Tag Archive for: tethering

Read this before damaging your camera

18-05-2026/0 Comments/in blog/by Frank Doorhof

Tethering is a great tool

In professional photography, speed, precision, and collaboration often matter just as much as creativity.
One workflow has slowly transformed the way photographers shoot in studios, on location, and during commercial productions: tethering. First, I’ll explain tethering and then a few tips on how to protect your camera port and cable.

Tethered photography connects a camera directly to a computer, tablet, or monitor during a shoot, allowing images to transfer instantly for review.
What once seemed like a luxury reserved for high-end studios has become an essential part of modern photography workflows across fashion, product, portrait, and even wedding photography.
I remember that when I started in the studio, I connected my Canon camera with a video connector to a CRT monitor. It was far from perfect, but it worked like a charm.
Nowadays, tethering has come a long way, so let’s take a look at what tethering is and how we can use it, and we end with a tip that will save your camera.

What Is Tethering?

Tethering is the process of linking a camera to another device—typically via USB-C, Thunderbolt, Wi-Fi, or dedicated wireless transmitters.
The moment you shoot, the images will appear on the screen immediately. This is a great way to check focus and composition, or even attach a preset so the client can see the images as close as possible to the result.
You can even project the images inside a cover, for example. Tethering opens up the workflow and takes out the guesswork.
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of the wireless solutions, but if you only need JPGs and have an area without a lot of wifi traffic, it can work like a charm. Personally, I prefer to shoot with a cable.

Instead of reviewing shots on the small LCD at the back of the camera, you can now evaluate full-resolution files in real time.
Software such as Capture One, Adobe Lightroom, and most cameras have their own solutions, making this process seamless, offering instant previews, live adjustments, and organized file management.

At its core, tethering removes uncertainty from the shooting process.

how to protect your camera port and cable

My setup: with the Quick Release Cable Lock with sliders under my camera, and the Advanced Cabel Defensive System

Why Tethering Changes Everything

Instant Image Review

The most immediate advantage of tethering is visibility.
A 27-inch calibrated monitor reveals details that a camera screen simply cannot.
And when you are working on location, you can even use your iPad with software like Cascable or Capture One.

Photographers can instantly inspect:

Sharpness and focus accuracy
Skin texture and makeup detail
Product reflections and imperfections
Lighting
Color accuracy
Composition and styling
Use presets to get close to the final look
Project the photos inside the page/cover to see if it fits the design

This dramatically reduces costly mistakes and reshoots.
In commercial work, where clients expect perfection, identifying issues on set instead of during post-production can save hours, or even entire campaigns.

A better client Experience

Photography is rarely a solo process on professional sets.
Creative directors, stylists, makeup artists, clients, and assistants all contribute to the final image.

With tethering, you can focus on your work while the team or client can see/browse the images and already make their selection.
And this doesn’t just work when they are in your studio. In essence, you can create shared online folders so your client can see the images coming in while you shoot, while he/she is on the other side of the world.
In fact, during COVID, I did a photoshoot with a friend in New York. I remotely controlled his camera and saw the images coming in on my machine the moment I shot them.

Without tethering, feedback is delayed. With tethering, the entire production becomes more efficient.

Faster Creative Decision-Making

Tethering also accelerates experimentation.
Because results appear instantly and at full scale, you can more easily test out :

New lighting setups
Different lens choices
Complex compositions
Color gels and modifiers
Movement and motion effects

Creative risks become easier when feedback is immediate, plus you can see if your images work with different looks.
Sometimes a RAW file looks terrible, but when you start editing, they come to life. With tethering, you can very easily attach a preset to the RAW files coming in. I’ve used this countless times myself, and it’s an awesome tool that really helps with the more creative setups.

This is also especially powerful during editorial or advertising shoots, where subtle changes in mood and lighting can dramatically affect the final campaign image.

Improved File Organization and Backup

Modern tethering software automatically organizes images as they are captured.
Sessions can be sorted into folders, rated in real time, and backed up instantly.

That means:

Reduced risk of lost files
Cleaner workflow after the shoot
Faster editing turnaround
Easier collaboration with retouchers

For high-volume productions, this organizational advantage alone can justify a tethered setup.

