Portraits

There's a good chance you've heard of the "Ring of Fire," a technique popularized by wedding and portrait photographer Sam Hurd. The Ring of Fire is a special effects technique that uses a piece of copper tube to reflect light and create a highlight flare in the shape of a ring. This technique has been widely adopted, and to create this effect for yourself is pretty easy. Today, I'll be walking through the steps to transform your portraits using the famous Ring of Fire technique.

Headshots are a tricky genre, as they require you to not only have skills behind the camera and with your lighting, but also with posing and your ability to make people feel comfortable in front of the lens. If you would like to improve your headshots, check out this great video tutorial that features five helpful tips from a top-level photographer.

If you’re pondering the perfect combination of camera body and lens for shooting portraits, check out this series of suggestions for budgets ranging from $1,000 all the way through to $10,000. What would you go for?

When you are new to artificial lighting, it can be a bit tricky to try to take in all the terminology, techniques, and creative practices at the same time, and as such, it is important to make sure you start out the right way. The best way to begin learning is by working with a single light, and this great video tutorial will show you an effective one-light setup for creating compelling portraits.

Shooting weddings involves a number of challenges, including having to work with whatever light you are given that day while still being expected to produce memorable, compelling images for your couple and their family. This awesome video tutorial will show you how a photographer captured a great couples portrait in a field even with harsh sunlight complicating the equation.

If you are anything like me, you have probably found yourself agonizing over finding just the right location for a portrait shoot at one time or another. It does not have to be that difficult, though, and this helpful video tutorial will give you some great tips for finding suitable locations quickly and easily.

One of the first lighting techniques I learned in graduate school was Paramount lighting. It's an easy way to come up with consistently solid portraits of almost anyone. Here's a quick tutorial from Adorama and fashion photographer Lindsey Adler on how to get that just right.

When we learn about lighting in portrait photography, we mostly focus on where to add light and how to shape it, but the presence of light is only made impactful by the mutual presence of shadows. Shadows can be a fantastic tool not just for contrast but to create a sense of drama or to tell a story with your images. This fantastic video tutorial will walk you through the process of lighting a portrait image with carefully crafted shadows to show you just how powerful they can be.

Knowing how to light, pose, and shoot a portrait is only half of what it takes to create a successful final image. It takes strong processing skills at the computer to complement your technique behind the camera. This comprehensive video tutorial will show you everything you need to know to retouch a portrait to a professional standard in Photoshop.

Buying a macro lens is useful for a lot of photographers in a number of different genres, however, it's a difficult purchase to justify if you do not do much macro photography specifically. If it had some other purposes it would be a more palatable purchase, and if you take any portraits, it does have.

For the longest time, my favorite lens on any camera system was a 35mm wide-aperture prime. The focal length forced me to get "in the action" for impactful portraits, yet it was wide enough to capture wide angle scenes. But a new lens has recently won my heart and assumed the top spot in my kit. In this video and article, I'll be walking through a photoshoot while demonstrating why the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 lens is my favorite lens of all time.

I’m currently just casually reading about Deleuzian philosophy. Gilles Deleuze, a French philosopher, and Félix Guattari wrote about truth as coming from multiple sources.

While portraits with a narrow depth of field that isolate the subject against a wall of blurry colors and ill-defined shapes are quite popular, they can sometimes be a bit one-dimensional. Environmental portraits are a chance to increase the nuance of your images and tell stories about your subjects. If you want to improve your own environmental portraits, this great video tutorial will give you five tips that will help you on your way.

Why should you keep an ultra-wide angle lens in your bag for portrait, engagement, and wedding shoots?

ND filters are fantastic pieces of kit for a number of applications, but there is a powerful use for them that sometimes gets overlooked through misconceptions. In this video, see visual examples of exactly what an ND filter can do for you.

It is exceedingly rare that you will take a portrait that does not need some degree of retouching, and as such, there are common post-processing mistakes you should be aware of before you start your edits. This helpful video tutorial will show you five common mistakes portrait photographers make when retouching images and how you can avoid or fix them.

