Make your subjects look their best with our professional portrait photography tips, covering lighting setups, location scouting and tips for working with models.
While smartphones have given a whole new meaning and dimension to self-portraits, serious photographers think on a grander scale. Elizabeth Gadd is a self-portrait landscape photographer who photographs herself amidst beautiful landscapes. She likes to portray a sense of contrast against a wild backdrop: “Simply put, I hike out into nature, set up my camera, […]
Today’s portrait photography photo tip begins our discussion of specialty lights — specifically, the hair light. We will explore what it is, how to use it, and some precautions. So far, in our study of portrait photography lighting, we’ve learned that the majority of the time, we will use a three-light setup: the main light, […]
No matter how good you may be at photographing humans, the story becomes altogether different when photographing animals. It’s not easy communicating with our furry friends, and they also happen to have very narrow attention spans. To help you take perfect animal portraits, photographer Vincent Lagrange with COOPH shares his method: Build a Good Relationship […]
When photographing on-location, the location itself plays an important role in telling a story. Besides the location, your choice of models, use of props, and lighting are some other important factors that add to the character. In this video, photographer Gavin Hoey from Adorama has some simple tips for you to maximize the character in […]
One major issue that many photographers have is that their home studio is very small. However, the size of your studio shouldn’t be a hindrance at all. By placing the lights in the right places you can take amazing portraits even in the tiniest studio. Photographer Mark Wallace from Adorama demonstrates: Wallace’s idea is to […]
When used creatively, even a simple household mirror can help you create intriguing images. Photographer Gavin Hoey from Adorama explains how you can work with mirrors to create stunning reflection portraits: Preparing the Mirror Hoey uses a normal household glass mirror removed from its frame. The bigger the mirror, the better. For safety reasons, make […]
If you need a one line explanation of the inverse square, here it is: “It’s basically light fall off.” That’s really all there is to know. But that’s probably not why you’re here. You’re here because you want to know how it impacts your photography. Peter Hurley explains: For starters, this is the mathematical formula for the inverse […]
Portrait photography lighting shouldn’t be an expensive and complicated deal. With a proper understanding of what you’re doing, even a single speedlight can help you achieve great portraits. Photographer Sean Tucker shows you how you can create dramatic portraits with a single speedlight and a cheap modifier: For a portrait photographer, using strobes can expand […]
Need some inspiration for indoor photos? Try this window light portrait technique. This is a basic indoor portrait with soft window light from one side. You’ll need: A window that does not face the sun (or it is overcast outside) Daylight A willing model Camera Setup Mode: Aperture Priority (Often shown as Av on the […]
I would like to share with you some valuable keys to taking better indoor portraits and still life photographs. These are insider secrets I’ve learned over the past 33 years as an avid photographer. They aren’t something I learned in a class or studied at college. Rather, they are things that I’ve picked up along […]
