Having a streamlined workflow frees you up to spend your time shooting awesome photos rather than caring about the postproduction work that piles up, juggling disks for all the data, or thinking about excuses you can send to your client because you don't have the final edits for them yet.

Photo: A quick test photo of during a wedding make-up trial. 
LR Preset: Preset Heaven B&W Beach

A RAW workflow that doesn't suck?

In order to achieve the exposure you want with ease, you need to get a feel for the luminous power of the particular light sources that are in play when you are shooting. I think this comes pretty easy once you have a look at the numbers because then you see that there are worlds of power between the various kind of light sources, even though our naked eye would not signal us so much of a difference.

For reference:
1. The boudoir photo eBook with the bed scene: http://boudoir.cc (NSFW)
2. The BTS video of the shoot: http://youtu.be/Ph5j8i9iTp4 (Kind of SFW YouTube version)

Understanding Luminous Power

Need your speedlight to recycle real fast? My first and foremost suggestion would be to shoot in manual mode and dial down the power setting. However, if I absolutely needed a power pack in order reload my speedlights in 1 second after a full power pop, then I would have a look at the Godox ProPac PB960: http://goo.gl/bD1B0G

Photo: Melinda in her favorite bikini
Watch the BTS video in Good Light! Magazine Issue 09: http://www.GoodLightMag.com/editions

Power pack for faster recycling

Nowadays I expect my speedlights to have a whole bunch of awesome features. They enable me to shoot all kinds of situations without running short on flashlight. I need a zoom reflector, high speed sync, a battery level indicator and I actually also don't want to miss a build in radio transceiver. The awesome speedlight of my choice is the

Phottix Mitros+: http://goo.gl/b1Yteu

It gives me more options than the high-end Canon speedlite while being much more affordable.

However, for most of my photos I don't need TTL. In these cases I can as well use my manual speedlight:

Cactus RF60: http://goo.gl/kFB0bV

It got all the bells and whistles that I need for manual mode, radio transceiver, HSS and all, it's working beautifully and reliably and I get it from Amazon for less than $150 - a bargain!

Photo: Bridal Boudoir with Maria Ki
One light setup with the Cactus RF60

Affordable, awesome speedlights

I learned one more time that the quality of gear really matters.
For many years I owned a low-quality boom stand and I hardly ever used it.
Now I got myself a high quality boom arm and I find myself using it a lot, exploring new options in lighting. Awesome.

My new boom arm: Phottix Light Stand Boom Arm 160cm (63”) http://goo.gl/6Kmih5 

It’s around $140 and it’s worth every penny.

What cousin Olpanse saw me using the Magazine video (http://goo.gl/pyLn1G) was actually a Manfrotto Magic arm: http://goo.gl/dLuBAp

It’s not a boom arm, but it’s handy every now and then for bringing a light or a camera into a strange position.

Photo: Cousin Coco lit with a an umbrella on a boom right above her.


A Good Boom Improves Lighting

Is it important to choose Canon for your still photography? Or for videography? Or anything else? Today I’m answering the question whether or not you can achieve similar results with Nikon cameras. I'd like to explain why I personally shoot with Canon and how I am choosing my camera in general. 

My Canon 5D MK III: http://goo.gl/uxNOVv
My Fujifilm X-E2: http://goo.gl/FJWeVb

Are Canon Cameras superior?

Everybody knows that White Balance is setting the right color temperature in Kelvin. Well, not quite. You should also care about the tint of your image in order to get to the white point that you want. And that's not necessarily "the correct point", but actually a point at which your photo is looking awesome.

Here's the video regarding using WB creatively: http://SmokingStrobes.com/postcard-blue

Photo: Yumiko as princess Kikyou from Inu Yasha, watching the Jewel of Four Souls exploding in the sky... in the light of a speedlight with a CTO gel :-)

White Balance = Color Temperature?

How do I find nude and glamour models for the fun and experimental shoots that you see me doing in my videos so often? I'll share the ways that work best for me. Let me know in the comments which ways of finding models work best for you.

Photo: Noemi for Good Light! Magazine, here's the BTS video: http://smokingstrobes.com/lighting-at-the-lake

Three ways to find open-minded nude models

Is your screen clipping some highlights or shadows, so other people might see photoshop mistakes in your photos that you simply can't see on your screen? If you adjust the contrast and brightness of your screen the right way, this won't happen. And if you are shooting catalog photos and need calibrated screen images and prints at your fingertips, then go nuts and get yourself a calibration device.