How much difference can you see if you shoot portraits on a full frame camera and compare it with those shot on an APS-C camera, both using excellent lenses? This video finds out.

Adding props is a simple and effective way of adding production value to your photographs. Not only do they add additional points of interest, they also can add to the story you're trying to tell. In this video and article, I'll be walking through the creative process of how an image evolves to the final version. To do this, I'll begin with a basic "walk-up" shot. From there, I'll be walking through the step-by-step changes to the shot until we get to the final image using various props.

There are some great lenses in the Fuji range and this new release looks to further that history. In this video, see behind-the-scenes of a shoot with their latest offering and how it performs for studio portraiture.

No doubt, when you are first learning about artificial lighting, it can feel very foreign and difficult to master, particularly when it seems like pros are using complex multi-light setups for all their shots. However, you might be surprised by how much you can accomplish with one light, a reflector, and strong knowledge of the fundamentals of lighting. This excellent video tutorial will show you how just such a shot was created and the process the photographer went through to create the final image.

The levitating portrait is something of a classic and for good reason: it's effective at catching the eye and holding the viewer. In this video, watch a full breakdown, including behind-the-scenes footage, of how the shot was achieved, from start to finish.

Last week, we walked through How to Capture an Environmental Shutter Drag Portrait. A shutter drag portrait is a portrait that captures movement around a subject using slower shutter speeds. Following the steps in the video, we wound up at a final raw image. In this video and article, I'll be walking through the editing process from start to finish in both color as well as black and white to get to our final images!

Perfecting skin in portraits is one of the hardest edits to do well, as it involves an interplay between removing unwanted blemishes and retaining skin texture. That's why in this tutorial, I'll show you how to make simple, well-balanced edits using Lightroom.

We call this the "environmental shutter drag portrait." A shutter drag portrait is a portrait that uses slow shutter speeds to capture the motion around the subject. This technique is best done in a big grand scene full of action and detail. The eye-catching nature of these shutter drag portraits makes them perfect for impressing clients and serving as the highlight photo for every album and event. Today, I'll be walking through 10 easy steps on how to photograph your own shutter drag portrait.

Lighting for portraiture doesn't need to be complicated or involved an arsenal of lights. If you know how to use just one key light effectively and how to control it, you can create excellent, corporate headshots for your friends and for clients.

If you’re a wedding or event photographer, it’s likely you’ve come across mixed lighting situations, and understanding how to work with or around it is crucial. If done right, mixed lighting can have a flattering effect and can add visual interest and depth to your photos.

There is often talk about the Leica look, both with their cameras and their lenses. In this video, we look at the difference between two 28mm lenses on similar resolution sensors.

Strong, direct sunlight can be a real pain when you have to shoot at certain times of the day. Here is a video that will walk you through how to remove the ill effects of such bright natural light, without having to spend hours dodging and burning.

Working with models can open up a plethora of new creative outlets and professional opportunities for any photographer. But, the first shoot with a model can seem like a daunting task for some. This video aims to get you comfortable with choosing and communicating with any experienced model.

There's no doubt about it, even if you have the best camera and lens, the correct settings, a good location, and a great model, a poorly thought out pose can ruin the image. Here is a tip for ensuring you pose your subject in a way that has you taking great images.

Once you have mastered the fundamentals of light and how it behaves, you can start exploring more advanced multi-light setups that allow you make more creative and personal images. If you are ready to level up your portrait lighting, check out this awesome video tutorial that will show you an advanced three-light setup using both v-flats and gels.

If you're a wedding or event photographer, chances are, you've encountered mixed lighting situations. Though mixed lighting can be used creatively, there are times when it just isn't ideal. Today, I'll be walking through several examples of mixed lighting conditions with solutions on how you can work around it on location or fix it in post-production.

Skylum software has come a long way, and Luminar AI can now tackle a wide range of images quickly and easily to produce professional-level results. Editing portraits can sometimes be a tedious and time-intensive process, but this fantastic video tutorial will show you how to efficiently edit a portrait from start to finish using the program.

