Post-Production and Retouching is just as much an integral part of creating a great image or series of images as pre-production and the actual shoot, especially when you are shooting for a client and not just for yourself. Each genre of imagery, advertising, beauty, fashion, etc. has a slightly different set of rules and parameters when it comes to retouching. In this tutorial we will look at the complete start to finish of a fashion editorial image. Last week I posted the complete gear list for this exact shoot. This week we will look at the first part of retouching, including cleaning up our white seamless and correcting distractions in our image.

Sometimes, we like to frame and hang our vintage snaps of the family around the home, but the photos are torn or faded. Here, we'll be going through some steps to help restore the photos so they're ready for display on our walls.

Usually, people preach long lenses for portraiture. They can give you strong bokeh and they don't distort faces. But what makes an appealing portrait? Perfection? Admittedly, you can't rule out anything. Perfection in portraiture is desirable, but mostly as a base requirement. Perfection can only take you so far. What is certain is that when looking at portraiture we are looking for something to hang on to. We are looking for something that we can relate to and engage with.

One of the most popular and sought after genres of photography is taking portraits of both male and female models. Getting started can be quite an uphill battle at times. So how do you really get started?

Hey, friends! I recently shot in a natural light studio and thought I would share some tips on indoor natural light for those of you who are interested. Enjoy!

Looking back at my early portraits often makes me cringe. I’m not even afraid to admit it now. It was always a goal of mine to be a competent portrait photographer, but I was incredibly shy and didn’t know how to engage with the people in front of my lens. I was always somehow dissatisfied with my results, as I could never seem to connect with my subjects on a level deep enough for them to let their guard down.

As you may already know, I spend a good deal of time polishing my photos in post production and have taught retouching in Photoshop for some time. A few months ago I made the move from Lightroom to Capture One and haven't looked back. To test out it's power, I decided to see just how close I could get to my portrait retouching style using only Capture One Pro 8 and forgoing Photoshop entirely.

The concept of a portrait lens has always baffled me. When I first started out in photography, reading the Internet and listening to other photographers would have led me to believe that I needed something around the 85mm or 135mm focal lengths if I wanted to photograph a person. Anything else wouldn’t work. Well, that simply isn’t true, is it? Any lens can be used as a portrait lens. In fact, the moment you photograph the likeness of a person with it, it becomes a portrait lens. So why not experiment using different lenses in your portraiture?

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.

The 85mm focal length is a staple in photography, with many portrait photographers gravitating toward it. Is this new 85mm f/1.2 version the new king of portrait lenses?

A few years ago, I reviewed the Hasselblad H6D 100c, and one of my biggest complaints was the lenses. This is not the case with Hasselblad's X1D system. Every XCD lens I've tested has far outperformed my expectations, and now, I've found the best portrait lens I've ever shot with.

Some of my favorite creative photography techniques to use are those that allow us to capture moments in ways we could never see using just our eyes. One technique, in particular, that I turn to for capturing unique portraits involves using long exposure, aka shutter drag. Long exposure portraits open up a number of creative possibilities and often result in “wow” moments with my clients. Putting the technique to use does require some skill and preparation, but it’s easy enough to master once you know the basics.

When it comes to portrait photography, it is not uncommon for photographers to have a focus on the technical aspects of their craft. However, what if the secret ingredient of portraiture is more than just nailing a technically perfect photograph? Portraiture is all about the human subject and displaying their authenticity with each photo taken. The hidden ingredient that can take an average portrait to an exceptional piece of work has everything to do with the human connection to the subject.

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.

Posing is a highly nuanced art that can take a lot of experience to feel comfortably proficient at. This helpful video will give you 10 tips for better poses when working with women.

With the rise of #MarchForOurLives in response to the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students Emma González, and David Hogg have been the two survivors that have been the most visible and outspoken critics of the status quo when it comes to gun control. Their images have been circulated in the media and even turned into posters for the #NeverAgain movement, many of those bearing a striking resemblance to an early photo of González.

Capturing technically sound and compelling portraits take the confluence of a variety of skills. If you would like to improve your portraits, check out this fantastic video tutorial that is brimming with a wide variety of helpful tips and techniques.

You wouldn't expect that certain locations alone could assist you in learning the art of photography, but they do — especially if you are one that needs to experiment to learn. Photographing someone in these two locations will force you to learn about all kinds of light, get creative with posing, and help you create images that are full of substance and all the elements of art.

Interesting story of the week. Famous blogger, Perez Hilton is being sued by NYTimes Photographer Robert Caplin, who also runs the Photo Brigade. Perez Hilton is being sued for copyright infringement of 14 photos of Glee star Darren Criss (who doesn't love Darren Criss?). Robert is seeking $150,000 per photo which equals out to an astonishing $2,100,000 dollars.

Adobe Photoshop is such a deep and impressive tool, that most things can be done within the software. While you may (and arguably, should) want to get it right in-camera, sometimes you don't have that option. Here is a great tutorial on how to fake the colored gel look.

I recently got my hands on the new Tamron 100-400mm zoom lens and wanted to try a unique portrait idea. Unfortunately, this photo idea involved wind, tides, fast moving kiteboarders, and the ocean. What could go wrong, right?

Recently, two photography friends visited the Fstoppers studio on the same day. Of course, this meant I needed to plan a friendly photography competition to see once and for all who is the best photographer in the land! This challenge video comes with lots of twists and turns, but at the core, we ask the question: "can an iPhone beat an expensive $12,000 medium format mirrorless camera?" Today, we find out.

Portraiture can be a minefield for small but detracting mistakes that hinder an otherwise great shot. Here are eight common mistakes to avoid.

Clay Cook recently photographed Jennifer Lawrence for the Jennifer Lawrence Foundation, which "assists and empowers charitable organizations that fulfill children's vital needs and drive arts awareness and participation." In what's perhaps the most unique twist, Cook has always wanted to professionally photograph Lawrence, who he and his family actually grew up with in another lifetime. But he describes wanting to earn it, and finally did.

A photograph is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world, and as such, part of the challenge to the photographer is to recreate a sense of depth in the image. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to use lighting and other techniques to create a deep sense of depth in a portrait for a more compelling overall image.

Have you ever wondered how to create dramatic cross or Rembrandt lighting using only one light source? In this short, concise, three minute video, photographer and retoucher Glyn Dewis explains exactly how to create this look using one light. Whether you are using a giant octabox or a simple speedlight with a flash bender, Dewis shows you how to achieve this look with enough light to slightly spill onto the other side of the subjects face as well as how to check your lighting before even firing a shot.

Posing is one of those things that people constantly struggle with when getting into photography. Poses that feel comfortable in real life don’t always look good on camera. Check out these four videos from Lexia Frank to help give you a solid base on how to pose your clients in the most flattering way.