These words were spoken by the father of popular photography and the inventor of multiple camera systems and motion-picture film. And yet today, most photography magazines, blogs and social media focus almost exclusively on the gear—and almost never on the thought process.

Nick Saglimbeni knows that the key to creating a powerful image is understanding light. As a successful commercial photographer who teaches lighting workshops across the globe, Nick has heard countless stories from aspiring artists of their frustrations with lighting. They see the vision in their heads, but they have no idea how to get there. Nick wanted to create a lighting tutorial, but he wouldn’t move forward unless he could find a way to teach visual concepts in an innovative and engaging way.

To accomplish his vision, Saglimbeni teamed up with feature-film VFX artist, Raffael Dickreuter (Iron Man, Man of Steel, Avengers: Age of Ultron) to create this groundbreaking learning experience—one that sets a new bar for photography education. As a trained cinematographer, Nick knew that motion-picture and photography go hand-in-hand: one could be used to engage the viewer while teaching the other.

The result is Mastering Lighting: Volume One.

So what is it that makes Mastering Lighting so dramatically different from every other tutorial out there?

First, Mastering Lighting doesn’t start at the shoot. Instead, it is a completely new way to think about lighting, arming you with tools to help you visualize, plan and execute every aspect of your shoot from concept to post. Think of it as upgrading your creative process—an invaluable enhancement that will make you more comfortable and versatile on set, and allow you to capture the best possible images each and every time.

Many tutorials create staged shoots or have you follow around a photographer for hours on a reality show about themselves. We’re not here to waste your time. Mastering Lighting has built an efficient learning engine like no other. Nick and his team use state-of-the-art 3D technology to virtually recreate the sets from his most iconic shoots, putting you in the driver seat for a true first-person perspective.

Why go to all this trouble? This immersive process strips away the non-essentials to maximize your learning experience, making once-difficult lighting concepts easy to understand, and imprinting the knowledge in a fun and intuitive way.

Mastering Lighting only has one mission: to give you the tools you need to succeed.

In addition to its’ cutting-edge technology and stunning visuals, Mastering Lighting‘s strength is that it utilizes actual, award-winning shoots to teach you the highest-end professional lighting. Saglimbeni divulges the secrets of his most recognized and celebrated campaigns, allowing you to follow his artistic process from beginning-to-end.

You will learn—through virtually being on set right beside Nick and his team—how to approach shoots, both large and small, and see how to achieve them for yourself.

The 3D Virtual Sets are an essential teaching tool. They allow Nick to precisely illustrate how he executes each shot, from choosing the location and optimal camera position, to selecting the light sources and motivating light direction.

The On-Screen Camera Controls give you a first-person POV look through Nick’s camera to emulate his thought process in real-time. Together, you will select an ideal composition, assess both the advantages and the problematic elements within a given frame, evaluate which issues you can and cannot control, and choose the optimal ISO and shutter speed for a healthy (non-grainy) image.

Through the lens, you’ll also analyze focal length, white balance, histogram limitations (clipping), motion blur risk, ideal model placement and balancing your frame.

So yes, knowing your camera gear is certainly important. However, if you truly understand light—and how to work with your environment instead of fighting it—you can achieve stunning images regardless of your camera.

It may be true that there are more photographers now than at any point in history, and that the internet has given us access to more information than ever before, but real professionals understand that maximizing your competitive edge is often the difference between having a successful career and being sent back to the minor leagues. It’s not about money, it’s about uniqueness—what can you offer your clients that other’s can’t?

Listed below are just a handful of the invaluable lighting skills you will learn in Mastering Lighting: Volume One.

Mastering Lighting takes its cue from the most exciting special-effects blockbuster movies and incorporates VFX to deliver a fun, exciting and innovative tutorial—and it’s more than just eye-candy. 360-degree fly-around cameras allow you to breakdown an environment from multiple perspectives, and dynamic tracking shots help you better understand shot depth and lighting angles, as well as which obstacles are best left outside of frame.

Rest assured, this is one tutorial that won’t feel like work. Several artists have told us that they learned concepts that eluded them for years without even realizing it. Sounds to us like a recipe for success. After all, whatӳ better than having fun while you learn?

Big concepts don’t necessarily mean big budgets—they just require more planning. Mastering Lighting arms you with the skills you need to manage every aspect of the shooting process, from working with teams to scheduling your day for best lighting and maximum shot volume.

Our belief is that knowing how to tackle bigger productions will make you more successful on all your shoots, both large and small. You’ll learn disciplines that you can apply to any situation. You want to be ready when that inevitable call comes for your dream shoot, right?

Mastering Lighting was inspired by Photokamp, our intensive photography workshops. We have taught artists all over the world, we’ve watched how they learn and listened to their concerns, and now we’ve compiled the most critical—and most helpful—information into this first comprehensive volume.

Listen, we know that your time is valuable, and that you work hard for your money, so it’s important to us that you get the maximum value during our time together. As artists ourselves, we understand that the journey isn’t solely technical. Creating art, gaining the trust of your clients, and building a brand you can be proud of are all equally as important as the skills you command.

So we’ve included two Bonus Features with the DVD Box Set that will allow you to increase your professional prowess: Nick’s Lighting Journal and the Slickforce Softlight™.

Everyone learns differently. To ingrain the lessons taught in Mastering Lighting, we include Nick’s on-set lighting journal. The Lighting Journal features detailed diagrams of each setup covered in the tutorial, including additional information not found in the video lessons.

The journal also includes a reference glossary of lighting terms. Learn these to better communicate your vision to your team, and take much of the stress out of shooting through setup pre-visualization.

Ready for interactive storyboarding? The Slickforce Softlight™ is a miniature replica of a professional octagonal softbox that can be used to pre-visualize your studio and on-location shoots by mapping out your lighting setups right before your eyes.

The Slickforce Softlight™ functions in the same manner as an actual softbox, shaping light with a highly reflective silver umbrella and softening light through a translucent diffuser. It also comes with a battery pack for longer life and stand extensions to create variable heights—perfect for staging your scene with your favorite action figures.

By the time you arrive on set, you already know the plan. Now, you can focus on refining your concept, and taking your shot from good to great.

In short, Mastering Lighting helps you develop a creative workflow that dramatically increases your ability to deliver a successful shoot from concept to post. You’ll learn the right questions to ask yourself before, during and after each project to achieve the best possible final image, and the skills you acquire will pay dividends throughout your artistic journey.

Anything important in life requires investment and commitment. To fund his first photography project and open SlickforceStudio in 2003, Nick sold his car and took the bus to shoots for four years until the studio was profitable.

What are you prepared to do for your passion?