Make your subjects look their best with our professional portrait photography tips, covering lighting setups, location scouting and tips for working with models.
Nine times out of 10, the most compelling element of any portrait is the subject’s eyes. They indicate the emotion of an image and naturally invite the viewer’s gaze. So, naturally, photographers spend quite a bit of time ensuring that the eyes within their images cannot be overlooked. Video editor and photographer Mathieu Stern shares a quick tip on […]
Small working space doesn’t mean that you have to be limited creatively. As a matter of fact, a lack of space or tools means you need to be more creative. Mark Wallace demonstrates how you can use even the tightest of working spaces to produce creative portrait lighting: The aim in this shoot was to capture motion […]
Don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have many options because you’re shooting in an attic or under the stairs. In an environment with barely enough space to work with a model and one light, Mark Wallace demonstrates what you can achieve when you put on your thinking hat: To start off, you need the right […]
Some aspects of photography go beyond the book. When setting up lights, you’re limited only by your imagination. This blacklighting setup by Urs Recher is a classic example of how a photographer can use their creative mind to produce ingenious lighting arrangements: Light Source The light source for this shoot are two Broncolor lights set up as […]
If you’re shooting portraits on a dark backdrop and need fresh ideas, look no further. Daniel Norton demonstrates how to create dramatic portraits on a dark background: Norton says that sometimes it’s ideal to match the background with the skin tone of your subject. In this case, Norton photographs a subject with darker skin and hair so […]
Two photographers brainstorming over what should be the correct exposure setting for a studio athletic portrait photography session, Joe McNally and Daniel Norton join forces. McNally attempts to recreate the same lighting he used to shoot one of his iconic Sports Illustrated for Kids covers: When you have a subject like an athlete, the common perceptions […]
Photographers make their art through the contortion of light. Most will agree that a mysterious shadow or a well placed highlight not only enhances an image but can change its meaning entirely. However, many photographers remain entirely unaware of the critical role color plays into setting the scene of a photograph. A warm yellow can mimic […]
For many beginners, it comes as a surprise to learn that artificial lighting can be the key to getting a perfectly exposed outdoor portrait. The following tutorial reveals exactly how different types of lights can impact the overall aesthetic of an image: The problem with using an ambient light source alone is its tendency to cast […]
Portraits taken with a shallow depth of field often look amazing, but getting them to look right with a flash can be tricky, especially if you don’t have a speed light. Photographer Gavin Hoey demonstrates how to get great results from a wide open lens without resorting to High Speed Sync (HSS) technology: The main […]
This image by Karl Taylor, actually a composite of two images, uses a complex four light arrangement. It involves one beauty dish, two large softboxes, a background light and a tri-reflector. Although the word complex was used to describe it, the setup is actually very easy to replicate. The diagrams below are a rough breakdown […]
