Hey gang! A few months ago I shot a video on how to use Westcott's cool Ice Lights to make a cool picture. Here's the video. It's one of my favorite how-to videos. As you'll see, I like to make learning fun.

Before reading about the making of the above picture, get this: You have a chance to win a Westcott Ice! Click here for info.

Okay, back to the shoot. I used two Westcott Ice Lights to light the shot. I chose the Ice Lights because they are so small and compact that they can be used to illuminate a subject inside a car. I also love the soft light that they produce.

Above: Here's a behind-the-scenes shot. That's Westcott's Brandon Heiss helping out with a test shot. We're using a hand-painted background, complete with a sunset, as our background.

For the final image, one Ice Light was position with a clamp above the sun roof. The other Ice Light was held by Brandon as he leaned through the passenger door - which is where I took the shot. Brandon held that Ice Light directly in front of the model.

Above: Here's a natural light shot. Boring. Why? No shadows. Also, it's a boring pose. By changing the light and pose, we turned a boring shot into a hot shot.

Gear:
Ice Light
Canon 5D Mark III
Canon 24-105mm IS lens - for me, the most versatile lens offered by Canon.

I warmed up the image using the Duplex filter in Nik Color Efex Pro. For info on Nik, see my Save on Plug-ins page.

Quick tips:
- Light illuminates, shadow define.
- Shadows are the soul of the picture.
- Shadows are your friend.
- Shadows add a sense of depth and dimension to a photograph.

For more on light (and composition - the strongest way of seeing), see my on-line classes.

Explore the light,
Rick

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