Personally, I have my Sony camera setup so that it stores all the RAW files on the card and also inside Lightroom. In essence, you can also attach an external hard drive to your machine to create a third backup. Another solution is using the iPad, for example. On my iPad, I’m using CasCable. With CasCable, I’ve set it up so that the images stay on my camera, inside CasCable, but also inside Apple Photos. This means that when I’m home, my images are already on my Mac, and I can easily drag them into Lightroom. Alternatively, I can work on the files while traveling on my iPad. The flexibility and connectivity between devices are absolutely amazing and have improved significantly over the last few years.

Precision Lighting Control

As you know, I love to get the images right in camera and in studio/location photography, lighting precision is everything.

Tethering allows photographers to check both exposure and shadow play with far greater accuracy than an in-camera preview.
Besides the larger screen, a calibrated monitor also provides a much clearer representation of the final image.

The zoom capability is fantastic, but did you know that Capture One offers an option to check focus from a few meters away? In Capture One, you can use an option that displays all the areas that are “in focus” in a specific color, similar to how your camera displays the focus when you use manual focus.
This is an excellent tool for photographers who frequently use manual focus cameras, such as the RZ67ProII (which I still love).

Tethering on location

While tethering is often associated with studio photography, it’s equally effective on location. When I began teaching workshops on location, I had to bring a laptop, an extra battery, and an umbrella. During a workshop in Los Angeles, my laptop overheated, so we needed an umbrella. Additionally, the screen was barely visible on location, but it still worked.

Fast forward to 2026, and I’m shooting directly to my iPad Pro 12.9” on location. I don’t have to worry about dust or slight rain, and the screen is bright enough that we hardly need a sunhood. Moreover, the battery lasts the entire day without any issues.

Photographers now tether:

Fashion shoots on location
Destination weddings
Automotive photography
Food and hospitality campaigns
Architecture and interiors

Lightweight laptops, high-speed SSDs, and wireless tethering solutions make mobile workflows more practical than ever.

The Gear That Makes It Work

A reliable tethering setup typically includes:

A compatible camera
High-speed tether cable or wireless system, I’m using the IQwire 10mtr cables
A laptop or tablet
Tethering software
Cable management accessories
External storage or backup drives

The thing you have to take into account is that a tethering cable is not just a USB-C cable.
When you use a standard or lower-quality tether cable, you run the risk of fire or damage to your port when the cable is damaged.
A dedicated high-end tethering cable is often one-directional and has extra protection against damage from accidents.

I’ve been using the cables and solutions from IQwire for years, and they have never failed me.
In fact, a few years ago we started selling them ourselves because a lot of the attendees of our workshops wanted a 10-15 meter lightweight tether cable with a proper protection system.
And because technology never stops, we are now already on the third generation of cables since I’ve started using IQwire.
Truly the next generation in Tethering, so when you are looking for a reliable system, make sure to check out IQwire.

Reliability matters. A dropped connection during a fast-paced commercial production can interrupt momentum and cost valuable time.

One of the most asked questions

One of the most asked questions is: “Why longer than 4.7 mtr?”
You might think that 4.7 mtr is long enough, but there is one vital thing you have to take into account.
We don’t want the cable to be a tripping risk, so it has to stay flat on the floor.
If we take into account that our laptop is on 1.5 mtr height, and we shoot from 1.5 mtr height, we only have 1.7 mtr room to move around.
When we switch to a 10 mtr cable, this not double but actually gives you 6.7 mtr to move around, a huge improvement.
And if you need more, IQwire delivers up to 15 mtr.

The Psychological Advantage

One of the most overlooked benefits of tethering is confidence.

When you can verify exposure, focus, and composition instantly, you can shoot with greater confidence.
Clients feel more comfortable because they can see progress in real time.
Teams communicate more effectively because everyone is looking at the same image.

That confidence changes the atmosphere on set.
Shoots become more intentional, collaborative, and efficient.

If you discover that the model continues to gaze at the screen, you can always place a flag in their field of view and claim it’s for lighting purposes.

Final Thoughts about tethering

Photography has always been about seeing clearly.
Tethering extends that vision beyond the camera itself.

By enabling instant review, real-time collaboration, accurate color evaluation, and streamlined workflow management, tethering transforms both the creative process and the final product.

But it also gives you a risk.
When you shoot on the card, there is no real risk for the camera.
However, when you shoot tethered, there is always a cable hanging from a small port, and your camera is connected to your laptop/iPad.

