Team Westcott, Author at Westcott University https://westcottu.com/author/bheiss Lighting Education for Photographers and Filmmakers Thu, 13 Nov 2025 21:40:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://westcottu.com/wp-content/uploads/icon-university.png Team Westcott, Author at Westcott University https://westcottu.com/author/bheiss 32 32 Capturing Action Shots on a Budget https://westcottu.com/using-apollo-orb-create-action-photo Tue, 01 Oct 2013 14:37:03 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139247 This Photography blog post using the Apollo Orb was originally written by Photographer, Charles Williams of Erudite Photography based in Ottawa, Canada. This photo shoot had to be one of the most inexpensive shoots I have had yet. The only thing I didn’t have, that I had to buy was baby powder for $5. Just […]

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]]> 139247 Using Flour and Speedlites for a Warehouse Photo Shoot https://westcottu.com/warehouse-photo-shoot-using-the-apollo-orb Tue, 27 Aug 2013 16:26:12 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139156 The following lighting diagram and blog is courtesy of  photographer Taryn Truese of Art Factory Studios in Paterson, New Jersey. One of my favorite hobbies in photography is to “test” with new faces from agencies. I love being able to practice my skill and also contribute portraits to models with budding careers. I had just signed […]

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]]> 139156 Ice Light Review by Marc Mikhail https://westcottu.com/ice-light-review-by-marc-mikhail Fri, 23 Aug 2013 15:13:14 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=139091 This Ice Light Review was provided by Marc Mikhail, Wedding photographer from Toronto, Canada. I love gadgets and cool stuff.  I’m a very tech-savvy guy, I love everything that has extra bells and whistles because when I want to use them, there they are.  When I encountered the ice light for the first time at […]

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]]> 139091 Painting with Light https://westcottu.com/painting-with-light Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:01:08 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133283 Adobe Creative Director, Russell Brown, shows us how he produced a beautiful image in Death Valley painting with light and using only the . Painting with light is one of many applications you can use the Ice Light for in photography or video. Throughout the video, Russell also mentions some of the best settings to […]

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]]> 133283 Quick Tip: How to Fold a Reflector https://westcottu.com/how-to-fold-a-reflector Tue, 11 Jun 2013 18:48:47 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133279 This video tip features Brandon from Westcott and it shows two easy methods on how to fold a reflector. The first method Brandon will show is referred to as the “Twist” and this is done by taking the reflector on opposite corners and twisting the reflector until it naturally folds up.  The second method shown […]

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]]> 133279 Real Deal Review: Westcott Triple Threat Speedlite Bracket https://westcottu.com/review-westcott-triple-threat Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:40:03 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133255 Photographer Ben Weatherston reviews the Westcott Triple Threat with a 7 foot parabolic umbrella, and a diffusion front panel for this week’s Real Deal Review. The Triple Threat is a speedlite accessory that allows photographers to mount three speedlites to one unit.  This will not only give more power to photographers who use speedlites, but […]

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]]> 133255 Real Deal Review: The Rapid Box Speedlite System https://westcottu.com/review-of-the-rapid-box Fri, 07 Jun 2013 06:20:07 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133245 Photographer Kelli D. from West Virginia had the chance to review the Rapid Box Speedlite System for us in this week’s Real Deal Review. The Rapid Box features a very quick setup, along with a gorgeous output of light from a single speedlite.  The Rapid Box allows photographers to mount their speedlite flash on the outside of the […]

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]]> 133245 Real Deal Review: Scrim Jim https://westcottu.com/review-scrim-jim Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:05:58 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133238 Photographer Melody G. from Virginia had the chance to review the Scrim Jim for us. The , and you can mount a variety of diffusion panels, multiple reflectors, and even full black blockers. See what she liked, disliked, as well as some photos taken with the Scrim Jim in this week’s “Real Deal Review”. The […]

