Professional Lighting for Studio Photography
A course by Scott McDermott , Photographer
Learn the fundamentals of lighting by exploring a variety of sources and set-ups to take your photo shoots to the next level
Learn the fundamentals of lighting by exploring a variety of sources and set-ups to take your photo shoots to the next level
Photography is a mix of art and science: the mechanics of how an image is made serves the creative concept.
Light is a powerful narrative tool that allows photographers to capture the essence of their subjects. Mastering the technical aspects of light is what allows award-winning photographer Scott McDermott to take captivating portraits of acclaimed Hollywood celebrities and athletes, as well as collaborate with clients like AT&T, Starbucks, HBO, and Nike.
In this online course, deepen your understanding of the fundamentals of light in photography. Learn how to use the mechanics of light in a photo shoot, and bring out the strong points of your subjects to create striking images. By the end of this course, you’ll have a new, versatile tool to add to your photography skill set.
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 12 downloads
- 98% positive reviews (135)
- 8,773 students
- 14 lessons (1h 24m)
- 12 additional resources (2 files)
- Online and at your own pace
- Available on the app
- Audio: English, Turkish
- English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
- Level: Beginner
- Unlimited access forever
Recommended software for this course
Adobe Photoshop
Capture OneWhat is this course's project?
Carry out a portrait photo shoot using a variety of professional lighting techniques used throughout the course.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for photographers of all levels who want to improve their abilities by controlling and manipulating light sources.
Requirements and materials
Basic understanding of photography is helpful.
To take this course, you need lighting equipment, ideally a strobe, and a camera with a manual mode.
Reviews
A course by Scott McDermott
Scott grew up in Switzerland, backpacked through the American West, and trekked the Himalayas before spending the last 20 years as a commercial photographer in New York City. After initially shooting sports, Scott's work eventually shifted toward the athletes themselves and portraiture. This led to him photographing many of the best creative minds in Hollywood, the music industry, and the worlds of business and government. Scott is also a member of International Cinematographers Guild Local 600 as a still photographer.
Along with his advertising work for global brands and major magazines, Scott has created several personal projects including his “Scar Stories” portrait series, the highly acclaimed "Mandela Day” project (capturing the hands and faces of many of those who support Nelson Mandela's message) and a series of portraits accompanying the film "Pop Culture" about the experience of fatherhood. His work has been shown at solo and group exhibits and is held in many collections internationally.
Content
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U1
Introduction
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About Me
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Influences
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U2
The Fundamentals of Light
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The Light: Basic Properties
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Types of Artificial Light
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Working with Strobes
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Common Light Modifiers
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U3
Basic Lighting Exercises
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The Fundamentals in Action
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Exponential Fall Off from Omni Directional Transmitted Light
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Common Lighting Setups for Portraits
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The White Background
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U4
Theory in Practice
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Ring Flash and the Mandela Day Lighting
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Mixing Strobe and Continuous Light
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Shooting for Composite
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Taste Level
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FP
Final project
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Professional Lighting for Studio Photography
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What to expect from a Domestika course
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Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
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Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
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Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
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Certificates
PlusIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
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Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
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Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
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Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
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Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.
All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.
The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.
You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.
Adobe Photoshop
Capture One
kekeli
Plussimple, précis et riche. satisfait!
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delplanque.roger
PlusLes règles importantes sur cette matière sont fixées dans ce cours, j'apprécie ce formateur.
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patricia.fragga
PlusMuito claro e objectivo.
Gostei muito!
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jorgecordova
PlusGreat teacher, but I need way more info to learn lighting techniques :)
gabrielgl
Este curso me encantó porque Scott comparte de manera clara y directa la teoría y la práctica en el uso de la iluminación ¡Gracias!
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