Recent Portraits Articles

How To Take Pilot Portraits With F18 Fighter Jets

Over the last year, Douglas Sonders has created some excellent behind the scenes videos showing off many of his photo shoots. In this video he takes us onto the tarmac at the Lemoore Naval Air Station in California where Douglas creates some excellent portraits. I wish there was a little more explanation of how he approached some of these images but fortunately there is some written material over on the Douglas Sonders Blog. My initial question is how in the world did he get clearance for this considering the US military is often pretty strict with photography.

F18 Fighter Jet Pilot Portrait Photoshoot - Douglas Sonders Photography from Douglas Sonders on Vimeo.

Contest Entry:  Sean Armenta Deconstructs A Beauty Shot

We knew there were going to be a lot of last minute contest videos submitted but never would we have thought this many of you would have waited until the last minute. I want to thank everyone for participating but I'll give no sympathy to those who lost lots of sleep this weekend trying to meet deadlines ha! Sean Armenta's BTS video is the latest of the last minute entries, and in it he shows how you can create clean and professional beauty shots just like you seen the pages of women's magazines such as Elle, Vogue, and Glamour. All of this was also done with just one light which should help those of you on a budget. Check out Sean's website as well since he has some amazing photos in his portfolio!

Sean Armenta | One Light Beauty Setup from Sean Armenta on Vimeo.

How to Smooth Out Skin on Video Footage With DaVinci Resolve 14

When you get in the video world, you soon realize that editing can go pretty far, but it’s not as easy as Photoshop. It tends to take more time to get to a decent result, and a tremendous patience to achieve perfection. In this short tutorial, Steve from MiesnerMedia shows us how to smooth out skin in our videos using DaVinci Resolve 14.

A Photographer's Journey Back To Chukotka

Two years ago, we posted this video from photographer, Sasha Leahovcenco. His mission was to literally travel to the end of the earth to photograph people who never had their photo taken. This March, he and his crew are going back to reach even more people - people who have never even had visitors. Sasha has put his project on Kickstarter to help raise funds for his amazing project.

Segmented Pricing to Negotiate with Clients: TogTools Podcast with Fstoppers David Bickley

Up next on the TogTools series featuring your very own Fstoppers writers and contributors hosts Jess and Stephen talk with award winning photographer David Bickley. If you are not familiar with the series or David's work be sure to tune in and gain some great knowledge as he talks through starting up, pricing and how some key mistakes taught him valuable lessons in the industry.

Enhancing Your Portraits With Shadow Boards

Mastering lighting techniques is a cornerstone of creating compelling compositions, allowing for the manipulation of mood, texture, and depth in an image. The helpful video tutorial will show you how to use shadows to create more pleasing images.

The Power of the Back Light

Too often portrait photographers obsess with key and fill lighting, and forget about the light that illuminates the background or rear of a subject. In this piece I discover the power of using the back light as my main light source.

Crazy Cosmic Photoshoot Using Metallic Spandex

Can metallic spandex work in a photoshoot? See how we built an entire photography set using metallic spandex and some of the challenges we faced along the way.
The Making Of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People

Each year Time Magazine picks the 100 most influential people in the world to feature in their magazine. Take a small look at what photographer Martin Schoeller had to go through to get a few of the shots. via PetaPixel
National Geometric - Helping Others With Print Sales

Introducing a new project cleverly entitled National Geometric that helps bring food, water and other basic life necessities to the children of India using the sales of unique and one of a kind prints of the child in need. Using exchange rates and economic principles to their advantage, National Geometric is able to sell prints at a very affordable rate, that is then able to drastically help those in need.

A Beginner's Guide to Working With Models

Working with professional models can be a fantastic way to really experiment with creative ideas and expand your portfolio. However, working with models is far different than working with normal clients. If you have not worked with them before, check out this helpful video tutorial that introduces you to many of the logistics that come with working with models as well as some of the most common working practices.

