Many aspiring photographers set out with the Machiavellian mantra, “Pity the student who does not surpass his master.” Plastered on billboards, printed in magazines, and hanging in galleries all over the world are beautiful images. In an attempt to achieve what all these professionals and masters have accomplished, the young photographer may buy the same gear or hire an equally beautiful model to shoot in a fabulous location. However, when they see the final result, it’s only a high-resolution snapshot of a beautiful model. It lacks the depth and dimension, the perspective and punches that well-crafted lighting brings to the image.
Shooting landscape or architectural shots during the daytime, light is a hard source high in the sky, enveloping everything. For these types of photography, naturalism in how large objects cast smaller ones into shadows is acceptable. Many photographers face a challenge when they try to manipulate these natural elements with reflectors and scrims. Finding a pleasing balance between top, front, back, and side lighting is often tricky and can only be done efficiently with experience.
More challenges arise when shooting indoors, where the light source, like strobes, is entirely your own design. An incredible number of variables such as direction, spread of each light, the size and depth of the shadows, balancing the colors with the wardrobe, skin-tones, nearby objects, with that of the light itself. These infinite variables become daunting to a photographer unfamiliar with handling all the aforementioned elements simultaneously under the pressure of a professional shoot, during which you have to deliver your best work.
There is hope! The Shoot The Centerfold photographers are masters of glamour and fashion lighting with decades of experience working for the most demanding quality publishers: US Playboy and numerous top fashion magazines for the past thirty years. We have developed the most comprehensive education program in glamour and commercial photography. Join us in our upcoming seminars and workshops worldwide, and stay tuned for digital media instructional materials you can bring with you anywhere the job demands.
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