STROBIST® LEARN HOW TO LIGHT. Welcome to Strobist. Strobist is the world's most popular resource for photographers who want how to learn to use their flashes like a pro. Lighting newb? We gotcha covered. Scroll down just past the most recent features to get Strobist's free, extensive knowledge bank below. Latest Update: Newly Expanded Gear Guide Strobist's newly expanded, categorized Gear Guide is here to offer you both solid recommendations—and a framework to make more informed choices of your own. Given that photo gear can be expensive, one of our goals will always be to keep you from spending hard-earned money unnecessarily. __________ Other Recent Features: Three New On Assignments (scroll down OA List) Do This: Sara Lando Coming to US for Classes in August My Latest Project: The Traveling Photographer ALL-NEW MODULE: Ecosystems 101 Strobist Guide to Lighting Indoor Sports Lighting 101 Now on PDF (+ vers. POR/GER/FRA/ESP) Year in Review: Best of 2013 Review: The Road to Seeing Fuji X-Camera Follow-Up We All Screw Up; Don't worry Newb? Start Here: Lighting 101/102 Introduced in 2006 and completely updated in 2013, Lighting 101 is the core educational module of Strobist. It is a free, start-from-zero tutorial that will teach you the basics of lighting (and lighting gear). L101 will have you up and running in no time—and at minimal expense. Millions of photographers have successfully completed this course, and as a result are out there lighting their photos every day. You can do it, too. Introduced in 2007 and currently in the process of a full update/revision (please be patient) Lighting 102 is the sequel to Lighting 101. Where L101 was about gear and basic concepts, L102 will teach you how to understand and control the qualities of your light to make it do your bidding. From Classroom to Real World: On Assignment Strobist's On Assignment series features full walk-throughs of one hundred and sixty seven (and counting!) real-world assignments, complete with discussions ranging from lighting to concept to execution—and even some screw-ups. It largely follows my path as a newspaper shooter and beyond, progressing from simple speedlights to more complex studio flashes. Occasionally, OA also features the work of other photographers. Equip Yourself: Recommended Gear Learn from my lifetime of screwups. The Strobist Gear Guide is designed to help you avoid making many of the costly mistakes I made over the first 20 years of my career. This is the gear that works for me, day in and day out. It is solid, reliable and will get the job done without destroying your wallet. Feed Your Brain: The Strobist Bookshelf Books are gear for your brain. Chosen wisely, they represent some of the best value for dollar you can spend as a learning photographer. Featured on the Strobist Bookshelf are my current favorites, winnowed from hundreds of books read over the course of my career. It is a relatively short list, but there are solid selections for nearly any lighting photographer. The Bookshelf is updated regularly. Putting it All Together: Ecosystems 101 Okay, so now you know how to light. But in truth, learning to light is just like learning a language: it's meaningless knowledge until you figure out what you want to say—and why. How do you find your place—and your voice—in the world of photography? It's a daunting challenge for some, but that's exactly what Ecosystems 101 is designed to help you accomplish. Save Some Cash: DIY/Homebrew We are all born with more time than money, and die with more money than time. Strobist has a strong tradition in DIY lighting projects, which will help you to expand your lighting palette for little or no cash. Video Highlights Being visually oriented, most photographers embrace the concept of monkey-see, monkey-do. If that sounds like you, the posts in this collection will take you through the highlights of the various videos which have appeared in these pages. From the straight tutorial to the strange, it's all here. Interviews/Guest Posts Over the last few years we have had occasion to interview not only interesting photographers but also a few artists. And occasionally we'll turn the mic over to another photographer, for a change in perspective. And for the record, we occasionally interview dead people. Because no one else is doing it... Rants/Essays/Humor Epiphanies? Complaints? Practical Jokes? Revenge? The occasional laugh? You'll find them in this list. Reviews Books, lights, mods, grip—and I am not even ruling out BBQ sauce in the future. If it is worth your time I will talk about it here. If it not worth your time, I'm probably not gonna talk about it. Unless it is spectacularly bad, in which case who can resist? How To Just what it says: simple explainer posts on how to do something cool. Or repurpose a common item for a photographic use. Or whatev. This one's pretty loose... The Best of Strobist Every year we take a look back at the best work that appeared on the site. You'll find the B.O.S. collections listed here, organized by year. FIRST TIME HERE? Lighting 101 | On Assignment | HoCo360 My Training Videos on Lynda.com Bookshelf | Portfolio | Twitter | G+ | Lighting 101 Archive: Lighting 101 Intro Understanding Your Flash A Beginner's Lighting Kit Light Stands Umbrella/Stand Adapters Synching Your Flash Using Umbrellas Soft Light - Bouncing Bare-Tube Style Lighting Hard Light Two Very Cool Light Mods Balancing Flash/Ambient, Pt 1 Balancing