Recent Portraits Articles

iPhone Camera Versus Consumer Camera Versus Pro: Can You Tell the Difference?

With every new generation of class-leading camera phones comes new claims of their ability to compete with professional-quality camera equipment. In this short test, the Northrups puts the brand new iPhone XS head to head with a consumer DSLR with a kit lens and a top-end Nikon boasting some super-sharp glass.

Here Are Nine Poses in Just 90 Seconds

Posing is a subtle art full of nuance that takes a long time to develop a good eye for. This great video will give you a head start by showing you nine poses in just 90 seconds.

Can A Pocket Camera Produce Pro Results? Testing Out The Sony RX100V

This past weekend in Colorado I decided to give my full frame mirrorless camera a break and shoot some portraits using the much smaller Sony RX100V. I was curious to see if a small, pocket-sized camera could give me the kind of results that I would be happy with. Here are my experience and recommendations if you choose to do the same!

Beautygate: New iPhone Cameras Automatically Apply Beauty Mode

After Apple’s WWDC conference on September 12, many consumers were excited to upgrade their phones to the latest flagship phones, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. One of the biggest selling features of these new devices were the upgraded front and back cameras. Now, after about a week or so of the phones being in the market, people are beginning to notice something strange in the camera.

The No Forced Smile Approach to Special Needs Photography

"Say cheese" might be one of the most common things you think of when it comes to standard portrait photography. In the days of mall studios or even class pictures, this phrase is something we can all attest to hearing at least once in our lives. With more modern day photography, there has become less and less forced smiles and bribery in order to get that perfect image.

If You Don't Own a 50mm Prime Lens, Go and Spend $50 Right Now

Why would anyone spend $50 on a lens that's almost certain to be soft, noisy, and slow to focus? Let me tell you: because it's awesome. If you're new to photography, have a tiny budget, or have never owned a prime lens and want to see what the fuss is about, this is where to start.

Fstoppers Reviews the Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art for Sony E

Today I’ll be talking about the Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art lens for Sony E mount. As with my prior review of the 35mm version, I will be going over the topics that are relevant to me which are sharpness, focusing, bokeh, and usability.

Behind the Scenes: 'Sing Like No One Is Watching' Photo Series

We all have our favorite songs that we sing when are going through bad times or want to pump ourselves up. In this hilarious photo series, a photographer captures his friends singing their favorite songs and imagining that the camera is not there. See which song each person was singing!

Six Portrait Photography Tips for Beginners

Portrait photography is by far one of the most popular genres of photography, and it comes with its own sets of challenges and things you should keep in mind. If you're new to portrait work, this great video will give you six helpful tips and tricks.

A Look at the Best 85mm Lenses

What happens when seven different 85mm lenses are pitted against each other in a controlled test? I guarantee the results will shock you and make you reevaluate your spending habits on lenses.

The Lens That Never Lets Me Down

Do you have a lens in your kit that delivers results every time? Is it your go-to lens or is it one that you don't use as much as you should?

A Reminder of the Most Important Aspect of a Portrait

Shooting portraits of people is a difficult thing, as you have to manage not only technical parameters involving the camera and lighting, but also the person's posing and expression. This excellent video essay reminds us of what's probably the most important aspect of any portrait.

Why Shooting Distance Matters in Portrait Photography

When you're new to photography, one of the easiest things to overlook is how working distance affects the final look of your images. This great video will show you how to think about this when you're shooting portraits.

Blow Your Photos Away: The Best Fans for Glamour Portraits

At some time, if you’re shooting glamour photos, you are going to need to perfect the blowing hair technique. This type of shot is inexpensive and fun, but does take a little more talent than merely throwing a fan in front of your model. This excellent video shows you the different fans and techniques that can be used to give your model that windblown look.

Lighting and Shooting Portraits in a Very Small Studio Space

Not all of us have the luxury of an expansive studio space that we can fill with equipment and in which we can endlessly experiment. This great video shows to make the most of a very small studio space to light and shoot highly professional portraits.

'The Scream' Painter Edvard Munch's Rare Photographs to Go on Display

For most people who know the name Edvard Munch, there’s an immediate association with his iconic painting, "The Scream.” This artist, fabled for his emotionally impactful painting, is not known for his photographs, but his lens-based work will soon be available for fans of art and photography.

Go Behind the Scenes of a Beauty Test Shoot

For a photographer to continually grow and shape their portfolios, a test shoot is the most ideal way of creating a style. Test shoots ought to happen at every stage of your career if you want to grow, and find new challenges. For those wanting to enter the commercial arena for photography, get into the habit of testing.

