Courtney Davis
News Photographer

One of the best, and subsequently least used, techniques in shooting pretty pictures is good lighting. It can be time-consuming and cumbersome, but worth it.

I’ll let you in on a guilty little secret; many of us who work during the day tend to leave our lighting equipment in the car. We get spoiled by the sunlight, the studio lights and the brightness that streams through office windows. Plus, we are just plain lazy.
(Practicing lighting techniques in the WRAL Studio)
Breaking down the difference in good lighting verses bad (sorry guys, it's a shopping explanation): Ever tried on clothing in a store under florescent lights? The lights are an odd mix of yellow and blue hues that make your skin look pale and sickly. The dark circles under your eyes are enhanced. And you just can't figure why you look so bad in the dressing room ...

If those diplomats only knew! They'd have an extra few minutes tacked on to the interview time just so the news crew heading to their office could set up lights to make them look 'softer' and 'more inviting'. Because, truth be told, if you have the option to pick out the Yellow or the Blue hues in those over head lights will make a world of difference in how the world sees you, whether we recognize it or not.

I will expand on this and on our emphasis on good lighting in upcoming blog pages. Just thought I'd share a little secret for now;)