raphy workshops. Eventually, I was courted by Hensel lighting, a lighting sys-
tem comparable to Dynalite in some ways, with higher-end products too. It
took me three months to make the switch, and when I finally did, I realized
some of the things that I was missing that helped take my photography to the
next level. Then came Broncolor and Profoto, asking me to try out their lights,
and I began the journey of taking my photography to an even higher level
with their help. In these ten-plus years of hosting workshops where sponsors
have supplied me with the tools for my attendees, I’ve learned one thing: light-
ing makes the ultimate difference. It’s not about the make and model of the
camera. Rather, it’s the quality of the light and the quality of the glass I’ve used
to capture the images with that have helped me throughout my photographic
career.
We all start somewhere, and if I could do it all over again, I’d have saved
enough money to start with the best lights, like those from Dynalite, Hensel,
Profoto, or Broncolor, instead of starting from the bottom and working my
way up. I’m sure it would have saved me a lot of heartburn over the years, and
my photography would be even better. As photographers, we should always
strive to make each image better than the last, and with a great set of lights,
it’s that much easier.
Acknowledgments.
I would like to thank my family, friends, and loved ones who have stood by me
through the years. I also want to thank fellow photographer Tom Suhler.
10 LIGHTING FOR GLAMOUR PHOTOGRAPHY
LEFT—Beautiful skylines can add cool
elements to an image, especially
when working with low-light and at
night by simply using fast, or wide
aperture lenses. When I’m on loca-
tion, as in this image of Eleya while
at the Palms Casino, Sky Villa Pent-
house suite. Super fast lenses, like
my Canon 85mm lens, will create ap-
pealing backgrounds when used at
their widest aperture, especially with
lights at night. New digital cameras
today also allow for high ISO’s and
low noise, or electronic grain. So I
simply asked Eleya to sit on top of
the retractable television and care-
fully framed the image to capture the
background lights while illuminating
her solely with ambient room light.
(CAMERA:Canon EOS 5D Mark II fitted
with a Canon 85mm f/1.2L USM lens.
SETTINGS:85mm effective focal
length,^1 / 80 second shutter speed,
f/1.2, white balance at 4400K, ISO
2500)FACING PAGE—With Elite Agency model
Jenni at a higher vantage point, I was
able to capture her warmth (empha-
sized by the warm, late-day light)
and contrast it with the cool blue
sky. Notice the direction of the light;
it comes from the side, not from the
front. This also accentuates the fact
that she is looking into the empty
space I’ve left in the image. (CAMERA:
Canon EOS 5D fitted with a Canon
70–200mm f/2.8L IS USM lens. SET-
TINGS:120mm effective focal length,(^1) / 640 second shutter speed, f/5.6,
white balance at 6000K, ISO 100)