Hey, I hope all is well. I’ve come to you in search of advice from a pro. I recently bought an external flash and it is amazing; however the light on my subjects is a tad too rough sometimes. I’m looking into a mini soft box that I can wrap around my flash. My budget is pretty tight right now (most of my money is spent on my college books). I was wondering if I could have your opinion on this, which one do you recommend me, a self-thought beginner.

January 26, 2013 by Lawrence Oei

Hi Brandon,

Was just finalizing shoot trip details a moment ago! I would heartily recommend you to start with either a Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible or a Rogue Lighting Kit (from Expoimaging). They are kits that are always in my camera bag and most importantly, they deliver the effects of soft-boxes that you need!

Cost wise, they are indeed very, very affordable too!

Happy strobing!

Color Photography

January 26, 2013 by Lawrence Oei

I am not sure about your individual taste about the use of color in your images, but to me, its how compelling a combination of colors come together to form objects or subjects worth shooting at.

“Stuff it all in!” – a phrase that I regularly use in classes to describe this process. That, however, applies to inanimate shots in the majority of instances. To shoot people though, its a totally different ball game. You apply an entirely new set of rules.

But again, that’s just how I do it. You may interpret your subjects from another angle altogether! That’s what makes photography so much fun and fluid!