PHOTOGRAPHY LIGHTING WORKSHOPS LOS ANGELES
by; Top Fashion Photographer Shaun Alexander
Many photographers wonder what is the best lighting for beauty or fashion photography? Indoors or outdoors?
Strobes or continuous, incandescent or Fluorescent and I always say it makes no difference what type of lights is available to you as long as you know what to do with it.
In my 30+ years of professional life as a fashion photographer I have tried almost every possible lighting scenarios you can imagine, from a 10 dollar home depot halogen light to a $10.000 studio lights and I must say that I have managed to make some of the most interesting images with the cheapest lights
I still prefer the good old natural light over anything, no other lights can even come close to the most beautiful colors created by mother nature
Especially right before the sunset, or as we photographers call is the Magic hour!
No matter what type of light is going to light up your subject, the most crucial piece to a fantastic photography is your GLASS, by that I mean your lenses, and I have a few favorites, like my fixed 85mm 1.4 or even the 50mm 1.1 which would allow me to shoot in almost any lighting situation
Perhaps it is a good idea to have a small tripod with you at all times if you are planning to shoot at a low shutter and a higher aperture setting
I normally don’t like to go any lower than 1/60th of a second if I am shooting a live subject, but I also like longer exposure for interiors with available indoor lights like shooting inside a mall, or a building.
As you know the longer the exposure the crisper and more defined your none moving subjects going to be, but all of your moving subjects become either blurry, or if the exposure is long enough they will completely disappear from your shots.
The possibilities are endless once you get a better grasp of your lighting as well as your camera’s setting.
Film or digital, photography and photographers are only as good as their imaginations.
Photography has always been my passion and the biggest part of my life, and if anyone asked me for a few pointers, I’d say to them
1-Expand your horizons by looking at great master photographers work
2-Shoot something every day
3-Never settle for mediocre shots
4-Create a great team
5-Think outside of the box
6-Own a few great lenses
7-Make images that you will be proud of
8-Create your own style
9-Be open to challenges
10-And finally, Understand your blacks, whites and mid-tones
and if you do that, you should be in a great shape and have some amazing images
and if you still have more questions, I would be happy to answer them , just write me at shaun@zoomonme.com
or visit my photography workshop blogs
All the best wishes
Shaun Alexander
Fashion Photographer