Fashion Photography Lighting Techniques

I have been photographing for almost 30 years. My interest in photography started as a teenager when I observed my two uncles at work, both prominent graphic designers in Germany.

After high school, I studied at two art programs and took numerous photography courses. Eventually my first college photography instructor stated, "I have taught you all I know, Grasshopper, I suggest a school named Brooks Institute of Photography in California, you will like the weather too".

An advanced placement student, I graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography with a BA in Advertising Photography in 1989.

After graduation I moved to Los Angeles and began assisting large commercial photographers. My first lesson, lighting modifiers are not always from the camera store, instead it was a mix of custom designed lighting tools. Items made from fabric and hardware stores. Second lesson, lighting brand names do not matter, as long as it got the job done. The photographers I assisted for in the States and Europe all used similar modifiers, and simply added their own recipe to get the effect they required.

Recently, well almost five years ago, I relocated to Seattle, WA from the Midwest, and set up shop shooting product and people photography. Today I still use the same lighting tools, just modified for my work style. Lighting is paramount to developing your own look as a photographer. Additionally, your team and how one poses the model or arranges the subject is equally important.

Last year my youngest brother suggested I put out a tutorial. Teaching and speaking with other photographers has always been a rewarding experience for me. Perhaps now I can pass along just a little bit of information and spark the imagination in all of us.

Keeping in tune with changing digital technologies and trends occupies much of my time. I use my creative lighting style and technical skills to fulfill the clients goals on time and on budget. I use color, lighting, and composition to create a 3-dimensional image.

A projects highlights include images for Apple, Bosch, Electrolux, HomeDepot, Krups, Macy's, Nike, Vendaria Media, and many others.

As a commercial photographer, I prefer to have visual explanations, and that is the format for all the tutorials. Rather than focusing on technical aspects related to digital photography, this video is about LIGHTING. The inspiration for this video was to teach LIGHTING, not Photoshop or how to fix it later. Show me the lights, the modifiers, and toss in a few tips on when to use these lights. The images in the video are not retouched for lighting, just RAW conversions and the basic 30-second levels adjustments and simple skin cleaning