So it’s important that before you start tethering, you take care of a few things.

Protect your investment

As mentioned before, I’m using the IQwire system, so let’s take a look at how you can build a proper, protected system.
First, I’ll give you the rundown of my own system. And how I protect my camera port and cable

I’m using the 10-meter IQwire 10G cable.
I’ve used the 15 meter for a while, but found that in our studio the 10 meter is easier to use.
Both cables performed equally well in connecting and speed.

Under my camera, I’m using a slider system called the Quick release Cable lock (version1)
Thanks to the slider, my cable is always locked, preventing wear and tear when I need to route it through another solution (more on those later).

I’m also using the Unpanned Cable Modifications Detterent protector (the orange mount) on the side of my camera. I primarily use this because, during workshops and events, the likelihood of people bumping into me is quite high. If they hit the cable, it could damage the port. The way it’s currently connected, in combination with the shorter connector of the new IQwire 10G cables, makes it almost impossible to damage the cable or the camera.

The tip I promised is in what I always call the PigTail.
You can opt to route your cable through the Quick-release Cable lock, but you can also use a small cable between your camera and the main cable.
You can of course just use a pigtail, but if you want it nice and also protect your main cable, you can use the IQwire Advanced Cable Defense system,

When you use the pigtails, and someone steps on your cable, the connection will be lost, not because your camera or laptop is on the floor, but because the cable is disconnected from the box. This happens to me at least twice a week, so this system is worth its price in gold for me.

Ok, so now we have seen the pro setup, let’s take a look at a slightly less pro setup.

My advice on how to protect your camera port (and cable)

IQWire Cableblock Protect your camera port and cable

With the CableBlock, the cable is secured to your camera.

I would highly advise the 10-meter IQwire cable.
Also, when you buy the cable, you will get a free cable block.
A super simple but clever solution to secure your tether cable to your camera.
The CableBlock is Arca compatible, smaller in size so you can still open your battery compartment, you don’t need a coin to connect and disconnect it, has soft feet so your camera is not damaged, the corners are rounded for your comfort, and most importantly…. it’s red.

In essence, this is a safe solution, although I would still highly recommend connecting a pigtail on the camera side.
You can use a simple USB-C to USB-C female to male cable. Do make sure it’s NOT a charging cable, but a fully functional USB-C cable.
If you use our cables, I can highly recommend using the Advanced Cable Defensive System
Or you can also get pigtails from our own selection via our webshop

the ACDS is the best way to protect your camera port and cable

IQwire developed a short cable and a lock to make a breaking point. You can use one cable on the camera side and the other on the laptop side. This set is € 95,00. We also sell the short IQwire cables without the lock for €70,00. But you can use a simple extension cable too (€19,95)

On the software side, I can highly recommend Cascable on the iPad (or desktop).
It has a lot of options to make tethering easy, and it connects great with Lightroom and Apple Photos.
On the desktop, I’m using Adobe Lightroom. Since it added support for the Sony cameras, it has been rock solid for me.

I hope this blog post gave you some more information about tethering.
If you have any more questions about how to protect your camera port and cable, feel free to reach out.

Unboxing the new IQwire 10G cables (DUTCH)

Read this blog about loosing your images

Mixing colored lights with strobes

5-04-2026/in blog, Visions and technique/by Frank Doorhof

Mixing light sources can be loads of fun

I’ve talked about it many times on the blog, but today we are adding one detail that will give you a lot more control over the look of the set. Today, it’s about mixing colored lights with strobes.

Workshop: mixing light

During the workshops, I always try to put in as many techniques as possible in the sets.
Which also means I sometimes have to create a problem to solve.

These images were shot during a glamour workshop with Claudia.
During this workshop, I love to create a more moody atmosphere and play a bit more with the model’s interaction with the camera.
One of the sets I think is great for glamour shots is pretty simple to recreate yourself.

Reflective surface

You only need some material with a nice reflective surface that you can lay on the floor for your model to lie on.
I love the color red, so for me it’s of course red velvet-like material.
Be careful with these kinds of materials; sometimes they will reflect light back differently depending on the angle you lay the material.
Sometimes this can be a nice effect. But if you want to keep the color even and need several parts together, make sure you check the direction you lay it down.

