WELCOME TO LIGHTING ESSENTIALS

I am writing this on Christmas Day, 2014. Not gonna do too much today. Spend time with the family, have a quiet read, and listen to some of my favorite music. There are times we must do this after long periods of stress and hyperactivity. It is our way of...

Is making a photograph easy? Good question... although the question should really be; Should making a photograph be easy? We seem to expect it to be. I see the ads about how easy it is to "click" and get a picture. Kodak said it decades earlier: "Push the button and...

Occasionally we run into the argument of whether or not 'creativity' can be taught, or does it have to be born within us? We read all about creativity and how important it is. We award little statuettes to really "creative" people. Creativity is blessed, cursed,...

Photography at its best can be a reflection of the world in ways that we have never been seen before. It is the photographer's vision that makes the image become more than it could have been. But at the heart of the photographer's vision, there is a deep foundation of...

Nobody likes a clone. A clone is a copy, a non-authentic 'ringer' that has no soul, no guts, no passion, no quirks or guilts or pleasures. And it is way, way too easy to be a clone. Just copy something or someone and do that as you. But it is you. Case in point. A...

One of the more difficult things to wrap our arms around is that not everyone out there wants us to succeed. In fact, the numbers are highly stacked against us. More people will seem to want to douse your flame of passions before it gets lit than will block the wind...

In the 'business' of photography some things have changed drastically since I started out a long time ago. From "day rates" to "snip tests" some of what we did as a normal part of our creative lives have either vanished or have been recreated into some new language -...

Have you ever purchased a car? From a dealership? All the run around they do, the "let me take this to my manager" BS, and the "hey, what do you want to spend per month for this little honey..." makes me cringe. I am a marketer, and that stuff makes me laugh. But it...

I know that being a professional photographer should be a bed of roses, a magical place where unicorns and rainbows are interspersed between the Bentleys and mansions. A place where creativity is simply something that everyone has in spades, and no one is ever without...

Two old sayings people like to throw around a lot without really listening to what they are throwing around; "The devil is in the details" means pay very close attention to the minutiae... it is where the challenges will be hiding. "Don't sweat the small stuff" means...

As a commercial and advertising photographer, one of the most important responsibilities you have is to be in control of your shoot. It can mean the difference between a very successful shoot and one that gets by. (Keep in mind there are no failures - it isn't an...

One of the challenges of commercial photography is that you are obligated to hit a home run every time your number comes up. You are the clean up hitter, or the "go to" guy when the team needs a guaranteed win. It can be a little stressful at times. Like standing on a...

You know, it really is too short for most things. Life. Four letters, and yet it means so much to our very souls. One of the things I loved about being a photographer was all the amazing people that I got to meet. I photographed the guy who invented the mechanical...

Back when I was first starting out in this business, I shot nearly every day. Maybe for an hour or two, maybe only for a few minutes. When I wasn't shooting, I was in the darkroom developing film, making contact sheets or printing. Lots of printing. There was a lot to...

Have you ever heard someone say this? "They're not paying me enough to do my best work." Possibly some variation of that? What a terrible, awful, self-defeating way of doing anything. It's an amazingly stupid, self-absorbed sense of entitlement that brings nothing but...

... it knows what the heck is going on. That place deep inside you where you just know something is not right. Listen to that feeling. It is right more than it is wrong. Now I know that your head will be arguing with you the whole time. There is a reason for that is...

I am a pretty strict believer in loyalty. I live it and I demand it. Not in harsh, 'kingly' sort of way, but more of a gentle 'I am way too busy for your call' way. I can list loyalty as one of my strong traits. I may sometimes be loyal to a fault. I have always felt...

... is different - depending on what lens you choose. Choose wisely. One of the joys of photography is being able to use a different lens for a different perspective. Something very far away can be brought 'closer' by a long (telephoto) lens. We can add depth to a...

  Gear envy takes two major forms; 1. "I can't do what I want with this crummy gear." 2. "I can't believe that guy/gal has such great equipment when their work sucks so bad." Actually envying someone by what their gear collection is - "I so wish I was him, I...

(This is an ongoing series that I am writing for the month of December, 2014. After nearly 40 years in this business, I have learned a couple of things. I am sharing that knowledge here.) What is "self-sabotage"? It is the premature destruction of a talented...

  In photography, as in most things in life, there are moments when you hesitate for reasons you may never know. Those small hesitations can be driven by fears, or unknowing, or simply because you had too many beers and are partially paralyzed from playing some...

Not only can you not please everyone, you shouldn't even try. Why? Because all those "anyone's" can't even agree what they like anyway. The first seven or eight years of my photographic career were spent trying to figure out what "they" wanted to see. Should I have...

When I first started I met a photographer who was what I call a "prima-donna", or asshat in today's world. He would rant and rage while shooting. All of his assistants would cower as he belittled them, humiliated them and treated them less than anyone should ever be...

There is nothing better than a great partner. Finding someone who fills in those blanks in your business acumen can be a life saver. Whether it is a rep, or a second shooter/first assistant, or a full business partner, working with someone who helps you stay focused...