Portrait Photography769 articles

Make your subjects look their best with our professional portrait photography tips, covering lighting setups, location scouting and tips for working with models.

Checklist for Your Camera After a Portrait Shoot

Checklist for Your Camera After a Portrait Shoot

Whenever I return from a shoot, I go through this process every time with each camera so that they are ready for the next time. 1. Camera bodies off. This is to remind me that I use a variety of lenses and if I remove them, I have to select an appropriate one for my […]

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Location Portrait: Wide Angle or Telephoto Lens?

Location Portrait: Wide Angle or Telephoto Lens?

When you’re out on location for a portrait shoot, you’ve mainly got two options as far as lens choice is concerned. You can either go wide to cover the model and the location, or go tight with a telephoto lens and emphasize just the model. However, each of these choices has advantages and disadvantages. In […]

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Indoor Portrait Photography Without a Flash

Indoor Portrait Photography Without a Flash

Indoor portraits without a flash can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips that can help you capture stunning portraits indoors without the use of a flash: Leverage Natural Light: Use the natural light available from windows or doors. This can create a beautiful, soft light perfect for portraits. Position your subject […]

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Portrait Photography: Position of Light

Portrait Photography: Position of Light

Lighting affects two major aspects: highlights and shadows. Where the light source is placed in relation to the camera dictates how your image will end up. It thus becomes essential for a photographer to understand the basics of lighting. Photographer Mark Wallace with Adorama demonstrates how changing the position of your light in relationship to […]

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Newbie Mistakes When Shooting Portraits in Natural Light

Newbie Mistakes When Shooting Portraits in Natural Light

Natural light photography is where a lot of us begin our photography journey. And unfortunately, the mistakes that we make during our early days tend to stick with us as we progress in the journey. In this video, photographer Omar Gonzalez highlights the most common mistakes that beginner photographers make when taking portraits in natural […]

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How to Use Speedlights as Hair Lights

How to Use Speedlights as Hair Lights

In this recent video, Gavin Hoey explains that speed lights are an excellent option for hair lights because they are small, portable, and easy to maneuver. However, he notes that they can be challenging to use because they do not have a modeling lamp, which makes it difficult to see where the light will fall. […]

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Composition Tips with an 85mm Lens for Portraits

Composition Tips with an 85mm Lens for Portraits

Shooting at 85mm is quite popular among portrait photographers due to the perspective it provides, the subject isolation and the beautiful compression. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that using an 85mm lens automatically gives you fabulous results. You’ll still need to take care of the other variables, such as composition, lighting and the subject’s pose. […]

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How to Use Layers for Portrait Effects in Luminar Neo

How to Use Layers for Portrait Effects in Luminar Neo

In a recent video, photographer Robert Vanelli demonstrated how to unleash your creativity with layers in Luminar. In the video, Vanelli worked with a portrait photograph and showed viewers how to create a unique and visually appealing image. Here are the key takeaways from the video: Break the rules: Vanelli explained that, in this particular […]

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Interesting Photo of the Day: Portrait with Light Painting

Interesting Photo of the Day: Portrait with Light Painting

It’s usually when you think out of the box that you get some mind boggling images. For instance, it’s not everyday that you come across a portrait that was taken with a long exposure. Photographer Adrian Mechocki specializes in the art of light painting and took the following portrait using the technique: This image is […]

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Deciding on Depth of Field for Portraits

Deciding on Depth of Field for Portraits

Maintaining a proper depth of field is crucial in portrait photography. Depending on what background you are working with, or how much of the subject you want in focus, you will need to vary your aperture accordingly. In this video, photographer Daniel Norton from Adorama demonstrates circumstances where shooting wide open is important. He also […]

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