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]]> 133238 Real Deal Review: Ice Light and PowerPack https://westcottu.com/real-deal-review-ice-light-and-powerpack-battery Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:11:13 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133207 Photographer Tom S. reviews the Westcott Ice Light and the Ice Light PowerPack in this week’s Real Deal Review. In this review, Tom talks about some of the practical ways he uses the Ice Light as well as the Pro’s and Con’s of the Ice Light. Tom will show examples of the Ice Light in […]

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]]> 133207 Real Deal Review: 50″ Mega Apollo Modifier https://westcottu.com/real-deal-review-50-mega-apollo-modifier Thu, 06 Jun 2013 22:04:48 +0000 https://westcottu.com/?p=133201 Watch Charles E. from New York as he reviews the 50″ Mega JS Apollo for this week’s Real Deal Review. The 50″ Mega Apollo is the largest in the Apollo Series and like the others is built on an umbrella shaft for easy opening and closing. Charles discusses what he likes about the light modifier […]

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]]> 133201 Real Deal Review: Perfect Pair Light Modifier Kit https://westcottu.com/real-deal-review-perfect-pair-light-modifier-kit Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:00:40 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=125275 Photographer Patrick F. from The Woodlands, TX reviews the Bob and Dawn Davis Perfect Pair Kit in this week’s Real Deal Review. The Perfect Pair Kit includes two lights.  The first light is the Medium Apollo, a light modifier that is built on an umbrella frame making it very easy to setup.  It measures 28″ […]

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]]> 125275 Using a 7′ Umbrella for Portraits https://westcottu.com/using-a-7-parabolic-umbrella-for-portraits Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:54:20 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=125412 Some people use umbrellas all the time. Reflective, shoot through, they just love the spill and shape of the light that comes out of them. For me, I like the control I get out of softboxes, strip lights, and octabanks. The light goes where I want it to go, not just everywhere. There’s no denying […]

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]]> 125412 Shooting a Super Bowl Feature with the Ice Light https://westcottu.com/stillmotion-shooting-a-super-bowl-feature-with-the-ice-light Tue, 19 Feb 2013 08:51:58 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=125158 Lighting With No Time, On The Fly? When it came to lighting, we often had very little time–as might be expected on these type of run-and-gun shoots. What we needed were lights that could be ultra-portable, quick to set up, and versatile enough to work in situations that we didn’t even know about yet! The […]

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]]> 125158 Painting with Light Using the Ice Light https://westcottu.com/painting-with-light-using-the-ice-light Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:55:15 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123779 This article is courtesy of  photographer and software designer Andrew Funderburg of Fundy Software. Light painting with the is a lot of fun, and gives you a look you can’t get anywhere else. It’s a simple process. Set your camera to manual, under expose your subject and make sure your shutter is set to at least 10 seconds […]

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]]> 123779 Review: X-Drop Backdrop System https://westcottu.com/review-x-drop-backdrop-system-by-brian-tetrault Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:51:39 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123610 This review was written by Photographer Brian Tetrault Innovative Backdrop Design Shooting many business headshots and portraits, I’m constantly looking for a background solution that’s fast to setup, flexible to use, small and lightweight, and most importantly, can replace the good ol’ fashioned 4ft roll of seamless. Found it! The Westcott X-Drop combines all of […]

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]]> 123610 Using Diffusion Fast Flags for Portraits https://westcottu.com/using-diffusion-flags-for-portraits Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:31:04 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123327 Lan and I decided to shoot a couple of new avatars for ourselves today since the ones we have been using are 3 years old and we don’t really look the same (I’m now a little fatter and a LOT balder, but Lan is mostly just older). For fun, and because we were curious, we […]

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]]> 123327 How I Captured This Image at Boot Hill Cemetery https://westcottu.com/how-i-captured-this-image-at-boot-hill-cemetery Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:47:29 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123126 This image was taken in Tombstone at Boothill Cemetery following the Tombstone Trolley Ghost and Murder Tour with Parson George and Lee. The cemetery is one of the stops during the tour. At the time this image was taken the sun was setting and the cemetery was about to close. The trolley driver, Lee, who […]

