Portraits

There is a bit of an obsession with shooting portraits at extremely wide apertures nowadays, and certainly, that is a popular look for a reason. Nonetheless, always shooting at f/1.4 to blow the background to smithereens can become a bit of a crutch and end up making your work a bit one-dimensional. This awesome video will show you portraits shot at everything from f/1.4 to f/16 to show you the strengths and drawbacks of each aperture.

If you're interested in printing your photography, why not double down on creativity and turn those images into mixed media art. In this video, Irene Rudnyk walks you through how she created some stunning works by combining physical artistic techniques with prints of digital images.

As the number of lenses available for Canon's RF mount grows, photographers are faced with options and decisions for most focal lengths they would like to buy. Is this Viltrox prime one of the best value 85mm lenses for RF?

If you've ever seen portraits with some wild reflections and funky lighting effects, it's entirely possible that it's not a multiple exposure or post-processed image. Using a cheap prism, you can duplicate some of these effects in camera.

There are many ways to light a subject, both complex and simplistic, and while you might be always tempted to go for the most complicated setups, knowing the classics is important too. Classic lighting is classic for a reason and you may find yourself using it more often than you expect.

How can you manipulate the color of the sky with simple lighting techniques? In this video, learn how to capture a rich blue sky with just one light.

Knowing how to light, pose, and shoot a good portrait is only half the battle; you also need to be able to edit your images to produce a fully finished and compelling final product. If you are new to portraiture and looking to improve your work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a full image edit, including retouching, dodging and burning, color grading, and more.

Some photographers have skills that blow us away. Embedding emotions into images sets some photographers apart, so I knew instantly I had to share Tianna Williams’ work with our readers.

When Unmesh Dinda of PiXimperfect says that this is hands down the best automated skin retouching software ever created, you might want to pay attention.

One thing that often discourages photographers from beginning to learn how to work with artificial light is the mistaken idea that it takes complex multi-light setups to create great portraits. In actuality, you can create professional-level portraits with even only a single light, and this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to do just that using a holiday theme as an example.

There is something really eye-catching about old-fashioned Hollywood portraits, which had a healthy flare for the dramatic. And while you might not find yourself shooting that style on a regular basis for clients, it can be a fun creative exercise and one that really pushes your lighting and styling abilities to a new level. This awesome video tutorial will take you behind the scenes to learn how to shoot a modern take on the classic Hollywood portrait by using five lights, along with a look at how to complete the look in post-processing.

Have you seen this trick for adding a bit more intensity to a portrait's eyes?

In the history of visual art, few figures loom as large as Rembrandt. His influence on photography is so great that “Rembrandt lighting” has become a staple method for portraiture. But Rembrandt Lighting is often a poor choice for photographing women, especially when working with corporate clients.

If you ever watch videos of professional portrait photographers at work, you might them using two, three, or even more lights in complex and intricate setups. And while those certainly have their place, you can still create fantastic images using only one light, and if you are new to artificial lighting, this is actually the better way to learn how to use it. This great video tutorial will show you a straightforward one-light setup for portraits and how to create professional portraits with it.

Working with a new model can be a brilliant way to practice and help someone else with their aspirations, but it's undoubtedly tricky. In this behind-the-scenes video, a veteran photographer works with a model on her first shoot and walks you through some of the difficulties and offers some tips.

Some discoveries in life are intentional and some are just happy accidents that work out in ways we never anticipated. I rely on the Transform tool in Lightroom to correct lines and perspectives, but I learned that it can completely change the look of an image to add interest and trick the eye of the viewer.

Alice Hirsch (they/them) is a portrait and music photographer based out of Toronto, Canada. They combine the best of vintage images with a new world mindset of collaboration and exhibition.

The age-old question of whether great images are made by the photographer or the camera is a boring one. However, a more interesting topic is the gap between high-end cameras and entry-level cameras and whether most people can tell the difference.

Perhaps some of the biggest dealbreakers for images are sharpness, resolution, and noise. No one likes a blurry low-res ISO 25,600 file. Yet, sometimes the client picks the worst possible file that is the definition of poor image quality. Luckily, Topaz Labs have developed AI-enabled software which lets you save your portraits. Act fast and take advantage of their Cyber Monday prices.

Portraiture is one of the most popular genres of photography for many reasons and photographs of people are often the ones that are looked at the most and for the longest. One style within portraiture that is a staple is the dramatic look. In this video, watch a start-to-finish edit of a portrait with the dramatic look as the end goal.

Portrait photography is a challenging genre that requires you to not only be deft and confident with your camera and post-processing, but also able to make the subject comfortable in front of your lens. If you would like to improve your portrait photography, check out this awesome video tutorial that will give you a wide variety of helpful tips to get you on the right track.

Are your portraits missing a few vital factors? These tips might just be what you need.

Fashion photography has created some of the most iconic portraits ever taken and it's a revered genre of the discipline. However, it's easy to fall into static shots, leaning on familiar poses. In this video, Lindsay Adler walks you through her techniques for adding motion to fashion shoots.

