Looking for some basic lighting tips? Check out my best-selling app, Rick Sammon's Light It!

If you don't want to read this long blog post, click here see the intro movie (posted on SmugMug) - which includes a mini-lesson on lighting :-)

Click here to order the app. It's only $4.99!

My Light It! app, introduced in August 2010, is designed to help you make (not just take) professional-quality digital SLR people pictures – without spending a small fortune on professional lighting accessories. It's ideal for photographers who want to learn about shooting with an accessory flash and basic lighting accessories. Some of my favorite photo philosophies are included, too.

The 1.5 hour training app (packed with 1.5 GB of info) includes both video lessons and before/after photographs. At 1.5 GB you want to download Light It! from your home computer and then transfer it to your iPad.

Yes! Light It! is large and will take some time to download. Maybe download before going to bed.

I took the illustrative photographs with a range of Canon digital SLR cameras – from entry-level to top-of-the-line models. While watching the video lessons, you’ll learn how pros photograph people indoors and outdoors, in bright light and in low light, at home and on location, and even in a studio. In looking at the photographs in Light It! you’ll see the effects of my recommended techniques.

In the easy-to-follow and fun video lessons I’ll show you how to use reflectors, diffusers, a flash, flash accessories, basic strobe kits, basic hot-light kits and more. I also cover camera settings, as well as some of my photo philosophies. Although I often refer to specific cameras, the basic camera settings can be applied to any digital SLR - and even some compact cameras.

Two of the videos in Light It! – Top 21 People Photography Tips and Top Ten Digital Photography Tips – feature some of my favorite digital SLR pictures from around the world, accompanied with how-to tips, of course!

Light It! is a basic, or starter, app about lighting. However, as you will see, pros use many of these techniques and accessories to get great shots.

The movies for Light It!, shot by Emmy-award winner David Leveen, are divided into five sections:

Basics: 33 Minutes

Outdoors: 15 Minutes

In Your Home: 16 Minutes

On-Location: 12 Minutes

Studio Shooting: 23 Minutes

Hey! I told you Light It! is loaded with lighting info!

The total viewing time is about 1.5 hours.What’s more, I have included more than 100 end-result pictures in the app to illustrate the techniques I discuss in the lessons. So in effect, Light It! is like taking a private lesson with me – but only at your own pace.