The 24-70mm lens is highly coveted by photographers from all backgrounds due to the array of possibilities with this wide to mid range zoom. Photographer Julia Trotti shares key composition tips to help get the most out of the range of this zoom lens.
In my journey as a portrait photographer, I've found foreshortening to be a creative look that you can use to produce some dynamic images. But what is foreshortening, and how can it add some dynamism to your portraits? Let's dive in.
Capturing the spirit of love’s celebrations demands thoughtful artistry behind the lens. In his latest tutorial, seasoned wedding shooter Pye Jirsa demonstrates essential techniques for intentionally crafting evocative engagement portraits through deliberate light shaping. Through five versatile lighting recipes, Jirsa spotlights how to create desired moods and contexts to transform setups into narrative tools.
There are many options out there for printing and presenting your images. In this article, we look at the multitude of benefits of creating a Layflat Photo Book and shed light on why they are fast becoming a favorite amongst professional photographers looking for a budget-minded alternative to Flush Mount Albums.
Many photographers looking to pursue more conceptual portraiture are intimidated by elaborate lighting configurations required to achieve intensely stylized effects. However, this excellent video tutorial makes the case that venturing beyond single-source illumination opens doors for bringing unique creative visions vibrantly to life.
Learning to shoot with off-camera flash brings a whole new level of control and creativity to photography. But along with the endless possibilities comes ample room for slip-ups. This fantastic video tutorial outlines the five most common mistakes people make when first stepping into off-camera lighting, along with fixes to set you up for success.
Selecting the right lens for portrait photography is a pivotal decision for photographers of all levels. This comprehensive video offers valuable insights into the intricate world of portrait lenses with in-depth exploration of various lens types, from prime lenses to zooms, wide angles to telephotos, making it an invaluable resource for photographers seeking to refine their portrait photography skills.
Sometimes, you want the look of natural light, but there simply is not enough of it available for a properly balanced exposure. With a little bit of know-how, though, you can replicate the look of natural light, allowing you to create that look whenever and wherever. This helpful video tutorial features an experienced photographer showing you how to do just that.
Creating standout portraits hinges on understanding and controlling light. This excellent video tutorial illuminates how to balance bright sunlight with off-camera flash to sculpt dimension and mood and shows that hard light can be just as compelling as soft light.
Attending a portrait workshop with a photographer that you greatly admire can be an intimidating experience. Last month, I had the opportunity to spend a day at the New York Lighting Workshop with photographer extraordinaire, Felix Kunze, and it was not at all what I expected.
The beauty of working with flash is that you can walk into any lighting situation and shape it to your creative vision and needs, and that frees you from relying on the sun to cooperate and to dictate your shoot's timing and location. Perhaps no scenario is more challenging than harsh midday light. This helpful video tutorial will show you how to use off-camera flash to work with that harsh light to create compelling portraits.
Portrait photography is a challenging genre, but within it are numerous creative paths and rewarding adventures if you are willing to put in the time to learn and grow. This fantastic video tutorial offers beginners four helpful tips that will help you tackle your first shoot.
There has been a lot of frustration and uncertainty in the photography world regarding artificial intelligence, but it also has a lot of potential as a legitimate tool for photographers to expand their creative capabilities and make their workflows more efficient. This awesome video tutorial will show you how one photographer is using AI to generate impressive backgrounds for his portraiture work, including how to customize and seamlessly blend them for convincing final images.
It takes a lot of skill and experience to light a portrait of a single person, but lighting groups can be an entirely different challenge. Nonetheless, depending what you shoot, you may be called upon to photograph groups. When that happens, you will want to be ready to transition quickly. This great video tutorial will show you an effective and straightforward approach for producing quality group photos.
Portrait photography is a popular but challenging genre, as it requires good technical skills with your camera and lighting, the ability to pose people and make them feel comfortable, and solid capabilities when it comes time to edit the image. If you are new to the genre and looking to improve, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers seven tips sure to put you on the right track.
