How to Light Your Photos and Videos Like a Pro

Nothing will improve your craft more than an understanding of lighting and the ability to control and create it artificially.

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WHETHER YOU’RE AN enthusiast looking to sharpen your creative tools or a professional expanding your skills to get more gigs, off-camera lighting—that is, flashes or continuous lights not mounted on your camera—can be as daunting to master as a musical instrument or a language.

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Even for professionals, it’s a lifelong process. But with basic concepts and a few inexpensive tools, it can be surprisingly simple to begin.

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“Learning how to create your own light is a critical foundational skill to becoming a capable and versatile photographer,” Hobby says.

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He adds that lighting allows you to solve technical problems, create an entirely new environment for your subject, and make your camera interpret a scene exactly the way your eye sees it.

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How to Light Your Photos and Videos Like a Pro

Brought to you by Pixaocean

Nothing will improve your craft more than an understanding of lighting and the ability to control and create it artificially.

Brought to you by Pixaocean

WHETHER YOU’RE AN enthusiast looking to sharpen your creative tools or a professional expanding your skills to get more gigs, off-camera lighting—that is, flashes or continuous lights not mounted on your camera—can be as daunting to master as a musical instrument or a language.

Brought to you by Pixaocean

Even for professionals, it’s a lifelong process. But with basic concepts and a few inexpensive tools, it can be surprisingly simple to begin.

Brought to you by Pixaocean

Brought to you by Pixaocean

Writing with Light

“Learning how to create your own light is a critical foundational skill to becoming a capable and versatile photographer,” Hobby says.

Brought to you by Pixaocean

He adds that lighting allows you to solve technical problems, create an entirely new environment for your subject, and make your camera interpret a scene exactly the way your eye sees it.

Brought to you by Pixaocean