I decided to look at Karl Taylor for this module as he creates a lot of stunning still-life and product shots.

These 3 images of alcohol products are all beautifully lit. I can see how Taylor likes to create a rim light on the bottles to make them pop from the dark backgrounds and that he's also a big fan of gradient backgrounds.

Taylor also has a YouTube channel full of Q&A's and tutorials.

In particualr I looked at these 2 videos.

What I like about the videos is that one highlights the importance and advantage of building one light at a time. With his make-up shoot Taylor builds one light at a time and makes tiny seemingly insignificant changes that stack up to create an amazing image.

The other video highlights a common complaint of mine in most online tutorials; A lot of pro photographers have access to pro gear and the best equipment. Though we have access to a lot of useful equipment it pales in comparison. For example, his make-up shoot used 10's of thousands of dollars worth of lighting, there's simply no-way we could recreate the same. (though i understand that wasn't the point of the video). However, Taylor addresses this problem as shows a tutorial using simple household lights.

This, for me, highlighted a lot of misconceptions i was seeming using as excuses for my own advancement. I often didn't bother attempting things simply because I felt I couldn't due to equipment. Though, sometimes this it true; often it boils down to a getting the foundations right first.