real LIGHTING

made for you.

Whether you’re

new to weddings

or just tired of winging

it in dark ballrooms,

Illuminate is here to light your way.

And it definitely doesn’t need to come with 

GRAPHS, RATIOS, OR WORDS LIKE “INVERSE SQUARE LAW”

WHAT YOU’LL GET

Each PDF is packed with real-world lighting scenarios photographers face—from tricky first looks to moody receptions—and shows exactly how I lit them using intuition, creativity, and

  • Step-by-step breakdowns of real wedding images

  • Visual diagrams and gear info

  • Easy tips to make lighting feel natural (not scary)

  • Designed to be your quick-glance reference, not another course to “get through”

Use them before a wedding, mid-shoot (yes, people do!), or whenever your lighting confidence needs a boost.

zero math.

EXAMPLE SCENARIO

These templates were built for photographers who think in feelings, visuals, and vibes—not formulas. If you’ve ever said:

“I just want someone to show me what works…”
“Lighting feels like a foreign language.”
“I know what I want it to look like—I just don’t know how to get there.”
... then Illuminate was meant for you.

All of these images below were lit only by my lights well after sunset.

No window light. No ambient light.

  • Choose the templates you need —

    or grab all 3 and save big.

    However you light it up.

The Complete

COLLECTION

From details to the first dance.
you'll learn how to light the entire
wedding day with confidence.

A full comprehensive list of the most common
scenarios that wedding photographers encounter.

People &

 Portraits

Bridal Portraits, First Dances.
Speeches and more

Full access to all the downloadable professional
education templates for photographers wanting
to perfect the art of lighting people.

DETAILS AND OVERVIEW

Rings, Cake, Receptions, and
Invitation Suites at Midnight!

Full access to all the downloadable professional
education templates for photographers wanting
to perfect the art of lighting details and spaces.

Illuminate v3

c o m i n g s o o n

INDIVIDUAL TEMPLATES

I’m Amanda Crean — wedding photographer of 18 years,

lover of intuition over equations,

and the unofficial big sister

who’s finally sharing her

lighting cheat sheets.

MENTORSHIPS

Looking beyond lighting?

Or want to be able to ask real time lighting questions? Want to understand the luxury market, how to prep style for wedding days without being contrived, or how I get my sneak peeks to look so."filmy ?! "

From an hour-long video call to a real life styled (and marketable) personal workshop, the experience is curated for you.

WHATS IN MY BAG?

An in-depth and exhaustive list of all my gear from camera bodies, lenses, and yes - all my lighting gear. Complete with why I use each!

First lets look at the bags themselves:

BAGS

ROLLER BAGS: I have two Think Tank roller Airport International V3. They are perfect (especially when traveling to destination weddings] - I feel my gear is secure and padded, no matter how many bangs it endures. I also love that no one realizes they are not typical suitcases, but roller bags with thousands of dollars of gear inside. I have one set aside for my my "35mm" gear and one for my "medium format" gear (meaning camera bodies and lenses correctly together.)

BACKPACK: For engagement sessions and every wedding, I carry the Kamrette backpack (I have it in vegan black leather and olive). It’s surprisingly spacious, incredibly sturdy, and thoughtfully designed—every pocket and zipper feels like it was made with a photographer’s needs in mind. I usually load it with film and hand it off to my assistant.

CAMERA BODIES

Full Frame: My choice here is the mirrorless Canon R6. I chose it over the R5 for the smaller file sizes and lower price, but the real reason I keep it in my bag is speed. While I adore my Contax and GFX family, they’re slow—beautifully so—but still slow. The R6 gives me lightning-fast autofocus when I need to capture fast-moving, unscripted moments. Having used Canon for nearly 18 years, the intuitive menu and familiar lenses make it an easy fit. If I weren’t using Canon, I’d likely go with the Sony A7III. And if this were my primary system, I’d consider the Canon R5 or Sony A1 for their top-tier photo and video capabilities.

DIGITAL: My digital workhorse is the Fuji GFX 100s II and my Fuji GFX 50S. I chose it to ensure my digital sneak peeks—especially for Instagram—matched the depth and tonality of my beloved film scans. Paired with custom profiles, it blends so seamlessly that photographers often ask how I get my scans back so fast (spoiler: When NOT shooting digital, I use Indie Film Lab).

FILM: My go-to for years has been the iconic Contax 645 (I’ve owned more than I’d like to admit). If you know film, you know. While I don’t have a direct link, I’ve had the best luck finding them on eBay, FilmSupply.club, and Contax Rentals.

FOR MY CONTAX 645:

My go-to would have to be the beautiful Zeiss 80mm f2. Secondly, I love my wide Zeiss 45mm f2.8, and thirdly my Zeiss 140mm 2.8

FOR MY FUJI GFX:

Its really a toss up for my favorite. If I had to lean into one, I think I use the Voigtlander 58mm1.4 the most (a little wide, manual focus but the most "film" like rendering so far to my eye. You'll need an adapter depending on your camera body!) But by a very close second with my Fuji 80mm 1.7 (so clean and sharp!)

Honorable mentions: Fuji 45mm 2.8 & Fuji 23mm 1.4 - sharp, wide, fast

FOR CANON R6:

The behemoth, Canon 28-70 2.0 is a powerhouse (and native to the mirrorless system - for the rest of my original canon lens, here is the adapter you'll need. And yes - they 100% exactly the same!) It's almost parked on my R6 permanently. Given that I use the R6 for quick and candid images, the focal length paired with the aperture is unbeatable. (You'll need to brush up at the gym to be prepared for the size and weight.)

Once my favorite and still a classic, the original Canon 50 1.2L - still so beautiful and love the 1.2 aperture. Pre 2011, the vast majority of my images were used with this lens. (Also - I still have a handy and very cheap 50mm f1.4 just in case.)

LIGHTING

TRIGGERS:

These small but very mighty Godox x3 triggers are used across ALL my camera bodies, Film and digital alike. They charge easily and quickly, weigh very little and perform consistently. Having the same cohesive system makes everything streamline in my workflow

FUJI, CANON, CONTAX, LEICA

I typically have 4-5 of these with me at a time, depending on how many I accidentally leave behind at a venue.

Godox V1 for Fuji | Godox v1 for Canon (and Contax)

FLASH | STROBES

CONTINUOUS LIGHTING:

For “lightwands I use: A Godox Handheld RGB Tube Light

✺ Frequently asked questions ✺

  • Yes and no. When I feel like it? Sure.Am | shooting film? Then probably not. Digital? Sometimes. But | importantly did NOT gel for any of these photos. I'm trying to keep it os simple as possible!

  • Please email mel (info@amandacrean.com). If you are the reason I add another wedding day scenario I'll send it to you for free!

  • YES! IF you purchase the full collection, I give 25% off 1:1 mentorships

  • Each lighting "template" took the accumulation of over a decade of knowledge to understand on my own 'and' anywhere between 10-15 hours to complete. I've priced each template low enough to be accessible to hopefully even the most novice photographer. Instead of sharing these downloads with anyone, email me [infodamondocteon.com). I'm happy to give you a unique code for 25% off the next download and your friend as well if you both purchase!

MY WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED IN NUMEROUS PUBLICATIONS

Including