How to Set Up Lighting for Webcasts

The latest photo lesson is available at the RitzCamera.com web photo school:

The lesson describes how to use inexpensive lighting grids for illuminating webcasts and other small video shoots. The lesson goes through each step of lighting both the interviewee and the interviewer properly. It also describes every piece of equipment used in the lesson for those who want to repeat the process themselves.

Topics covered:

• Lighting for a film or video interviews
• Using Grids on your soft boxes to give you more control
• Lighting two people for a video interview
• The benefits of using a soft box with Grids compared to using Tungsten lights with barn doors

Ritz Web Photo School URL:
http://ritz.webphotoschool.com/

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Video Shoots, Shooting Webcasts, Lighting Grids, Webcast Lighting

Using Grids to Fine Tune Portait Soft-Lighting

A new photo lesson is available at the RitzCamera.com web photo school:

The lesson describes how to use lighting grids to alter reflective or soft portrait lighting. It goes step-by-step through the process of setting up your portrait lighting, beginning with a simple one-light with backdrop, feathering the light, and then adding and adjusting the lighting grid to get the final, desired effect.

Topics covered:

• One Light and a Backdrop
• Feathering the Light
• Adding Grids
• Reflecting Light into Shadows
• Creating Light Ratios through Reflective Distances

Ritz Web Photo School URL:
http://ritz.webphotoschool.com/

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Portrait Photography, Studio Photography, Lighting Grids, Portrait Photography

How to Take Great Child Portraits at Home

RitzCamera.com web photo school has a new photo lesson available:

Taking great child portraits in your own home is possible with a little preparation, patience and know-how. This photo lesson shows a few tips to getting exceptional shots of children, who typically have less than an ideal attention span, without lots of expensive equipment. Also revealed in an inexpensive "professional" shooting solution for the real photo enthusiast.

Topics covered:

• A Typical Snapshot
• Shooting in Available Light
• Camera Angle
• Bouncing Sunlight
• Interaction with Your Subject
• Shoe Mount Flash Lighting
• Bouncing Light Off The Ceiling
• Modifying Your Flash for Natural Results

URL for this lesson:
http://ritz.webphotoschool.com/Exploring_Lighting_Options_With_Indoor_Portraits/

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Portrait Photography, Child Portraits

Strobe Lighting for Baby Portraits

RitzCamera.com web photo school has a new photo lesson available:

Recent Ritz Photo School lessons have covered the use of strobe lighting and the use of the OctoDome reflector to create warm portrait lighting.

This lesson combines the two topics, covering how to use a strobe and one or more OctoDome umbrella reflectors to create optimal lighting when shooting baby portraits.

Click here to continue the lesson on the advantages of photographing babies with a strobe and OctoDome.

Topics covered:

• Using an umbrella as the key light
• Using the 3' OctoDome as the key light
• Switching to the 5' OctoDome
• Adding a fill light
• Using the medium WhiteDome

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Portrait Photography, Baby Portraits, Studio Photography, Soft Box, Strobe Lighting

How to Create Warm Portrait Lighting

A new photo lesson is available at the RitzCamera.com web photo school:

There are several factors that go into creating a memorable studio portrait, and the studio lighting is one of the most important.

For black and white portraits, the aspects of the lighting you want to control are primarily the contrast, tonal ranges and gradations. However, photographers creating color portraits must also be concerned with how a person's skin tones will come out in the final photograph.

The color of the skin tone can be affected in different ways. This lesson will focus on using a uniquely-shaped soft box named the OctoDome3 to render beautiful, warm skin tones, even when shooting indoor portraits.

Click here to continue the lesson on creating warm lighting for studio portraits using the OctoDome3 soft box.

Topics covered:

• Setting up the OctoDome3
• Using the white interior
• Using the gold interior panels
• Using the silver interior panels
• Creating wrap-around lighting
• Creating a natural-looking fill light
• Modifying light sources to render warm tones

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Portrait Photography, Studio Photography, Soft Box

Two New Photo Lessons Available

There are two new photo lessons available at the RitzCamera.com web photo school:

The first lesson covers the basics of using strobes to create studio photo portraits. Specifically, it looks at the portrait lighting adjustments using two Photoflex StarFlash strobes. The photo lesson teaches how the adjustable power function makes it possible to attain optimal lighting ratios without having to reduce the size or quality of the light.

Topics covered:

• Basic strobe use
• Portrait lighting
• Power ratios and positioning

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The second new lesson describes how to create 360-degree product shots using QuickTime VR (Virtual Reality). The result is a 360-degree view which allows Internet shoppers to rotate objects around to any angle they want by clicking and scrolling their mouse.

Topics covered:

• Preparing for a QTVR shoot
• Lighting for QTVR
• Capturing 36 images at 10-degree intervals
• VR Worx Software
• Production considerations
• Tips for getting it right on the set

Ritz Web Photo School URL:
http://ritz.webphotoschool.com/

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Tips, Photography Lessons, Portrait Photography,Studio Photography,Strobe Lighting,Product Photography

Photography School Is In Session

Starting next month and running through the first half of 2007, the Nikon School of Photography will be coming to a town near you. Well, the two-day courses are being held from Washington to southern California to Florida to Massachusetts, so hopefully they are being held somewhere within a reasonable drive.

The first day of the course is entitled "Introduction to Digital SLR Photography," with the second named "Next Steps in Digital." (You don't have to register for both days; individual course registrations are welcome.) Obviously the courses will be focused on digital photography. The first course is aimed at beginning digital photographers or those who are still contemplating the purchase of their first digital SLR. The "Next Steps" course is for photographers with some experience (or those who have just attended the first day), and want to take their knowledge to a higher level.

You can find more information about the 2006-2007 photography courses offered by Nikon at http://www.nikonschool.com/.

By the way, Nikon also offers courses in underwater photography using both Coolpix cameras as well as the high-end Nikon digital SLRs. (Use of the equipment is included in the price of the course.) If you are an experienced diver -- this is not a diving course -- and would like to learn about underwater photography, this course may be a great way to improve yourself and treat yourself to a Caribbean vacation at the same time. You can find more information at http://www.nikonschool.com/underwater.html.

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Tags: Digital Cameras, Photography Courses, Underwater Photography, Nikon Cameras, Digital Photography