Rick Sammon’s Light It Light! is an iPhone app that’s designed to help you make professional-quality digital SLR people pictures – without spending a small fortune on professional lighting accessories. Note: Requires iOS 4.1 and later.

The app (packed with 570 MB of info) includes video lessons.

It’s called Light It Light! because the iPhone version contains all the same great Rick Sammon video lessons as the iPad version but does not have the extensive photo gallery nor Library section that is included in the iPad version, Light It! 

Rick Sammon took the illustrative photographs with a range of digital SLR cameras – from entry-level to top-of-the-line models. While watching the video lessons, you’ll learn how pros photograph people indoors and outdoors, in bright light and in low light, at home and on location, and even in a studio. In looking at the photographs, you’ll see the effects of my recommended techniques.

In the easy-to-follow and fun video lessons, some of which were originally shot for Wiley Publishing, Rick will show you how to use reflectors, diffusers, a flash, flash accessories, basic strobe kits, basic hot-light kits and more. Rick also cover camera settings, as well as some of my photo philosophies. Although Rick often refer to specific cameras, the basic camera settings can be applied to any digital SLR.

This is a basic, or starter, app about lighting. However, as you will see, pros use many of these techniques and accessories to get great shots. ( Yes, we are already working on Light It! II )

Two of the videos in this app – Top 21 People Photography Tips and Top Ten Digital Photography Tips – feature some of Rick's favorite digital SLR pictures from around the world, accompanied with how-to tips, of course!

The movies, shot by Emmy-award winner David Leveen, are divided into five sections:

Basics 33 Minutes
Outdoors 15 Minutes
In Your Home 16 Minutes
On-Location 12 Minutes
Studio Shooting 23 Minutes

The total viewing time is over 1.5 hours. So in effect, the app is taking a private lesson with me – but only at your own pace.

The app was developed by Craig Ellis of Great Oak Software. In discussing the app, Craig said, “My goal with the design of Light It Light! was to make it an intuitive yet rich learning experience that showcases Rick’s favorite lessons that are embodied in beautiful videos. His lessons are fun and easy to follow where he makes learning fast – so the user experience supports that flow. I am especially proud of look and feel where iPhone users should be immediately familiar, comfortable, and productive using the app to become seasoned photographers in taking better people pictures by learning from the teachings of Rick Sammon.”

Rick’s other apps: Rick Sammon’s 24/7 Photo Buffet, co-developed with Dr. Dave Wilson; Rick Sammon’s Social Media Marketing for Photographers, co-developed by Juan Pons, my business partner in the Digital Photo Experience; Life Lessons We Can Learn From Mother Nature, also developed by Juan Pons; and Butterfly Wonders, another Pons/Sammon app.