, gaffer Andy Day, who’s worked on movies such as Creed II, The Bourne Legacy and Salt, shows us what happens when you shoot a scene without having a gaffer on set. And while the video is geared specifically towards the movies, the same holds true of photography.

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German lighting manufacturer Hensel goes into provisional insolvency

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We appear to have another casualty in the increasingly competitive strobe market. According to ProfiFoto, The District Court of Würzburg has ordered the provisional insolvency administration of the assets of German lighting manufacturer Hensel-Visit GmbH & Co. KG (Hensel). This isn’t bankruptcy or the end of the business, yet, although the company does have a significant challenge on its hands.

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Understanding Light – Working with hard light

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Being able to look at an image and understand the lighting within it is not crucial to becoming a great photographer. But having the ability to look at another image you love and recognise the qualities that stand out to you will undoubtedly help you to become a better photographer far faster.

Last week we looked at how important being able to understand light can be and I also highlighted where many self-taught photographers struggle with this in today’s industry. If you missed last weeks article then I recommend you take a look to see some of the pitfalls self-taught photographers can struggle with as today’s article leads on from that.[Read More…]

Understanding light – an introduction

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This article aims to look at how we as photographers ‘understand’ light. It may seem obvious to many of you, but to a vast majority of us, it’s simply not quite that easy. But what does it truly mean to understand light? Do we really need to understand light to take great photos? The simple answer is no…. but I guarantee it will help.

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