If there is a photography styled that is named after you, then you know that you’re obviously doing something very unique. Terry Richardson will go down history as one of the most influential and controversial photographers of the century, not just for his approach in shoots (not to mention all the disturbing and probably accurate accusations against him), but for also bringing an aesthetic style that focused on the pure raw nature of his celebrities (outside the disturbing things he’s done).

At a first glance, the TRE would seem like a simple setup: a speed lite placed on a hotshoe directly pointing at the subject. If this were the setup, there would be a strong shadow on the side or under the subject, due to the gap between the lens and the light source. What Terry Richardson did was that he mounted a speed lite on a bracket in such a manner that the light source and the lens would be practically beside each other, lessening the fall of shadow. A wired/wireless trigger would be used.

If I found myself unhappy with a space or with an overly complicated set of textures, I’d turn to the TRE. Complicated concepts sometimes meant simple light setups. But having more control of the thickness of shadows simply by lessening the gap between light source and lens has given me more power in creating the final image.

I appreciate the lighting style, but definitely not what he’s done outside his technicality.