Someone looking to get their first professional-quality headshots taken might find themselves surprised by the price. Why are they so expensive and how do photographers justify charging so much money for so little of their time?

The vast majority of portraits you shoot will involve at least a small degree of retouching to create a finished image, and there are a lot of places where things can go awry. This excellent video tutorial will show you five retouching mistakes portrait photographers make and how you can either fix them or avoid them completely.

Once you have mastered the basic properties of light by working with a single source, you can begin to explore your creativity with more advanced lighting setups. This fantastic video tutorial will show you an advanced four-light headshot setup for creating an eye-catching image and everything you need to know to replicate it in your own work.

Every photographer has been faced with the task of photographing subjects in front of beautiful sunrises or sunsets. Ideally, you'd have a light, but if you don't or the subject is too large to light, you're going to have to fix the image in post.

Many photographers and artists say that your subject's eyes are the most important element in an image. But trying to enhance them or add a little eyeshadow can be very tricky. This tutorial will show you exactly how it's done and teach you great Photoshop techniques in the process.

Canon's EF 85mm f/1.2L lens was well known for being a superlative portrait lens with a boundary-pushing design that was popular with many photographers. However, it was not without flaws, particularly a notoriously finicky autofocus system and soft image quality at wide apertures. The RF 85mm f/1.2L improves on both those issues and brings modern refinements to the classic version, and this awesome video shows the kind of images you can get from it.

When it comes to portrait lenses, 85mm tends to be the focal length that gets the majority of the attention from gearheads and is often where manufacturers put some of their flagship designs. That being said, 50mm lenses are an excellent choice and often the choice of top portrait photographers, and this excellent video will show you why they are so useful.

Is having old or entry-level gear a limitation to taking good quality images? Just how good can you make portraits with basic gear and what does it prohibit?

When we think of family portraits, we often picture the traditional looks: everyone lined up, smiling, and well dressed. Family lifestyle photography, on the other hand, shines a new light on family portraiture. Rather than posing everybody perfectly, lifestyle captures the personality and dynamics of the family. The spontaneity is a great addition to a complete family album. Let's begin by seeing how the two styles differ.

This video is a sneak peek into SLR Lounge Premium Library with a chapter from our new course, Family Photography 101. This is a complete course on capturing memorable and unique family portraits. In this video, I had Shivani with me as we compared family lifestyle photography with traditional portraits.

Waiting to take an image until the culmination of an action or moment is a common theme in photography. But sometimes, the in-between moments are even better for telling a story or building a narrative.

Skylum has released LuminarAI Update 4, which delivers a rather amazing Portrait BokehAI feature along with a few other new or improved items that add to the popular software application's bag of tricks.

No doubt, posing is something a lot of photographers struggle with, and given its more subjective and unquantifiable nature, it can be difficult to improve at it. This fantastic video tutorial will show you a wide range of flattering poses for any body type and offer some helpful tips that will be sure to quickly improve your work.

Looking to give Capture One a try but just find it confusing? It can be a bit difficult when you first open it up, especially if you are accustomed to another image-processing program. Change can be tricky at first, and here's a video to help you get started.

If you've ever had to take a portrait of somebody in glasses, you'll likely know that it can be a tricky process. With the eyes tending to be the focal point of a portrait, glare on their glasses can ruin everything, and so you need to know how to handle it.

Undoubtedly one of the most revered focal lengths in portrait photography, this prime has many fans, despite its obvious limitations. Watch behind-the-scenes of a portrait shoot using the fastest 135mm on the market and then ask a loved one to hide your bank card.

Lighting can make or break a fitness portrait. Our goal is to highlight the form and definition of your subject as well as the movement if the intended photo involves action. In this tutorial, I'm going to walk through a few basic fitness photography lighting techniques.

When it comes to portrait photography, one of the most important choices you will make is the focal length you will use, both because it determines the overall look of the frame and because separate focal lengths can render your subject in drastically different ways. This great video takes a look at three of the most common focal lengths, 85mm, 100mm, and 135mm, to help you decide which is right for you.