Flash/Ambient, Pt 2 Using Gels Snoots and Gobos and Grids Textural Lighting for Details Cross Lighting Back Light as Main Corner Headshot Lighting for Glasses Long-Throw Hard Light Strobe/Ambient: A Shorthand Reverse Engineering Light Pre-Visualizing Light It's Not (All) About Flash Lighting 101 to Go (PDF) Lighting 102 Archive Introduction Overview Q and A 1.1 - Position | Angle 1.2 - Position | Distance Position | Review 2.1 - Apparent Light Size 2.2 - Specular Highlight Control Specular Highlight Discussion Assignment | Cooking Light Cooking Light Discussion Assignment | Umbrella Specular Umbrella/Specular Discussion 3.1 - Balancing w/Twilight 3.2 - Balancing Sun/Crosslight 3.2 - Balancing Flash/Ambient Assignment | Balance Balance Discussion 4.1 - Restricting Light 4.2 - Hard Light: Film Noir Film Noir Discussion 4.3 Assignment | Cross Balance Cross Balance Sculpt Discussion 5.1 Refract and Reflect 5.2 - Assignment: Double-Duty 6.1 - Gelling for Fluorescent 6.2 - Gelling for Tungsten Assignment | Work That CTO Work That CTO Discussion 7.0 - Time-Based Variables 7.1 - Flash Zoom and Stone Soup Assignment | Time in a Bottle On-Assignment Archive OA Main Page/Index Wind Tunnel Abstract Concrete Archeologists Cicada Star Gazer Real Estate Developer Blind Snoot Portrait Conference Room Quickie Lighting Prep Basketball Taming Harsh Sunlight Big Gym, Little Lights Light the Little Stuff Thinking Outside the Box Designing a Backdrop Lighting for Detail Guy on a Boat Lighting TV's and CRT's Simple Wall/Snoot Portrait Ambient Works For You 2nd Light Creates Tension Womens Lacrosse Cover Lacrosse Cover, v2.0 Flashing into a Sunset Ant Upton: Soccer Preview Robert McNary: Shoot Your Kid Compact Fluorescent Bulb: 1/2 Compact Fluorescent Bulb: 2/2 5-Minute Test Shot Shiny, Pretty Things Pool Portrait Strobe on a Rope Tupperware/Trash Bags, Pt. 1/3 Tupperware/Trash Bags, Pt. 2/3 Tupperware/Trash Bags, Pt. 3/3 More Macro Studio Lighting a Comet DIY Softbox Grid Spot Medical Illustrator Use a Plant as a Cookie Shade is Your Friend The Photo vs. the Process Zebra Fish and Zygotes Stainless Steel and Cookies Photographing Christmas Lights Hit for Average Look for a Detail Book Club Pt. 1 Book Club Illustration Lighting a Large Interior Found Backdrops, Pt. 1 Macaroni and Cheese Speedlighting a College Gym Special Q&A: Speedlighting a Gym Flavored Vodkas Light the Details Spring Arts Guide Munchies Hero Fan Spring Desserts 2 Speedlight Group Shot Steve at Google Michael in Paris Eke in Paris Steve at Google Nest Egg Peter Yang: Admiral William Fallon Golf Feature Controlling Daylight, Pt. 1 Controlling Daylight, Pt. 1 Night Chopper, Pt. 1 Night Chopper, Pt. 2 Fifty Years One-Light Real Estate Shoot Reluctant Poet WiMAX Manil Suri Monteverde Institute Planes and Arrows Prep Quarterback Shooting for Social Media STB: John McIntyre Climber Hands Glass Menagerie Trip Jennings STB: Gus Sentementes Earth Treks Pt. 1 Earth Treks Pt. 2 Earth Treks Pt. 3 Gas Station Tacos Tenor Nathan Carlisle The Soprano STB: Sian Meades Guitarist Mark Edwards Betty Allison Cellist Caleb Jones STB: J.D. Roth Nathaniel Welch, Men's Journal Bionic Arm Summer Reading Stink Bugs Radio Silence Newspaper Man STB: David Tejada Bullet-Proof Glass HoCoPoLitSo Frickin' Lasers Brian England Inside the Black Box Plain and Simple Light Martin Prihoda for Cosmo India Miller Mobley: Chaplain Finn O'Hara: Mixing Lighbt John Keatley: Best in SHow Chris Crisman: Self-Investment Brad Trent: Ocean Master Pt. 1 Brad Trent: Ocean Master Pt. 2 Concert Pianist Hi-Def Asparagus Mathieu Young, Moonlighting Inside the Soft Box Open Air Studio Tweaking Dusk Stephanie Barnes Theresa Daytner Pt. 1 Theresa Daytner Pt. 2 Soccer Through Sunset Inside the Box Caleb Vaughn-Jones Night Soprano Pt. 1 Night Soprano Pt. 2 Trattoria Reed Quintet Hiding Your Flash Samantha McEwen Tenor Luke Grooms On Axis, On Budget Antonio Beverly Greg Funnell: Joe Wright Mathieu Young's Harvest Smokin' Joe Toufic Araman's Sunset Resort ATM Man Man on a Mission 86-Second Portrait MarchFourth Marching Band Light That Isn't There Hide Key w/Fill Cheap Portable Studio Pt. 1 Cheap Portable Studio Pt. 2 Cafeteria Lunches Bluebirds and Stink Bugs Rebecca Hargrove Pt. 1 Pianist Duo Martin Prihoda: Priyanka Copra Flute Duo Hall Studio Rebecca Hargrove Pt. 2 Evoking Expression Scout and a Shoot, Pt. 1 Scout and a Shoot, Pt. 2 Saving Florida's Springs Don't Deny the Obvious Chasing Light: Margo Seibert Follow-Up QA: Margo Seibert Loren Wohl's Chokra and Awe Cellist Carolyn Rosinsky Avatar Full-Sun Group Shot Monthly Archives February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 November 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011 October 2011 November 2011 December 2011 January 2012 February 2012 March 2012 April 2012 May 2012 June 2012 July 2012 August 2012 September 2012 October 2012 November 2012 December 2012 January 2013 February 2013 March 2013 April 2013 May 2013 June 2013 July 2013 August 2013 September 2013 October 2013 November 2013 December 2013 January 2014 February 2014 March 2014 April 2014 May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 September 2014 *** Blogroll *** HoCo360 [My local photoblog] Feature Shoot Guess the Lighting John Keatley Joe McNally Profoto Blog Sam Spratt (Illustrator) Brad Trent Adam Voorhes What's The Jackanory CONTENT ON STROBIST® IS ©2006-2014 STROBIST.COM. 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