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There are all kinds of ways to improve or simply learn new lighting techniques. I happen to believe that the absolute Best Way to Learn Studio Lighting is by Doing It.

While the classic infrared shot is in black and white, you can add some color—depending on the on-camera filter or infrared conversion used, add the so-called blue sky effect to an infrared photographs. While I think the overall effect is cool, I was surprised to learn that some of you think it’s that great of an effect. And so, in our never-ending quest to provide as many options as possible for all forms of infrared (and car) photography, I would like to present a few alternatives:

“Light,” as a wise photographer once told me, “is light.” The most important characteristics of any studio lighting setup are the quality, quantity, direction and color of the output. The kind of hardware you use will have an impact on these aspects and the quality of the light can further be affected by using light modifiers.

When performing in Central Park in 1991, Paul Simon changed the lyrics of his song Kodachrome to “everything looked better in black & white,” proving that you can, in fact, change your tune,

It may come as a surprise to some of you but I didn’t start out to be a people photographer. In 1982, when Mary and I opened our studio we divided the workload based on the type of images our clients requested. That division of duties turned out to be a simple: Mary photographed people and I photographed things, mostly architecture and some products. Every now and then because of scheduling and availability I would shoot a few business portraits but people were really Mary’s game.

In today’s post I veer away from the normal assortment of photography tips, tools and techniques to get a little personal… Other than how to pronounce my name and where do I find my models, people sometimes ask, “where is Daisy Hill?”