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  • Lighting Tips
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    • High School Senior Portraits - Kubota 1

      Inspiringly Easy High School Senior Portraits

      Kevin Kubota
      Lighting Tips
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    • Dramatic Lighting for Boudoir Photography

      Creating Dramatic Boudoir Photography

      Jen Rozenbaum
    • Behind the Scenes of Bridal Portraits

      Emphasizing Details in Bridal Portraits

      Will Cadena
    • Behind the Scene: Facial Expresssions

      How to Get the Best Facial Expressions for Your Portraits

      Peter Hurley
    • Tabletop B-Roll BTS

      Tabletop and Overhead B-Roll Lighting Tips

      Team Westcott
    • Creative Portraits - 1

      3 Ways To Use Plexiglass For Creative Portraits

      Team Westcott
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      Pre-Production Tips for Small Filmmaking Crews

      Team Westcott
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    • Omega Reflector - Silver as Shoot-Through

      Using the Omega Reflector as a Shoot-Through

      Team Westcott
      Gear Guides, Lighting Tips
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    • Our Top 5 Wedding Photography Lighting Tools

      Team Westcott
    • Essential Guide to Photography Backdrops

      The Essential Guide to Backdrops

      Team Westcott
    • The Essential Guide to Photo Umbrellas

      The Essential Guide to Photo Umbrellas

      Team Westcott
    • White Eyelighter Portrait Behind the Scenes 2

      White Eyelighter vs. Silver Eyelighter Portraits

      Zach Gray
    • Essential Guide to Photo Reflectors

      The Essential Guide to Photo Reflectors

      Team Westcott
    • Final Image 1 with Fill

      5 Ways to Use the Scrim Jim DP Kit

      Jem Schofield
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Westcott Top Pro Elite Jim Schmelzer

Jim Schmelzer

Westcott Top Pro Elite

Jim Schmelzer is an award-winning photographer, lecturer and trainer focusing in high school senior portraits and weddings. He is a Master Craftsman Photographer and holds a Master's Degree with Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. He has also been a technical representative and lighting adviser for F.J. Westcott for over 25 years.

Jim's Gallery & Full Bio

Wedding Cinemagraphs with the Ice Light

Capturing Memorable Wedding Cinemagraphs with the Ice Light

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Westcott Top Pro photographer Jim Schmelzer utilizes multiple Westcott Ice Lights to capture beautiful wedding cinemagraphs in this video tutorial.Cinemagraphs, often called "living photos", are a contempor...

How to Light for a Flixel with James Schmelzer

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
A living photo, often called a Flixel, is a combination of a still image and of a short video. A Flixel is created by filming a short, high-quality video and editing within the Flixel Cinemagraph software.B...
Light Gradation Tip: Jim Schmelzer

Portrait Quick Tip: Light Gradation

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Portrait photographer Jim Schmelzer is a advocate for continuous lighting in photography. Continuous lighting gives photographers the ability to see exactly how their final image will appear. This allows photog...
Jim Schmelzer and the Zeppelin

Creating a Summer Portrait In Studio with Jim Schmelzer

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Have you ever wanted to create a warm, summer portrait in unfavorable weather conditions? Photographers, especially those living in northern climates, often can not go outdoors in all seasons to capture images ...
Studio Portraiture with the Eyelighter

Studio Portraiture with the Eyelighter

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
In the Elite Photographic Studio near Detroit, Michigan, Team Westcott goes behind the scenes with renowned photographer Jim Schmelzer to talk studio portraiture with the . During this shoot, Jim's studio is s...
Jim Schmelzer - Reflectors

Studio Lighting Fundamentals Part 5: Camera Settings

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Join Top Pro Jim Schmelzer as he uses the Westcott Spiderlite TD6 lights to discuss basic studio lighting fundamentals. During part five of this five part series, Jim discusses camera settings, camera placement...

Matching Sunlight using HyperSync

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Midday on top of the Detroit Opera House, Westcott Top Pro and award-winning photographer Jim Schmelzer illustrates how matching sunlight is easily attainable utilizing HyperSync and Westcott lighting . Jim pre...

Studio Lighting Fundamentals Part 2: Softboxes

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Join Top Pro Jim Schmelzer as he uses the Westcott Spiderlite TD6 to discuss basic studio lighting fundamentals. During part two of this five part series, Jim walks viewers through softbox set up and placement ...
Jim Schmelzer

Studio Lighting Fundamentals Part 1: Spiderlite

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Join Top Pro Jim Schmelzer as he uses the Westcott Spiderlite TD6 to discuss basic studio lighting fundamentals. In the first of this five par series, Jim demonstrates light placement and how it can drastically...
Jim Schmelzer demonstrates lighting for a wedding: Part 2 by .

Wedding Photography Lighting Tips: Part 2

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Westcott Top Pro Jim Schmelzer continues his wedding photography lighting tips from Part 1 at the church. Here, Jim will bring in his bride and groom to start shooting beautiful images. Jim was using the Westco...
Jim Schmelzer – Studio Lighting Fundamentals with the Apollo by .

Studio Lighting Fundamentals using a Mega Apollo

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Westcott Top Pro Elite Photographer Jim Schmelzer teaches us different possibilities for Studio Lighting when shooting with the Westcott Mega JS Apollo.  Jim also uses a Westcott 6 in 1 reflector that acts as a...

Senior Portrait Photography with the Ice Light

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Top Pro Jim Schmelzer uses Westcott Ice Lights to create beautiful a beautiful Senior Portrait with ease. Using the portable Ice Light, Jim is in and out of a shoot in minutes.The Ice light is a portable hand...

Wedding Portrait Shoot Using Spiderlite TDs

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
Wedding portrait shoot by photographer Jim Schmelzer using multiple Westcott Spiderlite TD6 units, 36" x 48" Softbox and a 16" x 22" Softbox.The Spiderlite TD6 features 1200 watts of continuous lighting and...

Outdoor Football Portrait using a Scrim Jim

Jim Schmelzer
Lighting Tips
This lighting setup and final image was provided by photographer Jim Schmelzer.  Jim used the Westcott Medium Scrim Jim overhead his subject so that there were no shadows on the football player, and that he cou...
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