Frank Doorhof

Any light source will do!

Thursday 18 July 2019, 14:41 by | 4,328 views | 5 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

Of course I love my flashes. Of course I take most of my photos with flashes, panels or other modified light, or natural light. But essentially, you can take fantastic photos with almost anything that gives off light, as long as you position the light properly.

Claudia January 6 2017 00263


In this article, a few photos I took using only light bulbs. We even made a video about using alternative light sources called 'Mastering the modelshoot: Any light will do'.

The whole trick is that you need to understand that you control the quality of your light by placing the light source closer to or further away from your model.

Ingrid December 14 2016 0542


The closer you get to the light, the quicker it falls off and, in my opinion, the more atmospheric it becomes. And when you place your light bulbs too far away, the light quickly becomes ugly. But of course, this is all personal.

By the way, in the video we do much more than just light bulbs. It is really a complete journey through understanding light and showing that you can photograph with any light. Watch the trailer for the course below.

Share: WhatsApp Facebook
Frank Doorhof

About the author

Frank Doorhof blogt dagelijks in het Engels op zijn website en geeft wekelijks workshops model fotografie in zijn studio in Emmeloord, maar ook op locatie in binnen en buitenland. Van beginners tot gevorderde, iedereen kan bij Frank terecht. Ook voor specifieke 1 op 1 workshops, of maatwerk voor groepen.

Show every article in Tips and tricks

5 comments

  1. Robert
    Robert wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 11:54  | reply

    That's right Frank regarding the distance of your subject relative to the light source.
    My teacher always said; I don't want to see "dirty light" !
    It takes a while, but over time you understand what he meant.
    With photoshooting greetings from Robert

    Translated from Dutch.
  2. Koen
    Koen wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 14:19  | reply

    I regularly photograph in jazz and blues venues and it strikes me that they often have ugly lighting there: pink, purple, etc. It takes a lot of effort to get it out. Ordinary incandescent bulbs often have a colour that is too yellow (dirty light).
    Daylight lamps are what they should use.

    Translated from Dutch.
  3. Frank Doorhof
    Frank Doorhof wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 16:35  | reply

    That's called atmosphere that colors knipoog
    Just enjoy it and use it to your advantage. I don't think there is really any unusable light. Unless it's too weak.

    Translated from Dutch.
  4. K.P.
    Profile K.P. wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 18:09  | reply

    that's what the lighting technicians say too..... I'll show you something if you want: people with purple, blue, green and bright pink faces.... Although: I don't want to see them again because they are very bad.

    Translated from Dutch.
  5. Frank Doorhof
    Frank Doorhof wrote on Tuesday 23 July 2019 at 22:01  | reply

    But was it that color when you were there too ?
    If so then that's how it should be.
    With daylight lamps you would take away all the atmosphere.

    Note I haven't seen the photos. But normally it's precisely those colors that create the atmosphere of a live photo.

    Translated from Dutch.

Have your say

Please note: Articles older than a week can only be commented on by signed-in visitors.
Would you still like to comment? sign in or create a free account.

Become a better photographer every week

A practical photography tip in your inbox every week.
38,982 photography enthusiasts already receive the tips! More about the weekly mail. Or keep up to date via Facebook. Sign-up secured with Google reCaptcha.

Elja Trum

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

Photofacts is made possible in part by


We use cookies to make Photofacts work properly. Read our cookie policy. got it