It is important to start learning artificial light with a single source, as this will allow you to better understand the properties and fundamental behavior of light. Once you have mastered that, though, adding a second light will open up a lot of creative possibilities that simply would not be achievable otherwise. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced studio photographer sharing four effective two-light setups for working with models.
While learning artificial lighting can feel a bit daunting, it makes you a far more versatile photographer and frees you up to explore many creative avenues that would not be possible otherwise. You do not need to start with expensive equipment, though; a speedlight and small modifier are a portable and affordable way to learn. This excellent video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to photograph a portrait using a speedlight.
Flash can feel a bit daunting to photographers who have not used it before, particularly when you take it outside and have to learn to balance it with the sun. You will find it a lot easier if you master a few fundamental concepts first, and it will make you a far more versatile portrait photographer. If you are ready to start learning, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you everything you need to know.
If you offer portrait services in any way, be it weddings or family portraits, you will have sold a fair few stretched canvases in your time. Other wall products have come and gone over the years, but in this article, we explore why canvas is still that go-to product for photographers to showcase their work to portrait clients and suggest an elevated version to help you stand out from the rest.
For many photographers, the pursuit of passion is often overshadowed by the looming fear of financial instability. Visions of artistic fulfillment are frequently interrupted by sleepless nights, wondering if next month’s bills will be covered. In a saturated market where every other person with a camera considers themselves a photographer, standing out and making a comfortable living can seem like an elusive dream. But what if amidst these swirling doubts, you came across a story so compelling, it reignites the fire in your belly and renews your faith in the power of persistence and innovation?
Working with professional models can be a fantastic way to really experiment with creative ideas and expand your portfolio. However, working with models is far different than working with normal clients. If you have not worked with them before, check out this helpful video tutorial that introduces you to many of the logistics that come with working with models as well as some of the most common working practices.
Portrait photography is one of the most popular genres out there, and though it can be quite challenging, it can also be very rewarding. If you are just starting your portrait photography journey and feeling a bit overwhelmed, check out this fantastic video tutorial that shares everything you need to get started, ranging from technical skills to developing a creative mindset and starting a business.
When you are working in a studio, you can have just about whatever lighting you want at your disposal, no matter how complex and cumbersome the setup. However, when you move to on-location shoots, simplicity and portability are the name of the game. This awesome video tutorial will show you an easy, compact, and effective lighting setup for on-location portraits.
Good lighting makes all the difference in a portrait, and knowing the different styles appropriate for different applications will make you a more versatile and capable creative. This excellent video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer sharing two different lighting setups — a beauty setup and a more dramatic option — and sharing a lot of helpful advice on how to optimize both approaches to produce the best possible results.
Lighting, posing, and shooting a portrait is challenging enough, but rarely is the job finished the moment you press the shutter. Almost all portrait images will require some degree of editing to produce a final product. If you would like to improve your portrait shots, check out this fantastic video tutorial that shares 10 great tips on how to improve your editing.
Photographed in 1845, first printed in 1851, and then sitting in storage for 178 years, Richard Beard's daguerreotypes of the Franklin Expedition have been sold at public auction (Sothebys) for £444,500 ($545,677 USD,) more than double the top of the expected range.
The nice thing about topics like camera settings and lighting is that they are easily quantifiable, which makes learning them easier in some cases. Posing can be a bit trickier and is often one of the last things portrait photographers really master. If you are growing as a portrait photographer and want some useful advice to add to your bag of tools, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced creative sharing three common posing mistakes and how to fix them.
Portrait photography is a challenging genre that requires not just a creative voice and technical command, but the ability to work with people at the same time. If you are new to the genre and would like to improve your portrait images, check out this helpful video tutorial that shares three tips that will put you on the track to better results.
It used to be that Photoshop was the place to go if you wanted to edit portraits, but in recent iterations, Lightroom has implemented some powerful tools that make it easier to edit your images without leaving the application. This great video tutorial will show you how to use those new tools for editing portrait photos.