In most cases, I will light a set like this with one striplight or a small softbox. And let the light fall off around the legs.
Today we decided to add an extra element.

For this shot, I’m bouncing two strobes from our mirror wall into the set.
I’m using two Geekoto GT200’s with the Rogue magnetic kit and two Rogue gels, one red and one blue.
This already gave a really nice effect, but for a workshop, we need something more, right?

So let’s add some continuous lighting.

Mixing colored lights with strobes: the setup

In the past, this was something we had to guess for a large part.
Or, of course, shoot tethered and check the images while shooting.
But with almost every modern camera, it’s super easy.

When we normally shoot in the studio, we have our EVF in the “optical viewfinder emulation mode”.
This is the mode where, in a dark studio, you can see your subject perfectly.
On most cameras, even better than with a traditional viewfinder.

Emulation mode

You probably have at one time already experienced the “Emulation mode”.
When your camera is set to this mode, you will wonder what’s wrong with your camera when shooting in the studio.
In fact, there is nothing wrong with your camera, but the EVF is emulating what will happen when you press the shutter, and because we often shoot with very low light in a studio and with strobes, it’s normal for the camera to show you a pitch-black screen.

But for this setup, we actually need this setting.
You probably know, or by now have guessed, that the emulation mode is great for situations where you work with continuous lighting.
The camera literally shows you the result before you press the shutter.
So, for a setup like this, it helps a lot to set up the camera.

How to create this image: mixing colored lights and strobes

Step 1

Make sure the studio is very dark, and you don’t have any lights that affect the set.

Step 2

Choose the aperture for the depth of field you like.
I personally love to shoot these kinds of sets wide open or very close to wide open.
Now, make sure you choose a shutter speed you feel comfortable with for shooting handheld.
Although the model will be partly “frozen” by the strobes, we have a lot of the small lights in the frame, so you don’t want too much (if any) movement in your model.
In most cases, I would aim for anything between 1/8 and 1/30
Luckily, with today’s cameras, we have great high-iso performance and otherwise great software.

You can set the perfect ISO and shutter speed combination by simply looking at the emulation in the viewfinder.
When you lower the shutter speed/raise the ISO, the lights will get brighter.
When you raise the shutter speed/lower the ISO, the lights will get darker.

Step 3

Congratulations! The most difficult part is done.
Now that you know the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, it’s important not to change the ISO and aperture anymore.
You now have to take out your light meter and meter the strobe to the aperture and ISO you have set in your camera.
When your strobe is too powerful, you can opt to place an ND filter on the strobe (not on the camera, of course :D), or bounce the strobe from a ceiling or wall.

Step 4

Now that you have set everything up perfectly and the first images come in, you will probably be disappointed.
And that’s normal, don’t worry.
In sets like this, the perfect exposure is often not the “perfect” exposure.
Because we are working with two different light sources, we have a lot of creative control over the set.
For example, you can choose to raise or lower the shutter speed and control the output of the little lights. But you can also opt to lower the output of the strobes and make it more moody with more saturated colors.

This is the part that I often compare with cooking.
The base has to be perfect, but then we start adding the spices.

Step 5

The final ingredient: mixing colored lights and strobes

Because we are working with loads of small lights in this setup, plus colored strobes that bounced from the wall, it was almost impossible to get perfect lighting on certain parts of the body and the face.
And this is where you have to be smart…. use the small lights to light these parts.
Together with the students, we checked the images coming into Lightroom. (This is why we always shoot tethered) And every time we changed some lights until we got the final results you see here.

Conclusion

Sometimes a prop is just a prop.
But sometimes you can also use your prop to help with problems in the set. We used the lights here to light certain parts of the body and face that were not lit by the strobes.
Remember that in mixed lighting setups, the aperture/ISO combination must stay fixed for the strobe, and with the shutter speed, you can let in more or less of the continuous light.
Do remember to stay under the X-sync of 1/125 in the studio.

Workshops about (mixing) lights

Want to learn everything about light control?
Want to visit a workshop where it’s not just shooting a model with a fixed lighting setup, but see how the setup is built and adjusted to the taste of the group?
And of course learn how to work with poses, backgrounds, small sets, styling, retouching, and a lot more…..