The calibration wallpaper is here: http://ProPortfolioClub.com/wallpaper
The Spyder I use for color calibration: http://goo.gl/56JWTd

Photo: Do you see the white perls in the white veil on the white background?

Adjust your screen or fly blind

There are a number of magazines that accept photo submissions from photographers, who would like to see their work published. But how to drive it up to the next level and start getting paid for magazine work?

Free Magazine Photography Pricing Guide: http://goo.gl/mUvTWl
Good Light! Magazine Submissions: http://www.goodlightmag.com/submit 

Tweet me your question. Just add #ItMadeClick to your tweet!

Earning money shooting for magazines

Whenever you publish a model photo anywhere, and I really mean anywhere, you do need a model release. It must be signed and valid release, ideally a standard Getty Release and ideally signed by the model as well as a witness. Depending on your type of shootings it might not always be easy agree with your subject on a release. That's why I am sharing my 3 tips about getting a signed model release with you today.

Getty Image Releases: http://goo.gl/lD5xLb
Easy Release iOS: http://goo.gl/jKUNkM
Easy Release Android: http://goo.gl/mOf35N

Do you like this podcast? Please help me out with a quick 5-star review over here: http://goo.gl/bi6gFL
Like to ask me a question? Tweet it to me at #ItMadeClick or drop a comment on Facebook: http://zelbel.com/facebook


3 tips on getting a signed model release

Lighting ratios could be so simple. For example you could use 

1:1 for beauty, 
2:1 for portraits of women, 
4:1 portraits of men, 
8:1 Character portraits, artistic photos and similar. 

But then again there are all the questions about how to achieve this ratios, when to use other ratios and break the rules and all the things that spring for shere creativity. That's why I'm sure that this great question is well worth an episode of this podcast.

Like to get an invite to my FREE Cover Shoot workshop at Photokina 2014? Jump on my list over here: 

http://www.goodlightmag.com/workshop

The Right Lighting Ratio - 3 Tips

Technically backlighting does not make your photos more flat. But practically this effect will often be the outcome when shooting photos against a strong light source like your flash and like the sun.

You can either accept this as a cool style, or you can make up for it by creating a scene that allows for the introduction of side lighting or by stacking adding a clear foreground and background to your photo.

The awesome examples that I refer to in the podcast are from Good Light! Magazine Issue 09: http://www.goodlightmag.com/issue-09

Why your photos with backlighting might look flat

HSS and Auto FP are awesome for using your speedlight to bring life into scenes outdoors on a bright day. However, many photographers are a bit afraid that their flash will be not strong enough. Many think that highspeed sync might eat up their batteries too fast. In today’s episode I try to give tips on all of that.
Here’s the stuff that I use
Eneloop Batteries: http://goo.gl/mR7C0Y
Tenergy / Knox 16 bay charger:  http://goo.gl/pur8PY


Outdoor: Enough juice for HSS and Auto FP

Through the Lens metering is an awesome functionality. Canon's E-TTL and Nikons i-TTL are sophisticated and help you out tremendously when you have to shoot fast, for example when you cover a wedding with your camera. However, when you make photographs of models you usuallly have a minute or two to setup the power of your flash and the exposure values of your camera manually. Does this pay off? I think it does in many cases.

E-TTL, i-TTL or manual?

When it comes to awesome photo light, many roads lead to Rome. You can meter your light with a handheld incident meter or you can simply read the correct setting from your histogram. In this podcast episode I explain how I do the latter one all the time.

You don't need that f***in' light meter

I hear it quite often these days: DSLRs are dead. Mirrorless cameras are enough for everything. I personally can say that I love my 5D MK III as well my mirrorless Fuji X-E2. The latter one will not replace my DSLR. Let me share my top 3 examples of things I am missing on my Fuji, so that I still use my 5D for the respective photos.

My DSLR: http://goo.gl/uxNOVv

My mirrorless: http://goo.gl/FJWeVb

My Fuji won't replace my Canon

Many photographers want warm, soft light - be it for baby photos, portraits, boudoir, you name it! Many of us are on a budget because we make photos just for fun. That's I am glad that I can answer today's question about lighting in a way that does not require a studio strobe and a giant octabox.

The baby setup I refer to in the audio: http://www.zelbel.com/baby-boom

Like this podcast? Please leave your quick review: http://goo.gl/nscTdY

Oh Baby! Soft light on a budget

I'm now into photography for about 6 years. My go-to lens is still the first lens that I ever bought. A superzoom. I use it for round about 65% of my photos. At the same time, my most important lens is actually not my zoom but my prime. It's used for 35% of my photos, but if I could have only one lens, then I would ditch my zoom and go for the prime. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of the people saying that you can zoom with your feet. That's just an empty catch phrase and it has nothing to do with reality basic optics. Nevertheless the open aperture that my prime gives me is one of the most important style elements in my personal photography. 