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]]> 123126 Lighting Rumours: X-Drop Backdrop Review https://westcottu.com/x-drop-backdrop-review-on-lighting-rumours Fri, 31 Aug 2012 18:30:29 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=123208 The X-Drop Backdrop System was recently featured on Lighting Rumours. Bruce Foster, photographer out of the UK, reviewed the X-Drop with the Green Screen backdrop. If I had to sum up the X-Drop, I would call it the iPhone 5 of the background world. – Bruce Foster What we love about this review is the […]

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]]> 123208 Composite Photography Lit by the Spiderlite TD6 https://westcottu.com/composite-photography-td6 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 13:16:25 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=122798 In this composite of a mountain biker in Boulder, Colorado, Mark S. Johnson’s goal was to capture the feeling of hopping off the bike after an epic (and muddy) ride. To accomplish the effect, he employed his standard composite photography light setup. This includes three . A  (with no diffusion internal or external diffusion) served […]

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]]> 122798 Video Review: The Ice Light https://westcottu.com/video-review-the-ice-light Mon, 23 Jul 2012 15:59:29 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=122541 This Ice Light review comes from the ‘Web Video University‘ website. Dave Kaminski has been running the site for 5 years now, offering reviews and educational about Photography and Videography. In this video Dave walks through the ways you can use the Ice Light and the immediate effect it can make on both your photography […]

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]]> 122541 Shooting with Perspective https://westcottu.com/tog-tuesday-shooting-with-perspective Tue, 17 Jul 2012 13:20:51 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=122435 Perspective It’s good to have a little perspective – to know where you stand and just how big (or small) your world and the things in it are. Most pictures we see include something we recognize – a person, a house, a car, or something else that we already know the size of. Like leaves. […]

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]]> 122435 Using Apollo Orb to Control Light with Speedlites https://westcottu.com/jayce-clarke-using-apollo-orb-to-control-light-with-speedlites Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:49:04 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=122394 Levels Aimed At: Simple lighting setup with a little practice. One light source (Key light), setup. Controlling background exposure to render your creative results. Anything I should know? Radio triggers that allow for AutoFP/High Speed Sync are needed. IR setups tend not to work At least 2 or 3 strobes. In Brief In this article […]

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]]> 122394 Dark Field Photography Tips and Techniques https://westcottu.com/dark-field-imaging-tips-techniques https://westcottu.com/dark-field-imaging-tips-techniques#comments Tue, 05 Jun 2012 13:48:48 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=120499 You know those images of wine glasses that have glowing edges against a solid black background? The technique (called “dark field” photography) is a popular studio approach for showing off the smooth curves of translucent or transparent objects. It is less commonly applied to opaque objects, though it does sometimes show up in unusual commercial […]

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]]> https://westcottu.com/dark-field-imaging-tips-techniques/feed 1 120499 Behind the Portrait with Strobist Rick Nunn https://westcottu.com/behind-the-portrait-with-strobist-rick-nunn Fri, 25 May 2012 15:52:36 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=120051 This behind the portrait blog is courtesy of strobist photographer and design Rick Nunn. Last Saturday I headed to Tokyo to do a shoot for a friend. This first set up needed to be super dramatic so I had two on the left, one high one low, and a light behind on to some very […]

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]]> 120051 Behind the Scenes: Strobist Portraits in a Warehouse https://westcottu.com/rick-nunn-portrait-shoot-using-apollos Tue, 15 May 2012 14:06:59 +0000 http://fjwestcott.com/?p=119871 This article is courtesy of designer and strobist photographer Rick Nunn of Lincoln, England. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a lit portrait, so I text my friend Leah &  arranged something for today. I’ve had this location in mind for a while but hadn’t had the chance to use it. It was a […]

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