Skylum has been touting their upcoming release of Luminar Neo, an image editor that builds on Luminar AI with some new features that are sure to please fans of the current product and may arouse interest from other photo editors.

Every genre of photography has quirks that the photographer gradually adopts as normal. This is one boudoir photographer's weird habits and although some of them are specific, there is a lot of crossover with other genres in places.

Skin tones are one of the most crucial parts of a portrait edit. Get them right, and they can elevate the image to another level. Get them wrong, however, and they can sink your image. If you are new to shooting and editing portraits, this helpful video tutorial will show you three steps to get better skin tones in Photoshop.

While you may concentrate on making art, some of the most important images you will ever take are when you are with family and friends. A common example is when you travel for a holiday and these end up being the photographs your family will look back on for years to come. Here are some tips for quickly improving them with a simple post-production process.

One light, no studio. This quick tutorial will show you how to add a gel backlight to your portraits.

Constructed photography is the art of illusion. As photographers, we cover the cracks, which compounded with social media, makes it hard to talk about underlying real issues.

If you are looking to step beyond basic, one-light setups, it can be a little daunting at first. In this behind-the-scenes video, learn how effective a simple three-point lighting system can be.

What exactly can the H&Y Revoring do and how does it work? This unique type of filter from H&Y has definitely turned a lot of heads due to its unique design and how it solves a problem that generations of photographers (who use filters) have had for a while. In this review let’s check out how the H&Y Revoring works, what are its limitations, and what instances is it useful in.

It's easy to look around at local locations and think that you have no chance of creating beautiful, natural light portraits because of them. However, with the right positioning and knowledge, you will be able to create stunning images with great light.

If you're new to flash photography, or want to try it outside and off-camera, there are a few things to keep in mind. This behind-the-scenes video is a good introduction on how to get started.

In-camera special effects are a great and fun way to emphasize a story in photography. Many of these special effects that seem high production are actually quite easy to accomplish using the tools we already have or are easy to get. Today, I'll be showing you how to create one of my signature portraits, the Day vs. Night.

Halloween might not be my favorite "holiday", but it does bring with it some fantastic photoshoots. In this video, watch as Lindsay Adler creates some stunning Medusa-themed portraits using LEDs.

We are not always fortunate to have the perfect background that matches the total vision of a shoot. The same goes for having a huge budget to build the set, which leaves a few options. Spend the time with compositions or use a printed backdrop to complete the scene. To save time, at least in my case, I opted to go with a printed backdrop for the shoot since there would be multiple images.

When you are first starting out, you are not likely to be shooting from a dedicated studio. Most of us start out in a spare room at our home or the like, meaning we are in a tight space. That does not mean you can't take great photos in that small space, though, and this excellent video tutorial will show you three easy portrait lighting setups that work well in close quarters.

Go behind the scenes in this eerie, Halloween shoot as one photographer attempts to create images similar in style to the 2016 American horror film, The Love Witch.

When you think of high-end portraiture, you might imagine multiple lights and complicated setups. The truth is, you can create a lot with just a single light. In this video, learn five techniques that can be replicated with a single light.

The best place to practice photography, if it's possible, is in your own home. However, with few of us having acres of space to roam around in our own property, you need to get good at utilizing the space you do have. In this video, learn creative lighting techniques with speedlights even in smaller spaces.

All it takes is this simple composition tip to take your portraits to a new level. In this video and article, I'll be demonstrating this tip and how you can use it in post-production to completely transform your photographs.

If you enjoy watching portraits taken then this video will be a rare treat for you. One photographer takes an 8x10 large format camera on a number of portrait shoots of strangers and acquaintances.

Few names are more synonymous with headshot photography than Peter Hurley. In this helpful video, he offers five fantastic tips on lighting for headshots that will improve your work in no time.

If you are photographing weddings, going to start photographing them, or are interested in trying it out, bridal portraits are crucial to your success. In this video, watch behind-the-scenes of three different bridal portrait sessions and see how these excellent images were made.

Photographing a couple from up close can drastically change the way your image feels. Getting up close with a wide angle lens creates a sense of action and aliveness that draws the viewer in.

When it comes to portraits, things like light placement and camera settings are quantifiable and in that sense, more easily learned than something a bit more nebulous, such as posing. If you have been struggling with posing your subjects, this great video tutorial will break it down into a 10-step process that will make it more digestible and easy to implement.

Autofocus was one hell of a quality-of-life upgrade in photography, but it's not always necessary. In this video, see a comparison of one fast autofocus prime with four fast manual focus primes to see how they hold up.

There have been some excellent lens releases this year, but Tamron's newest offering might be challenging for the top spot. With an unbelievable focal range and widest aperture, how does it hold up on different shoots?

Have you ever wanted to shoot sophisticated-looking portraits with the simplest lighting gear that you have in your bag?

In conversation with Platon, we spoke about finding the best image, competing with other photographers, and what photography is all about. His answers were among the most moving ones I could imagine.