My Approach to Lighting
When people ask me about “good” lighting and “bad” lighting, my answer is always the same — there’s no universal rule. Lighting is good if it tells the story you want to tell. It’s not about perfection; it’s about purpose. Lighting is like the backing vocals in a song — you may not notice it consciously, but it sets the tone, mood, and emotion of the entire piece.
Lighting can be soft and gentle, or harsh and frightening. It can create intimacy, drama, romance, or tension. It can make a photograph feel timeless, mysterious, or brutally honest. And yes — it can make or break an image entirely.
We have the sun, of course, the ultimate light source. Most fashion and location photographers still rely on it, whether as their main light or as a rim light. The sun casts a single shadow — sharp and long in late afternoon, softer at midday. Even when I work with multiple artificial lights — six, ten, even twenty-four — I aim to make them feel like they could be coming from that single natural source.
When lighting, I always ask myself: What time of day is this scene happening? Where is the light coming from? What is it touching?
For product photography, the goal is often to put the client’s item in its “best light.” Sometimes that’s bright, open “Amazon-style” lighting — midday, minimal shadow, nothing hidden. But if I’m telling a story, I might lean into chiaroscuro — that dramatic balance of light and dark made famous in 1930s–40s film noir. Black-and-white masters used gradients from pure white to deep black to create mystery and mood.
Lighting also controls how the viewer looks at an image. If everything is evenly lit, the eye just sits in the middle, taking it all in at once. But add shadow to one area and highlight to another, and suddenly the eye moves, exploring the frame. The highlight says, Look here. The shadow whispers, Look deeper.
For example, if I were photographing a high-end whiskey, I wouldn’t “blast it” with flat light. I’d use shadow to deepen its amber tones, add a highlight to the label, and let the darkness around it make the viewer linger. That extra few seconds of attention — that’s where the product becomes memorable.
Different brands require different approaches. Old Navy might want bright, cheerful, evenly lit product shots that say “fun and affordable.” Nike, on the other hand, thrives on high-contrast, dramatic lighting that conveys performance, intensity, and aspiration.
For me, lighting isn’t just technical — it’s emotional. It’s about shaping the way someone feels when they see the image. It’s about creating that same magic you feel when the setting sun cuts through the trees and paints the world in gold and shadow. That’s the power of light — and that’s why I treat it as my most important storytelling tool.