Helpful Tips: Lighting Setups for Beginners

December 27, 2018 Kathrin Havrilla

Photo by Alexander Dummer

While natural light is a great choice for a number of photographic situations, having the gear and know-how to use a basic lighting system is an important step in any photographer’s journey.

Contrary to popular belief, a fundamental lighting kit doesn’t have to break the bank, or be overly complicated. Here, we’ve laid out two basic lighting kits—one very simple and cheap, and one with a few more bells and whistles—as well as some extras that any photographer using external light sources will find handy.

Helpful Tips: Food Photo Starter Kit

March 3, 2018 Kathrin Havrilla

Photo by Annie Spratt

Whether you’re a food blogger, personal chef, or just want to tighten up your Instagram feed, if you’re reading this, chances are you have some interest in food photography.

While you’ll learn essential techniques in the BPW’s Food Photography I and Food Photography II classes, here are some simple (and mostly cheap) tools that can help you take your at-home food photo skills from undercooked to perfectly done.