On Assignment

Welcome to On Assignment, where you can build on your Lighting 101 skills by learning exactly how real-world assignments were lit.

The object will be to explain the process of making the photos as clearly as possible. But if you have worked your way through the Lighting 101 section, you should be able to reverse engineer the light on most photos just by looking at them.

Try to test yourself, then read the copy for specifics.

Wind Tunnel
Abstract Concrete
Archeologists
Cicada
Star Gazer
Real Estate Developer
Blind Snoot Portrait
Conference Room Quickie
Lighting Prep Basketball
Taming Harsh Sunlight
Big Gym, Little Lights
Light the Little Stuff
Thinking Outside of The Box
Designing a Backdrop
Lighting for Detail
Guy on a Boat
Dealing with TV's and CRT's
Simple Wall/Snoot Portrait
Make the Ambient Work For You
Use a Second Light to Create Tension
Womens Lacrosse Cover
Lacrosse Cover, v2.0
Free Custom Backdrops: Using Flash into a Sunset
Ant Upton: Soccer Preview Shot
Robert McNary: Shoot Your Kid
Developing an Idea, Part 1: Compact Fluorescent Bulb
Developing an Idea, Part 2: Compact Fluorescent Bulb
5-Minute Test Shot
Shiny, Pretty Things
Pool Portrait
Strobe on a Rope
Tupperware and Trash Bags, Pt. 1 of 3
Tupperware and Trash Bags, Pt. 2 of 3
Tupperware and Trash Bags, Pt. 3 of 3
Soup Up Your $10 DIY Macro Studio
How To Light A Comet
Test Driving the DIY Softbox Grid Spot
Medical Illustrator
Fourth and Long? Punt With a Plant
Shade is Your Friend
Sometimes it's Not the Photo, it's the Process
Zebra Fish and Zygotes
David X. Tejada: Kicking Butt with Small Flashes
Stainless Steel and Cookies
How to Photograph Christmas Lights
Hit for Average
Always Look for a Detail
Book Club Illustration
Lighting a Large Interior
Found Backdrops, Pt. 1
Macaroni and Cheese
Speedlighting a College Gym
Special Q&A: Speedlighting a Gym
Flavored Vodkas
Light the Details
Spring Arts Guide
Munchies
Hero Fan
Spring Desserts
Group Shot: 2 Speedlights, 34 People
Michael in Paris
Eke in Paris
Steve at Google
Nest Egg
Peter Yang: Admiral William Fallon
Golf Feature
Controlling Daylight, Pt. 1
Controlling Daylight, Pt. 1
Night Chopper, Pt. 1
Night Chopper, Pt. 2
Fifty Years
One-Light Real Estate Shoot
Reluctant Poet
WiMAX
Manil Suri
Monteverde Institute
Planes and Arrows
Prep Quarterback
Shooting for Social Media
STB: John McIntyre
Climber Hands
Glass Menagerie
Trip Jennings
STB: Gus Sentementes
Earth Treks Pt. 1
Earth Treks Pt. 2
Earth Treks Pt. 3
Gas Station Tacos
Nathan Carlisle
The Soprano
STB: Sian Meades
Guitarist Mark Edwards
Betty Allison
Cellist Caleb Jones
STB: J.D. Roth
Nataniel Welch, Men's Journal
Bionic Arm
Summer Reading
Stink Bugs
Radio Silence
Newspaper Man
David Tejada
Bullet-Proof Glass
HoCoPoLitSo
Frickin' Lasers
Brian England
Inside the Black Box
Plain and Simple Light
Martin Prihoda for Cosmo
Miller Mobley: Chaplain
Finn O'Hara: Mixing Light
John Keatley: Best in Show
Chris Crisman: Self-Investment
Brad Trent: Ocean Master Pt. 1
Brad Trent: Ocean Master Pt. 2
Concert Pianist
Hi-Def Asparagus
Mathieu Young, Moonlighting