So, Here’s Some Advice: Cheat. Look for Something that’s Already Lit.

Out there in the steaming, sulfurous emptiness of Iceland, we were allowed into a thermal plant, which was a really cool place to shoot. I was teaching a lighting workshop, and we did our usual thing of talking about it, scouting the location, dividing into teams, and assigning models. Again, per usual, I told the group I would try to stage some sort of hopefully helpful demo during our stay. Everyone toddled off, lights and models in tow. One of the reasons I enjoy teaching, obviously, is to see the results folks get when encountering a new location, camera in hand. And I do some head tilts, at least occasionally, when I come upon a shooter who’s feverishly preparing a shot that appears to me to be so outlandish and nonsensical that I giv....