Senior Portraits: Lighting Techniques

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James has been photographing high school portraits for over 30 years. In this course, James shares his best techniques and hottest tricks that have made his style of photography an incredible success!

Introduction (01:47) Quality portraits are all about quality lighting
Diffusion versus Softness (03:00) What is the correct placement for your studio light in relation to the subject?
Working with an Umbrella (04:29) Using an umbrella to increase the size of your light source
The Soft Box (05:46) Determining the correct distance to place your softbox away from the subject
Positioning the Soft Box (06:13) Joe talks positioning the soft box around the subject
Reflectors (02:46) Using a reflector to fill the light around your subject
Light Positions (19:25) Going over some of the different light patterns typically used with portrait photography
Conclusion (01:04) Learn the rudimentary theories of lighting and have fun and success shooting senior portraits

Course Time: 00 Hours 44 Minutes

M. Ilchuk

May 8 2013

VERY good instructor!!! It is so easy to understand.
M. Heerschap

Mar 30 2013

Mr. James Schmelzer is absolute and concise in his explanation of lighting. One of the best teachers at Kelby Training. I hope you do more training videos featuring Mr. Schmelzer.
P. Fry

Mar 3 2013

Very informative. I am marking this as one of my favorites so I can review over and over again until I totally understand how to light my subject. Lighting my subject in a studio has been one of the hardest things for me to comprehend. There are lots of good instructors on Kelby Training.
M. Kembel

Jan 27 2013

Very helpful, easy to understand the concepts! Would like to see more from this instructor.
S. Anderson

Jan 26 2013

WOW!! The absolute best explanation of lighting patterns and how to accomplish them that I've ever seen!! Thank you for taking the time to slow down and really show the clear details! Really love the use of barn doors to fine tune and sculpt the light!
M. Sloan

Dec 22 2012

All I can say is, WOW!!! After watching numerous videos on lighting techniques from other photographers, I always felt like something was missing; and there was. In this single class, James Schmezler managed to provide that missing link by the use of exaturated lighting examples and concise clear explanations that are visually tangible. I also really like the instructional technique of showing the build up of each light until the final image is achieved. Many photographers providing instructional training could learn a great deal from James' approach. I would REALLY enjoy watching more videos from Mr Schmelzer, as I feel his 30+ years of experience need to be passed on. Thank you James!
G. Martin

Nov 15 2012

This is by far the best explained and demonstrated lighting course on Kelbytraining.com bar none
K. Reilly

Jul 29 2012

Fantastic - Thank you so much One of the best lighting demonstrations i have seen. So appreciated. Where do i get the barn doors you are using in this video? Yes, you can use my feedback!
D. Chevalier

Feb 29 2012

Incredible! Although I've been exposed to lighting theory for years, James' class is the clearest and most effective medium I've encountered to learn the rudiments of lighting.

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Your Instructor

James Schmelzer

Portrait & Wedding Photographer

James Schmelzer is an award winning photographer, lecturer, and has been the technical representative for F.J. Westcott Company for over 25 years. James has been actively involved in designing new...VIEW FULL BIO»

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