If this all sounds awesome, visit fotografie-workshops.nl and book your workshop.
If you don’t speak Dutch, no problem, let us know a few weeks in advance, and we can switch the workshop to English.
Not possible to travel to the Netherlands?
We got you covered with our 1:1 online workshop.
We have a full streaming setup in our studio. 4 detail cameras and of course the retouching software, so you can see every detail and of course ask questions during the day. Plus, you get all the RAW files after the workshop.

Free video tutorial about mixing flash with continuous light

14-12-2025/in blog, Visions and technique, Webinars and instructional videos/by Frank Doorhof

It’s one of those questions

That always comes back, and we’ve discussed it several times on the blog.
But because video is always better, today a free 2 hour tutorial about mixing light sources.

But first I’ll show you the results from the video, and give you a short explanation of the setup.
Due to the different lighting setups I have chosen to edit the final results also with different looks which I think fits the mood.
During the video you see the lighting setups and also part of the retouching process in Lightroom, Photoshop, BorisFX and Luminar Neo

Chandelier

Strobes are fun, but just a chandelier can be great too.

Mixing the chandelier with strobes

In the following shots I started with the Geekoto Lantern, and later switched to the Geekoto Quicky softbox, both on the Geekoto GT400.
As you can see the difference is clearly seen between the more focussed lightsource and the lantern which spreads the light out much more.
In the later shots I compensated with the light output of the chandelier by changing the shutterspeed. (explained in the video)

More focussed lightsource.

And of course it’s always fun to add some extra color.
Here I’m using the Rogue magnetic system on the Geekoto GT200 with a blue gel
The black diffusion filter helps with the lens flare.
You can always add some extra “oomph” to your lens flares with software like BorisFX, which I used in the first shot.
The lens flare is there, but it just gives it something extra.

Back to the chandelier

In the final part of the tutorial I switch back to the chandelier, but with a different setup.
This setup goes into detail about the inverse square law and shadow problems when shooting closeup light sources.

The tutorial

After seeing the results I hope you are looking forward to the tutorial.
The tutorial is part of our Digital classroom series, which you can find on our YouTube channel.
If you want to learn more about lighting in small groups check fotografie-workshops.nl for the Dutch workshops and events.
If you don’t speak Dutch and let us know a few weeks in advance we can switch the workshops to English.
And if you are not able to travel, no problem, we have a great setup for 1:1 (group) workshops online Online 1:1 workshops

A very glamourish photoshoot

19-09-2025/in blog, Visions and technique, Webinars and instructional videos/by Frank Doorhof

Digital classroom is a live “classroom”

But there’s so much more to it. When I first started digital classrooms a long time ago, the setup was completely different. In this blog, I tell you more, because this year is the 10th anniversary of the Digital Classroom. Thanks to our sponsors BenQ, Calibrite, Rogue, and Cascable, you can watch for free.

How we started the Digital Classroom

We began the day early in the morning with a webcam aimed at the makeup room. After applying makeup, we moved the camera to the studio for the shoot. Occasionally, I would also aim it at the screen for retouching. We had people watching from all over the globe, and sometimes, we lost someone because they fell asleep. It wasn’t because the stream was boring (it was) but because of the 8-hour streams and the time differences, of course.

See all our episodes and short explainer videos on YouTube

one of the first digital classrooms

Present

Nowadays, we approach things differently. With the internet being much faster, we’re broadcasting in 1080P (maybe 4K in the future). Our studio features four different camera angles, which are live-switched with picture-in-picture scenes. This allows viewers to see the studio setup and the photos being transmitted. Of course, you can join us live during the broadcast to ask questions.

Digital Classroom has become one of my favorite educational tools, and this always motivates me to push myself and the team to create more engaging episodes. We’ve done dedicated product photography, pregnancy and newborn episodes, and soon, we’ll be shooting some motion.

Digital Classroom: “Glitter and Glamour with a Royal tint”

Today, I would like to share some images from the recent digital classroom episode featuring our model, Claudia.
These images were captured during the live stream, and three of them were also retouched during the broadcast.
At the bottom of this blog post, I will post a link to the recording of this digital classroom episode.

But first, let’s take a look at the results.

I believe Claudia did an excellent job. 😀

I hope that after viewing the results, you’ll also be interested in seeing how I did the setups and retouching. So here is also the link to the recording.
Feel free to ask questions on YouTube.

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