Shutter Release: Don’t melt your camera during the eclipse and many lighting tips and tricks

We here at Imaging Resource hope you had a nice weekend. Let's get the new week started off well with a variety of interesting photography articles and videos. Shutter Release is a regular roundup article feature in which we find and summarize content we think you would like to see. Today's assortment includes a PSA about how not to shoot the eclipse later today, a video about creating product photography with speedlights, how to improve your food photos at home without buying new gear and shooting backlit portraits in the rain. I'd say that the overall theme of roundup today is light, with all four topics being related to light. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so let's get to it.

Take caution, photographing the eclipse could melt your camera - The Verge

There has been plenty of pre-eclipse buzz and I'm sure many of you want to photograph the action. Take caution! Not using a proper solar filter could lead to damaging your camera. It's not often you would shoot the sun with a long lens, so it makes sense that many may not think about the risks. However, you can see just how extensive the damage can be in the video below from Iowa's Every Photo Store. 

Shooting product photography with speedlights - Fstoppers

Product photography is a great way to come to grips with lighting. Your subject won't move or become impatient and you can learn how to deal with lighting a wide variety of shapes and materials. Dustin Dolby of Workphlo has made a new video about how to use speedlights to shoot product photography. He uses an affordable setup, so it is something most anyone should be able to try on their own.

How to improve your at-home food photography - PetaPixel

Photographer Sean Tucker got his professional start as a food photographer. And while he's branched out a lot since then, he is of course a great source for info on food photography. You don't need a lot of expensive, fancy gear to take great food photos. Check out his video to learn how to improve your work without a lot of expensive equipment.

Backlit rainy photos tutorial - DIY Photography

Japan-based photographer Ilko Allexandroff has created a cool video about creating portraits in the rain using strobes. There are a lot of cool visuals in the video below in addition to many helpful tips and tricks.