When it comes to dynamic outdoor portrait lighting, Eli Infante makes it look effortless. â¨
In this educational breakdown, Eli walks us through how he approaches outdoor lighting in natural environments.
He studies the direction of the sun and then uses the FJ250 from Westcott to compliment natural light physics, while maintaining believable shadow direction!
âď¸ Key lighting takeaways:
⢠Always analyze the direction of the sun first
⢠Build your composition around natural light physics
⢠Decide between natural-looking light or dramatic cross-lighting
⢠Loop lighting placement keeps shadows realistic and flattering
With the sun coming from camera left, Eli chose to maintain believable shadow direction rather than forcing butterfly lighting, preserving dimension and natural skin tones while creating beautifully balanced outdoor portraits.
If youâre learning off-camera flash, strobe photography, or outdoor portrait lighting techniques, this is a must-watch.
Dialing in the details makes all the difference. đĄđŞ
Watch Top Pro Julie Gayler fine-tune the final light in this setup using an Optical Spot with a 50mm lens and blinds gobo, the moment where the window light look truly comes alive.
By adjusting focus on the Optical Spot, Julie shows how small changes create big mood shifts:
Focused blinds deliver a bold, graphic window light pattern.
De-focused blinds feel softer and more natural, like real daylight.
These are the kinds of photography tips that elevate portraits through intentional off-camera flash and light shaping⌠no actual window required.
Save this lighting breakdown for your next shoot đ
This venue is dark on purpose.
Moody, rich, dramatic, full of character. I never want to take that away.
I want to protect it.
Using the Westcott 250 fj with a softbox lets me keep the soul of a space while still giving my subject power.
It lets the shadows stay cinematic.
It lets the light feel intentional.
You donât overpower the room.
You shape with it.
Thatâs the difference between lighting something and designing a scene.
Creative magic with
Dress store @dimitrasbridalcouture
Dress design: @tomsebastien_official
Model: @yuliahaidar_
Hair: @tamaraholdenhair
Makeup: @cruziee
Jewelry: @mivedijewelry
Lighting: @westcottlighting
Cameras: @thenikonusa
Belt: @spiderholster
Thinking back on the time I almost drowned my model, @miranda.101 . Between the 30 minutes of treading water and the fish swimming up her dress it was a day to remember. A lot of laughs were had that day.
I love how my @westcottlighting FJ400II easily overpowered the sun
#westcott #westcottlighting #bluelake #bravemodel #anythingfortheshot
âJoy and Sorrow Side by Sideâ
Congratulations to Icon Double Master Laila Villebeck (@fotograflailavillebeck ) for her FIRST PLACE win in the Newborn + Baby category at the Icon Awards with this incredibly powerful image.
Laila received a SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 4TB hard drive from SanDisk (@sandisk ) for this win!
Thank you to Westcott (@westcottlighting ) for sponsoring the Portrait division and to Baby Dream Backdrops (@babydreambackdrops ) for supporting this category.
Congratulations, Laila!
(Link in bio to see ALL of this yearâs winners!)
Master your light. Simplify your process. Elevate your work.
Join @westcottlighting Top Pro @jerryghionis in Las Vegas for a Lighting Masterclass with model/performer @cierra.bliss (Photo created with Ice Light 3s)
đ @bandccamera store
đ Saturday May 23
đ 4:30pm â 6pm
đˇď¸ $25
Bonus photowalk in downtown LV for anyone who buys an Ice Light 3 - 7:30pm - 9pm
Click the link in my bio or visit jerryjerryjerry.com for more info to register.
âSTEAKCATIONâ đĽŠđš
Ember & Rye | Carlsbad, California
.
This incredible restaurant is a modern steakhouse and seafood restaurant located at the @parkhyattaviara in Carlsbad. It was created in collaboration with celebrity chef @richardblais đĽ They are serving up delectable steaks and fresh seafood dishes rooted in fine local ingredients. I shot these images using 1 FJ400ii strobe light from @westcottlighting with a 24â beauty dish modifier to create a punchy yet soft light. High end food deserves high quality light!
.
#westcottlighting #steaks #restaurantphotography #foodphotographer #sandiego
Hereâs an awesome #flashbackfriday to February 2025. Within hours of landing at Phoenix, Arizona, and meeting @joelgrimesworkshops for the first time, he was creating incredible pieces of art!!!
itâs a blessing to have met Joel and count him as one of my good friends now.
Just us, and his @westcottlighting FJ 800 & Westcott 3x4 switch soft box.
#model
#pictureoftheday
#photography
#photooftheday
âSoccer Is My Religionâ
Congratulations to Icon Double Master John HellstrĂśm (@johnhellstromphoto ) for winning FIRST PLACE in the Children category at the Icon Awards!
John received a SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable 4TB hard drive from SanDisk (@sandisk ) for this win!
Thank you to Westcott (@westcottlighting ) for sponsoring the Portrait Division and to Baby Dream Backdrops (@babydreambackdrops ) for supporting the Children category.
Congratulations, John!
(Link in bio to see ALL of this yearâs winners!)
The Setup:
âĄď¸ Westcott FJ400 II
đ¸ 1/100 | f/9 | ISO 400
𦴠One very motivated dog
Most people think you need a high shutter speed to catch a dog mid-air. But in this setup, @agoldphoto shot at just 1/100th.
The secret? Itâs not the camera, itâs the flash duration. When your strobe is faster than your subject, the light does the âfreezingâ for you. This allows for faster recycle times and perfectly sharp âtreat-catchingâ shots every time.
Watch the full breakdown of how to master pet photography in the studio on our YouTube channel!
The Digital Handshake: Introducing Jake Readâs New 2026 Headshots.
In the high-stakes world of Los Angeles pilot season, your headshot isnât just a photoâitâs your digital handshake. Itâs the first thing a casting director sees before they even hear your name. This week, weâre thrilled to showcase a fresh face making waves: Jake Read.
Captured by the renowned British portraitist Rory Lewis at his Downtown LA studio, these shots are a masterclass in cinematic branding. Moving away from the âover-retouchedâ look of years past, these images focus on what really matters in 2026: authenticity and range.