My go to lens: 
Canon EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS: http://goo.gl/sXgzoq

My most important lens:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L: http://goo.gl/ZZiMva

My favorite prime for my Fuji:
XF 35mm f/1.4: http://goo.gl/OmFOuv

My go-to lens - and why I would ditch it for a prime

Sometimes you like your background to be black, as in pitch black. If your photo studio is rather small or you are shooting in a little home studio (like yours truly) then spill light from your flash might ruin your black background. Today I am giving you my best 3 tips on how to control your light in this situations and why I actually do not control it at all in most of my shoots.

I wish you good light!
Michael

The Taobao Shop that I buy my backdrops from: http://goo.gl/82R8dD 

Getting a really black background - 3 tips

NEW!!! Watch this on Youtube: http://youtu.be/9dTSNaqNPVI

Turns out you can make awesome portrait light by just handholding a speedlight with a FlashBenders Softbox somewhere above your subject. This video is a quick little selfie-video answer to the twitter question of Brad Chapman. 

Here's the stuff I'd use for club photos:
Rogue FlashBenders Softbox: http://goo.gl/1Tdf29
Mitros+: http://goo.gl/kizIYn

I forgot one little detail in the video: when shooting "in da club" in TTL then use the spot-metering mode of your camera, so that it only cares about the light on your subject and not about all the funky lights that might go on around your subject.

If you like any photo tip from me please tweet and add the hashtag #ItMadeClick, so that I see the tweet and have a chance to pick up your question in this program.

Rogue FlashBenders Softbox for photos on dark events

Sorry that this episode turned out a bit visual. If possible, please watch it on Youtube at http://youtu.be/pRLPpwt5QbY.

Today's question is about the in-camera histogram (which I use all the time) and also about working with different color spaces..

I use 
- RAW (propriatary color space) for all adjustments in LightRoom
- 16 bit ProPhotoRGB for all edits in PhotoShop
- SRGB whenever exporting the results for web or simple printers

I know some gurus will not like it but I never do anything in Adobe RGB. I don't see any sense using it.

Histogram: The in-camera histogram is based on a JPG preview and might indicate a slightly lower dynamic range than what the RAW file actually provides me. This means, if I nailed the exposure according to the in-camera histogram, then the RAW file will be excellent.

The thing that I mention in the video when talking about the striped pattern that I flashed accross the scene is the

Lightblaster: http://goo.gl/IYfulZ
The patterns were part of Good Light! Magazine Issue 7: http://goo.gl/1LGN2n

Model: Victoria Sweet

Color spaces (a more visual episode)

What payment should you offer your model? Especially for a sexy photo shoot. Today I am answering this question from a couple of different angles. There seems to be a standard going rate that is about $50 per hour. But then again the payment depends on a number of factors. A lot of times a model would be happy with TfP shootings if she really gets benefits from the resulting photos. In this podcast I explore how to actually give her these benefits.

I wish you good light!
Michael

Model rates for sexy photo shoots

http://www.goodlightmag.com/exif-info - This episode of It Made Click! Answers the following question of Brad Chapman: "I have a fashion runway show to shoot. Should I shoot with a deep depth of field or shallow?"
Michael answers this by searching for typical pro photos of fashion runway shows and checking their camera settings and lenses right in Google search by looking at the EXIF information that Google provides. 

Using EXIF information in photos online

Check the photos I am talking about over here: http://www.goodlightmag.com/lighting-review

Is the Model Popping Out?

http://www.goodlightmag.com/boudoirflowposing - Flow Posing: In this episode of It Made Click! I am answering a question how I flowpose my models and how I can learn and recall a large sequence of poses easily.

Learn 30 Poses in No Time at All

Photography on location can be challenging. When planning your shooting at any location it is highly advisable to scout the location upfront. Prepare a list of all things you would like to check in order to make sure that your shooting is going to be smooth and productive.

Download your location checklist here: http://www.goodlightmag.com/location-checklist


Location Checklist

Tweet me your photo question. 
Just add #ItMadeClick to your tweet!

Every 2nd Tuesday of the month I am answering your questions about photography. 

Ask me anything on my facebook page, twitter or youtube channel and I might pick it up in this podcast.

It Made Click

Popular tracks