A Cosmopolitan Cover Shoot in India

As I'm sitting in the San Diego airport waiting to lose my entire day to layovers and time changes, I finally have some time to catch up on our email account. One video that was submitted to us multiple times was recently featured by our friends over at Strobist and showcases fashion photographer Martin Prihoda. Martin has relocated his business to India where he continues to produce clean and commercial style images for print. In this video he takes us BTS on his December cover for Cosmopolitan India and gives us a great explanation on how hard and soft light can be used as fill to control the transitions in your shadows.
The Huck Finn Fashion Shoot

Kent Marcus was inspired by the book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and wanted to do a fashion shoot with a little Swamp flair. Half way through the shoot he looses his main strobe in a water accident but continues flashing with his backup 580EXII. Check out the BTSV below and head over to his website to see the final images because they look much better there than in the video.
Six Items I Take On Every Corporate Headshot Shoot (Other Than My Camera!)

It’s easy to feel nervous about the logistics of a corporate team shoot—what will the space be like? How do you light each person consistently? The reality is that the lighting in an office can be harsh and unflattering—overhead strip lighting is no one’s friend! And space can be really tight. So, I always bring some extra lighting in case we can’t use window light and some compact equipment. Versatile and portable kit is handy here, so I leave my large lights at home and pack light.

Breaking the Rules of Lighting for Stunning Results

Lighting plays a crucial role in shaping a portrait, and sometimes, it’s worth bending the rules to capture a unique shot. When you’re working in a stunning location, balancing ideal lighting techniques with the composition can push you to make creative decisions that break away from the norm.

Tips for Consistently Sharp Portraits

Achieving consistently sharp portraits can be challenging. This video breaks down a five-part formula to help you nail that perfect focus every time.

5 Different Ways to Use a Single Octabox

An octabox is a highly versatile and relatively affordable modifier that many photographers use in a wide variety of genres and scenarios. This fantastic video will show you five different ways to use a single octabox.

How I Got the Shot: Lighting Studio Portrait With Photo Backdrop

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.

Harry Taylor Shoots Ambrotypes On Glass

Harry Taylor donated his time and talent to HeartsApart.org, an organization created to keep families connected while our military is serving abroad. In the video below Harry shoots 3 portraits which involve creating a positive image on a sheet of glass. This type of photography was created in the 1850s and if you are as interested in it as I was, you can learn more here.
[BTS Video] Dramatic Photography Portraits Lit With Black Lights

The videos keep coming in for our 2011 Fstoppers Behind The Scenes Contest as we enter the final month of submissions. Most photographers use either strobe, fluorescent, or incandescent light to mold and sculpt their subjects. German photographer Julius Ise went a completely different route and used UV blacklights along with some gelled lights for separation to produce extremely vivid images. The shoot has an overall tribal theme and I really think the blacklight look brings something to the overall vibe. I'd say this is one of my top 5 submissions so far but Julius will have to impress our judges. What do you guys think? Leave Julius your thoughts below in the comments. Also check out Julius Ise's full portfolio because it's pretty awesome as well.
Harnessing Harsh Light: Transforming Challenges Into Compelling Portraits

Mastering the use of light is essential in portrait photography. Harsh light, often seen as a challenge, can actually be a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled photographer. This awesome video tutorial will show you how to harness harsh light to create a compelling portrait.

Jay P. Morgan Photographs Darren McMullen Trashing A Hotel Room

In Jay P Morgan's newest video he is shooting MTV's Darren McMullen. The concept is simple; create a hotel room set and photograph Darren as he destroys every inch of it. As we have come to expect, Jay P. gives us an inside look at his lighting diagram.
How to Create Eye-catching Portraits Using Fallen Leaves

Autumn is just about over, and though the leaves are no longer on the trees, that does not mean we do not have any use for them anymore. If you gather a pile of leaves and bring them into your studio, you have a wonderful prop for a wide variety of portrait looks with all the control of studio lighting. This great video tutorial will show you how to take fallen leaves and turn them into an eye-catching and versatile props for studio portraits.

Tips on How To Plan a Fashion Editorial Shoot

Planning any shoot can be intricate and stressful, but fashion editorials sometimes take that even further with the level of preparation you need. Well, here are some key tips on how to better plan that sort of shoot, with some behind the scenes footage.