Gregory Heisler is a professional photographer known for his portraits. Long before 2007, when David Hobby started his blog “The Strobist,” Heisler was already doing some incredible work with strobes.

Heisler is most known for his 50 Time Magazine covers.

Today many photographers will quickly pull out their large softboxes for portraits. While even Greg Heisler will use this on occasion, he prefers to light things so that they look natural.

I recommend buying Gregory Heisler: 50 Portraits: Stories and Techniques from a Photographer, where you see his photos and hear the stories behind those photos.

Heisler introduced a new lighting term used in theater and movie sets lacking in still photography.

Heisler heard while on a movie set the director said, “Motivate the Practical.” Of course, the practical is the light fixtures within the frame.

Heisler pointed out to those in attendance that when you go onto a movie set, you rarely see a giant softbox. The reason you don’t is the same reason when you go outside. You do not see light boxes all around us. So while the lightbox is wonderful light that looks like an ample window light, it isn’t the norm for most places we see people.

Heisler prefers light scenes to look like they would in a natural setting. He even goes so far as to make his studio at night look like a poolside photo during the day for a picture he did of Julia Roberts.

I was pleased to not only hear Greg Heisler speak I also was able to get him to sign a book for me.

This photo is an example of where I worked to create what would appear to be window light from the sun coming in the window. I put a strobe outside the window to generate sunlight on this rainy day.

I would have taken off the umbrella if I wanted a more complex light.

While in theater and movies, they would call this “motivating the practical.” I am creating a light that looks natural rather than just making great light.

I, too, prefer using “Motivating the Practical” over most any other type of light. It looks the most natural, and the more realistic the morning, the better the chance of it helping to create a “real moment.”