Make your subjects look their best with our professional portrait photography tips, covering lighting setups, location scouting and tips for working with models.
The typical way to sharpen a photo in post-production involves global sharpening. But you have the subject’s eyes, their clothing, facial hair, and so on to think about. You don’t necessarily want to sharpen all of these elements to the same degree. Aaron Nace from Phlearn shares his technique for giving portraits the right amount […]
A white wall is more versatile than you might think. If you have a perfectly white wall in your studio (or you can create one using some props) you have a background that you can manipulate to create any number of different looks. Mark Wallace from Adorama explains the 50 Shades of White: For this […]
Soft is the universal favorite when it comes to shooting studio portraits, because it’s so flattering. But hard light can be a pleasantly effective and interesting light source, too—provided you know how to use it. Daniel Norton from Adorama, with ample help from his puppet, explains how to pull off some interesting keepers using hard light […]
A simple, solid seamless backdrop has more than the obvious applications. With a bit of creativity, you can transform it into a dungeon wall complete with a window, as Jay P Morgan demonstrates: For this particular setting, Morgan used a charcoal gray seamless and cut an arched shaped window into it. He used tape to […]
A great portrait is more important than you think it is, both from the perspective of your business and your website. Plus, a self-portrait session is the perfect way to test out new lighting techniques before you head out on a photo shoot. In this video, Jeff Carpenter shares a few tips on how to […]
While traditionalists may be quick to denounce the merit of iphoneography, the fact of the matter is that the tiny camera installed on our cell phones is by far the handiest tool a photographer has at their disposal. Nothing can match the portability and ease of use of a smartphone’s camera while retaining the same […]
Portrait clients come in all shapes and sizes, as does their hair. And sometimes that means no hair at all. Unfortunately, that can present a few challenges, especially that of hot spots or glare. But never fear, the courageous Caleb Pike from DSLR Video Shooter has these pointers to help you win the war on glare: […]
Do you ever bring a fan into your studio to add a wind effect to your photos? Have you thought much about the direction it blows? In this short yet absorbing video, Gavin Hoey demonstrates how a change in the direction of wind can have a stunning effect on the quality of your portraits: […]
Do you think that reflectors are useful, but just for reflecting light in one way? Reflectors are actually versatile pieces of kit and can be used in several ways to create different looks. Aaron Nace from Phlearn shows us how to use reflectors in six different ways. He’s also thrown in a bonus use for […]
Dave Lehl is known for his action and adventure photography—and many consider him to be the best snowboarding photographer in the world. Once you see this image, we’re sure you’ll agree: Lehl created this image with professional snowboarder Steve Fisher in the mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado. Some speculate that Lehl infused the snowboard with LED lighting and used a traditional […]