Photography is as much a business as it is an art. Amid the myriad choices that shape a photographer's journey, one pivotal decision looms large: pricing. For those straddling photography alongside another profession, striking the right pricing balance can be both an art and a science. Navigating my dual professional roles, I discovered that pricing isn't merely a reflection of an image's worth; it's a strategic tool, ensuring equilibrium between passion, profession, and personal moments.
Remove the complications and long lists of equipment that you think you need to create stunning portraits. Look at what Irene Rudnyk can achieve shooting with this simple LED light set up in her living room.
As a photographer, my lens has been my window to the world, a conduit through which I've captured the grandeur of nature's landscapes. From the sweeping vistas of mountains to the tranquil embrace of forests, I've dedicated my craft to preserving the beauty of the outdoors. Yet, a whisper of curiosity has tugged at me, urging me to step outside my comfort zone and explore the realm of portrait photography for a long time.
When you are new to learning, it can be tempting to think that you need complex multi-light setups in order to create compelling professional portraits, but that cannot be further from the truth. While such setups certainly have their place, you will be surprised by just how much you can accomplish with only one light. This fantastic video tutorial features an experienced portrait photographer sharing four effective single-light setups and how to use them.
When you think of a portrait, you probably think of focal lengths mostly between 85mm and 135mm, but, of course, that does not mean you can't use wider focal lengths. A wide angle portrait outside can be a great way to add a sense of drama and adventure to the frame, but you need to ensure you are carefully balancing the light. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to read the light and ensure you get the best possible images.
Flash does not have to be restricted to the studio; in fact, you can make some pretty creative and fun images by combining flash with natural light outside. If you would like to get started with working with flash for outdoor portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will guide you through lighting and shooting such a set of photos.
I know what you might be thinking. "Will AI replace professional photographers? Are the days of hiring a professional photographer numbered?" As the owner of 415Headshots, a San Francisco-based headshot studio, I'm here to quell those fears.
Backlighting in portraiture offers a huge range of creative possibilities, whether adding a bit of shimmer to your subject's hair, including a dramatic sunset in the frame, or one of many other options. However, the use of backlighting takes some special considerations to ensure you get the results you have in mind. This helpful video tutorial will show you what you need to know to maximize your image quality.
Knowing how to confidently and efficiently pose couples is an absolutely crucial skill for any engagement or wedding photographer, and yet, posing is one of the trickiest skills that often takes photographers the longest to master. If you find yourself struggling a bit with posing, check out this helpful video tutorial that offers some great tips sure to put you on the right track.
Sometimes, the simplest ideas can create some really cool images. Here’s how I created a fun and colorful DIY photoshoot backdrop for less than $25.
It’s been a minute since I shot color film. I’ve been shooting digital on a Canon 5D Mark IV for years. How does The Canon EOS-1N RS with Portra 400 compare?
When it comes to portrait photography, the classic focal length is 85mm, but of course, that is not the only option you can use for creating worthwhile images. 135mm lenses have long been a popular alternative to the classic 85mm option, and this great video essay discusses why you should consider using one in your work.
Shooting outdoor portraits offers a lot of creative opportunities, but it can be a bit of a pain to lug lighting to a location. Knowing how to work with natural light and a reflector can give you a lot of the versatility of an artificial light without all the inconvenience. This fantastic video tutorial will show you four different ways to use a reflector for outdoor portraits.
Portrait photography is a challenging but rewarding genre that requires not just competence with a camera and lighting, but the ability to direct subjects and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. If you are new to the genre and hoping to improve, check out this helpful video tutorial that features an experienced portrait photographer discussing a range of helpful advice and actionable tips sure to help you take better photos.
I was challenged to photograph a portrait shoot on another random camera, but this one was really not what I was expecting. How do you take artistic portraits using an instant camera?
