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How to create strong dynamic portraits using only one light and a beauty dish

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The whole “one light” thing always seems to be a popular topic. And it’s not really surprising. Every day new people are getting into flash. Buying just a single light and learning to master it is the usual recommendation. And it’s a great way to start. The next logical step before buying more lights is to try out a couple of different modifiers. And what better modifier than a beauty dish?

Photographer Joel Grimes likes working with beauty dishes. So much so that he even put his name on one. The Westcott Rapid Box, designed by Joel, isn’t exactly the cheapest beauty dish out there. But, it does illustrate the principles. And while you won’t get the exact same look, you can get pretty close with any similarly sized beauty dish. In this video, Joel shows us how he likes to use it.

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Shooting portraits with flash vs natural light – 3 setups in 3 minutes

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“Natural light photographers” is a strange term. To some it’s a badge of honour, stating that they either don’t need to use flash to get what they want, or that they simply don’t like “the look of flash”. To others, it’s generally derogatory, suggesting that somebody only uses natural light simply because they don’t know how to use flash. But both are excellent options for lighting up a subject.

Calgary based photographer Nathan Elson utilises both in this comparison of shots in the studio and outdoors using flash and natural light. This behind the scenes video posted by Nathan just goes to show that no matter which is available, there’s ways ways to bend it to your will.

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3 simple ways to backlight your model and make your portraits pop

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When creating studio portraits, it’s good to make the subject stand out from the background. Most photographers know this, but many still make the mistake and don’t backlight their models properly (or at all). In this short video, photographer Manny Ortiz will show you three easy ways to backlight your model and make it separate from the background using speedlights.

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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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Get Started With Studio Lighting for Less than $100

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If you’re relatively new to photography, studio lighting can seem like a whole other world.

If you’re like me when I started with studio lighting, you probably have a pretty decent camera and have seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of your photography as you have learned to work with natural light.

But sooner or later you’ll realize that if you really want to progress as a photographer – you’re going to have to learn to effectively use artificial light.

The good news is that getting started with studio lighting can be really easy, fun and you can do it for less than $100 in gear!

The first studio light photograph that I learned how to take was a one-light studio portrait – so if you’re interested in learning studio lighting, lets start there.

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