Mark explains how to get outside and shoot a self-assignment in order to expand your photographic skills. He gives himself two assignments and spends an hour taking pictures and SEEING things that most people would just walk by.

Gear used in this video

• Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera, 18 Megapixels, Full HD Movie Mode, EF-S 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens – U.S.A. & EF 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III Autofocus Telephoto Zoom Lens

I know, it’s been a while since we last updated the blog. We’ve been busy creating lots and lots of content for AdoramaTV. We’ve created 44 new videos. Ten of those have been new Digital Photography One on One episodes. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback and we’re working hard to keep the videos fresh and useful.

Last week we released Episode 20: On Location Flash and have seen more activity on this episode than most, so I thought I’d post it here as well as a few of the photos we shot for the video.

Model Katherine Lee. In this shot I overexposed the background and used a medium softbox to add some fill light on Katherine.

This image was shot using strong backlight. I used the softbox to balance the light. I adjusted colors in Lightroom before exporting.

This is an example of a balanced fill flash. Katherine was standing in the shade and without the fill flash she would have been almost completely underexposed. By matching the flash exposure to the ambient light I was able to create an image that looks like 100% natural light event though I used a flash.

Gear used in this video

• Profoto Acute-B 600R w/ lamphead
• Photoflex Litedome Platinum, Large 36″ x 48″ Softbox
• Sekonic L-758DR DigitalMaster, Programmable Digital Flash & Ambient Exposure Meter
• Canon EOS-5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera Body
• Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
• Manfrotto 055XPROB Black Tripod Legs
• Manfrotto Midi Ball Head 498 with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate
• PocketWizard MultiMAX Transceiver, Remote Control Radio Slave.