Welcome to Strobist
Strobist is the world's most popular resource for photographers who want how to learn to use their flashes like a pro.
New to lighting? Welcome. Start with Lighting 101, just as millions of other photographers have done before you. Or scroll down to access Strobist's other free courses below.
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Latest: Two-Light Bike for the Bucks
Have you heard? There's like, a huge bike shortage right now. Everyone's trapped at home. Everyone wants a bike. And the stores are all but sold out.
Which means that if you have a good bike sitting in the garage that you don't need, it's worth much more right now than it likely ever will be again.
Here's how to photograph it with a pair of speedlights to make it look great in your ad — and help you get top dollar.
Read more
Strobist's Free Online Lighting Courses:
Lighting 101, 102, 103, and Lighting Cookbook
Lighting 101 is the core foundation of Strobist. It is a free, start-from-zero tutorial that will teach you the basics of lighting and minimalist lighting gear. Lighting 101 will have you up and running in no time—and at minimal expense.
Lighting 102 is the sequel to Lighting 101. Where L101 was about gear and basic concepts, L102 will teach you how to further understand and control the qualities of your light to make it do your bidding.
Lighting 103 is a deep dive into color. It explores the intersection of light and color to help you give your photos more nuance, realism and depth.
Strobist Lighting Cookbook, currently in progress, combines the concepts learned in L101-103 to give you more understanding and fluidity with your lighting. We'll also look at some of the shoots from a 360-degree/ecosystem perspective.
From Classroom to Real World: On Assignment
On Assignment features full walk-throughs of over 170 real-world assignments, complete with discussions ranging from lighting to concept to execution—and even some screw-ups. It largely follows my path as a newspaper shooter and beyond, progressing from simple speedlights to more complex studio flashes. Occasionally, OA also features the work of other photographers.
Equip Yourself: Recommended Gear
Sad fact: There are a lot of companies that make some pretty crappy lighting gear, but are still happy to take your money. The Strobist Gear Guide is designed to help you avoid making many of the costly rookie mistakes I made over the first few years of my career. This is the gear that works for me, day in and day out. It is solid, reliable and will get the job done without destroying your wallet.
Feed Your Brain: The Strobist Bookshelf
Books are gear for your brain. Chosen wisely, they represent some of the best value for dollar you can spend as a learning photographer. Featured on the Strobist Bookshelf are my current favorites, winnowed from hundreds of books read over the course of my career. It is a relatively short list, but there are solid selections for nearly any lighting photographer. The Bookshelf is updated regularly.
Save Some Cash: DIY/Homebrew
We are all born with more time than money, and die with more money than time. Strobist has a strong tradition in DIY lighting projects, which will help you to expand your lighting palette for little or no cash. (Pictured above: the $10 Macro Studio.)
Video Highlights
Being visually oriented, most photographers embrace the concept of monkey-see, monkey-do. If that sounds like you, the links in the video vault will point you to the best 100 videos of the past nine years.
From the straight tutorial to the strange, it's all here. (Pictured above, Joe McNally's .)
Interviews/Guest Posts
Over the last few years we have had occasion to interview not only interesting photographers but also a few artists. And occasionally we'll turn the mic over to another photographer, for a change in perspective.
And for the record, we occasionally interview dead people. Because no one else is doing it...
Rants/Essays/Humor
Epiphanies? Complaints? Practical Jokes? Revenge? The occasional laugh? You'll find them in this list.
Reviews
Books, lights, mods, grip—and I am not even ruling out BBQ sauce in the future. If it is worth your time I will talk about it here. If it not worth your time, I'm probably not gonna talk about it. Unless it is spectacularly bad, in which case who can resist?
How To
Just what it says: simple explainer posts on how to do something cool. Or repurpose a common item for a photographic use. Or whatev. This one's pretty loose...
First Time Here?
- Lighting 101 | On Assignment
- A Baker's Dozen: 13 Key Takeaways
- Strobist Bookshelf | HoCo360 | Twitter