Make your subjects look their best with our professional portrait photography tips, covering lighting setups, location scouting and tips for working with models.
You might already know that an 85mm lens is just about the ideal focal length for shooting portraits—if you’re using a full-frame camera. The 105mm is also a good focal length to shoot portraits with, as is the 135mm. The longer the focal length, the more compressed and therefore realistic your portraits appear to be. […]
Portrait photography is a difficult art. It requires you to bring together not only your skills in photography but also your interpersonal skills. Photographer Miguel Quiles from Adorama breaks down the top three mistakes that portrait photographers tend to make and how to solve them: 1. Lack of communication Not communicating with the model is probably one […]
Portrait photography is usually associated with complex lighting equipment. But that’s not always necessary. Photographer Gavin Hoey from Adorama believes that sometimes less is more. He demonstrates how to create a beam of light for a portrait shoot using a cardboard tube and some tape: To achieve the thin slit of light for the portrait […]
When we think of portrait photography, most of us think of a fancy studio session with the model surrounded by high end studio lights. But we can achieve amazing results just by utilizing the naturally available light, too. Photographer Irene Rudnyk, who loves to take portraits with natural light, shows us how she achieves glamorous […]
A gobo, in photography, can be anything that goes in between your subject and the light source. So, when you take a photo the model, instead of being evenly lit, has certain patterns of lights and shadows on him/her. Why would you want something in between the model and the light you ask? The answer […]
“A camera adds ten pounds.” This saying is quite popular for a reason. How people look in a photograph is determined by how they react to a camera in front of them and by the lighting setup that the photographer has chosen. Multi-talented model, actress, director, and professional photographer Denice Duff shares her experience to […]
Children’s portraits often seem better when they have a dreamy, vibrant, fairy tale touch to them. Umesh Dinda from PiXimperfect shows us how to achieve the effect by softening the skin, adding vibrant color, and dodging and burning: The first and the obvious step is to open the photo using Photoshop. If the photo is […]
A beauty dish is a tool used by portrait photographers to create a light that wraps around the subject’s face. It creates a soft light with a natural fall-off that, in turn, creates a contrasted look and makes the image dramatic. If you’re just starting out and cannot afford to get the gear, COOPH has […]
Most people would be surprised to see how far a single key light and a fill card can take a photographer. Although light is an absolute necessity for image makers of all disciplines, a little bit can go a long way. Jay P. Morgan explains just how this is possible by demonstrating five lighting setups every photographer […]
Ready to bring your portraits to the next level? As it turns out, transforming a photograph into something incredible can be as simple as an adjustment to the light being used. The folks at SLR Lounge demonstrate exactly how flat lighting is done and how it can impact a scene: The term “flat light” refers to fact […]
