Every photographer from amateurs to professionals with decades in the



business knows that there are several different types of considerations

to be made when going for a great photo. Many photographers will

also say that getting lighting right is one of the biggest challenges

in their profession. In cities like Chicago where several large

modeling agencies have offices, studio lighting is a good skill for any

Chicago based photographer to master. For this reason, as well as

taking everyday portraits, it is important to practice good specialist lighting photography in Chicago.

Many photographers like to stay with the lighting basics. The

goal is produce photos that literally show the client in their best

light. Like all other aspects in photography it is a good idea to

consider the client and their desire for the appearance of the photo

when deciding on lighting issues. Some professional photographers

spend a great deal of time learning all of the various specialty

lighting techniques and their time and patience is rewarded by

producing top quality photographs and repeat business. Especially

with the thriving modeling industry, a photographer who utilizes good

specialty lighting photography in Chicago has a good shot at success.

Interestingly enough, the beginning of specialty lighting

photography was in Chicago. A man named George Raymond

Lawrence was the first photographer to begin experimenting with

lighting as a way to enhance photos in the early decades of the

twentieth century. His theory involved the use of magnesium

chloride to create better lighting in early portrait photographs and

those taken at night. Despite having no educational training in

chemistry and experiencing several explosions that resulted in burning

hair, mustache, and burst eardrums, he eventually achieved

success. His invention the ?Flashlight Lawrence? was the first

photography flash that remotely resembles the flashes used with cameras

today. His invention earned him the nickname ?The Father of

Flashlight Photography.? His invention worked by the magnesium

powder being ignited by electrical wires within the charges. This

produced the brilliant white light Lawrence needed to take portraits

indoors of a quality that hadn't been seen before.

That was just the start of George Lawrence's success with Chicago

specialty lighting photography. From that first invention

designed to be used indoors, Lawrence created a portable system that

allowed him to take a photo of Chicago's mammoth Coliseum using 20

pounds of powder on the first attempt and only 5 ounces after his

adjustments were made. George Lawrence is credited with paving

the way of the invention of floodlights and photographic flashbulbs.

While specialty lighting photography is incredibly important in

Chicago, and all other areas, it had its humble beginnings in Chicago

as well. A fore thinking, determined man single handedly changed

the course photography lighting, giving the field of photography the

technology it needed to produce higher quality photographs. His

designs and inventions are still the basis for specialty lighting

today. Today, of course, the specialty lighting photography techniques

are easier to work with and safer. Now lighting has been improved

to help create the photographic masterpieces we are all familiar with.