Using Natural Backlighting for Portrait Photos

The natural, backlit look is a highly popular style among wedding and portrait photographers that many clients are quite fond of. This great tutorial will give you some helpful tips for taking better backlit portraits.

Five Tips to Improve Your Golden Hour Photos

Golden hour is the holy grail of times for photographers of almost all genres; whether you're taking a landscape in Iceland or a fitness portrait, early and late sun is the most flattering. However, it can also be the most challenging.

Posing People Who Don't Have Posing Experience

We've all been there, in a situation where you're working with either a client or a model who does not have any posing experience whatsoever, and it's up to you to make sure the shoot runs successfully.

Photographic History: Documenting an Empire, by the Abdullah Frères

Graphics are international, with photographic ideas and images spreading like wildfire. They speak a universal language, are pan-cultural, yet have their own local meanings and understandings. This sounds like the world of Instagram, 500px, YouTube, and Flickr, but it’s actually 1858, and the Abdullah Frères are setting up their photographic studio in Constantinople.

Pet Photography Tips From a Successful Dog Photographer

Pet photography is as popular as ever right now, as more and more people become pet owners. In fact, according to a recent survey by American Pet Products Association, nearly 80 million American households have pets.

Simple Technique to Enhance the Eyes Using Selective Adjustments in Lightroom

A retouch of the eyes is on every portrait photographer's image editing to-do list. This important alteration is also one of the easiest adjustments to spot when unintentionally overdone. See how this Lightroom-specific technique will help bring out that shine in your subjects eyes, without pushing things too far.

Grieving Mother Finds Comfort in Digital Art

After the traumatic loss of her son in a terror attack in Barcelona last year, an Australian mother found solace in composite superhero artwork created by a total stranger.

Quick Tips for Photographing Bridesmaids

Shooting the bridesmaids is one of the more significant parts of any wedding shoot, apart from photographing the bride and the groom. In fact, you never know, a few of them may end up as your future clients too. Here is Vanessa Joy for Adorama giving her two cents on prepping up to shoot the bridesmaids.

A Common but Easily Fixed Mistake in Portrait Photography

When you're taking portraits, you have a lot to think about: exposure, composition, subject expression, and more. As such, it's easy to overlook something. This great video is a quick reminder to avoid this common mistake.

Tips and Techniques for Photographing a Plus-Size Model

As a photographer you are often presented with a wide range of both challenges and opportunities. Along with managing your lighting, your camera settings, and your location selections, the physical proportions of the individuals you work with will also play a part in how you set up specific poses and shots.

Sony a7 III Versus Canon 5D Mark IV: Low-Light Portrait Showdown

There have been more than a few different comparisons of Canon's 5D Mark IV and Sony's a7 III, though many of them have focused primarily on landscapes and astrophotography. If you've ever wondered how these to low-light powerhouse cameras stand up to each other in a portrait scenario then this is one comparison you won't want to miss.

Small Town, Big Sales: How to Profit in a Podunk Market

In a small town in West Texas, one photographer has established a thriving business that rivals big city photography studios. “We’re in podunk Texas,” Kaleigh Horelica says with a spirited, self-deprecating laugh. Although Abilene isn’t an affluent market, it has been the perfect place for Kaleigh to grow a successful studio that earns over six figures in annual revenue.

Black and White Portrait Conversion With Photoshop

As with most processes in Photoshop, there’s more than one way to achieve a desired look. Black and white image conversions are no exception. Whether you add a black and white layer, utilize a plugin like Silver Efex Pro 2, or dare I even suggest resort to merely desaturating the image, the possibilities are abundant.

Three Tips for Photographing Models

If you're tired of scouring Google images and Pinterest for model posing ideas, read this article for three tips on how to do so.

What Is the Best Portrait Lens?

When it comes to portraits, two major factors determine how good a lens is for many photographers and they are focal length and aperture. Generally speaking, many photographers prefer to have a relatively long focal length with a wide aperture as this helps with both the framing of the shot and also the kind of background blur you can achieve.

How to Create Beautiful Photos in Boring Locations

Having a perfect background is one of the most overrated factors in photography. Here are several tips for getting amazing shots when your session restricts you to shooting in a boring area.

Why the Best Portrait Photographers Have Great Empathy Skills

To be a good portrait photographer, you of course need to have solid lighting and shooting skills, but that's not all of it. Being a great portraitist take a strong ability to connect with your subjects, and this great video investigates why empathy is the key to doing that.