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Watch and learn the difference between “YouTube lighting” vs “cinematic lighting”

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I thought this was quite an interesting video. It’s an interesting take on how we light for different subject matter. It isn’t saying that one method of lighting is necessarily better or worse than the other, just that the goals of the shoot are very different, the final use for the footage is also very different and so the lighting needs to be different.

In this video, filmmaker Tyler Stalman shows us how we can light both ways using the same equipment. But as well as simply showing us, he also goes into the why of how we light these two things differently and the motivation behind it.

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Watch to learn the how and why of lighting male portrait subjects

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Lighting human subjects can be pretty tricky sometimes, especially when you’re used to photographing people of one gender and you try to photograph somebody of another. You’d think they’d all be lit the same, but that’s not the case, as wedding, portrait and fashion photographer Jerry Ghionis demonstrates in this video.

It’s not difficult to light male subjects, but there are a few misconceptions out there. Jerry wants this video to help “demystify lighting male subjects once and for all”, with a bunch of tips and tricks he’s developed over the past 20 years using minimal gear.

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This software lets you test movie lights without leaving your home

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It’s no secret that we use Set a Light to test our photo lighting before we start a shoot. (We talked about it here, here, and extensively here). We even used it to play around with models under lockdown. While I used the software quite a bit for photo projects done with strobes, it lacked in the cinema section. But now, they released a new version, and I am blown away by the possibilities it opened.

If you want to play, there is a trial version in this link; if you need some motivation, though, read on.

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The 2020 DIYP Holiday Gift Guide Megathread

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With all of our 2020 Gift Guides now posted, we thought we’d pop up one more just so you have a handy link to all of them in one place. We’ve covered cameras, lenses, lighting, tripods, sliders, gimbals accessories and more in our guides this year and we’ve seen quite a few cool new toys in 2020 – as well as one or two old favourites that still reign supreme.

What are you getting the photographer or filmmaker in your life this year? What are you hoping to receive?

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How to turn one light into several for dramatic black and white portraits

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When it comes to using just a single light source in the studio, there is a lot of great content out there, and we’ve covered some of it here on DIYP before. Often, when you want one light to look like several, though, you usually need to think about multiple shots and compositing in post – whether it be for stills or video. But you don’t have to.

Photographer Jiggie Alejandrino recently showed us one way to shoot dramatic portraits with just one light but now he’s back again with a new tutorial. This one adds even more drama and produces some very impressive results that most people would guess used at least two or three lights. But nope, he just uses one speedlight for these.

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This is my favourite $1 lighting modifier

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I’ve always been drawn to interesting looking light. The simple, soft and flat light of softboxes and other standard modifiers rarely hold my attention and I’ve often felt like that softbox lighting doesn’t exist outside of the studio. It’s always looked a little too clinical for me.

We’re shown interesting light all of the time when we’re observing daylight. Dappled light as it falls through leaves, dancing sparkles of light on water, rays of light through buildings and other structures, but we rarely try and bring that interesting looking light into the studio. In fact, many of us chase and covet this idea of ‘perfect’ light from a generic modifier and although there is certainly a time and a place for that, today I’d like to share a lighting technique that is a little more visually engaging.

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Aputure’s new colour-mixing Accent B7c LED bulb is every practical light you’ll ever need

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If you’ve shot video, or even sometimes if you’ve shot stills, you know what a hassle practical lighting can be. It’s always too bright or too dim to easily balance with the rest of your lights for the ISO you want to shoot at. Or, it’s completely the wrong colour. So, you have to get tricky with white balance, or gel things, or have a bunch of different types of bulbs on-hand to match to other light sources.

Well, no more. Now you just need one type of bulb to match with everything. Aputure has finally launched the Accent B7c, an RGBWW colour-mixing practical LED light that lets you simulate just about any colour or brightness you’ll ever need.

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How to shoot a night-to-day transition in a single take with some lighting trickery

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We’re not talking about the timelapse holy grail here. We’re talking video. One of the most difficult things to do in film is to show the passing of time in a single shot. There are many ways to do it, but rarely is it all caught in the same take.

This video from the folks at Aperture’s A-Team shows us how it can be done with a little forethought and some fancy trickery with your lighting setup. It’s actually not as difficult as you might think, although it definitely takes some planning and there are one or two tips that can help improve your odds of pulling it off.

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Vogue under fire over not hiring a black photographer for Simone Biles cover photos

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On its August issue covers, Vogue features the amazing gymnast Simone Biles, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. While people are thrilled to see her on the cover, the photos themselves have caused quite an outrage. People have called out Leibovitz over “poor lighting” and “washed out” skin tones, adding that Vogue should have hired a black photographer who better understands dark skin tones.

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