Recent Portraits Articles

A Behind the Scenes Guide to Short and Broad Lighting

Portraiture is one of the most versatile genres of photography, housing many sub-genres within it. One of the most impactful skillsets you can acquire for the craft is lighting and so it is important to know the basic setups and what different lighting styles achieve.

Why Your Focal Length Choice Is So Important for Portrait Photography

When it comes to portrait photography, one of the most fundamental and important creative decisions you can make is the focal length you use. If you are newer to portrait photography and curious about how it affects the look of your final images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you a set of portraits shot at a range of different focal lengths.

How To Turn Your Garage Into a Professional Portrait Studio

When it comes to portrait photography, most professionals employ a range of lighting equipment to dial in the exact images they are looking for no matter where they are or when they are shooting. That being said, you will be amazed what you can accomplish with natural light and the knowledge of how to shape it to your needs. This great video tutorial will show you how to create professional portraits in a garage using just natural light and a few modifiers.

5 Helpful Tips for Better Family Photos

Family portraits are something that will almost always be in demand, but with multiple subjects to manage, with some of them often being unruly kids, it can take a lot to get a successful result. If you want to create better family portraits, check out this excellent video tutorial that will give five tips sure to help you improve.

Three Photographer Challenge: Sony vs Fujifilm vs iPhone

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.

Is There a Difference Between Agency Models and Amateur Models?

If you are a beginning photographer who has only worked with amateur models, it may be your dream to work with a professional model one day. Is there a noticeable difference between working with a professional model and an amateur model?

A Start-to-Finish Guide on Creating Great Portraits With Smoke

There are certain rights of passage in photography that we all should try at some juncture of our time with a camera. They act as both important learning tools but plainly, they're good fun to do. In this video, Pye Jirsa walks you through how he created a great-looking portrait using a smoke bomb.

How to Use Flash to Shoot Better Portraits in the Sun

Shooting with a wide aperture for portraits with a shallow depth of field is a highly popular look, but when you are photographing in the sun with flash, you can run into impossible-to-solve exposure issues — impossible until you introduce some new techniques. This helpful video tutorial will show how to deal with strong sun in outdoor portrait situations to produce better images.

5 Portrait Looks With Just One Background

You don't need a ton of equipment to create a number of looks in a single shoot. In this video, John Gress discusses which background you should go for if you're looking for maximum versatility, showcasing five different looks.

5 Tips to Radically Improve Your Headshots

Headshot photography is one of the fastest-growing segments in the industry and for good reason. With more people working from home and using technology to collaborate, our online personas have become more important than ever. Many people have started new careers and businesses due to the pandemic and need to update their branding images. This creates an excellent opportunity for aspiring headshot photographers, and in this article, I give you five tips that will radically improve your game.

This Great Video Shows How Little You Need to Create Excellent Portraits

It is certainly true that a lot of professional portrait photographers use a wide variety of lighting equipment to achieve the looks they want, and while there is a good reason for having all that gear at one's disposal, it is important to remember what you can create with the bare minimum and a good understanding of how light behaves. This excellent video tutorial will show you how you can create dramatic portraits using nothing more than the light coming through the door of a garage.

5 Great Compositions for Engagement and Couples Portraits

Engagement and couples portraits can be challenging, since you have to juggle posing two people simultaneously while, of course, dealing with all the other normal parameters, like composition, lighting, and more. If you would like to take a little pressure off yourself and improve your photos, this excellent video tutorial will show you five effective compositions for engagement and couples portraits.

3 Fundamentals for Creating Light and Airy Photos

The light and airy look is a very popular style with clients and really evokes feelings of love, lightness, and happiness. However, a lot of photographers mistakenly assume that it is simply about overexposing what is otherwise a normal portrait image. If you are interested in creating the look in your own work, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three important fundamentals for the style.

Creating a Brenizer Method Portrait on Medium Format Film

A Brenizer portrait is a composite photograph that is created by combining 9-15 different captures into a single final image. The technique is often performed using a full frame digital camera but the final image has a perspective that resembles an image taken on a medium format camera. In this video, photographer Steven Schultz takes this technique one step further by using a medium format film camera to create a Brenizer portrait.

5 Helpful Portrait Photography Tips That Will Improve Your Images

The challenge of portrait photography is that beyond needing to master an array of technical things like lighting setups and often fairly intricate editing techniques, you also need to be able to make your subject comfortable in front of the camera, all while managing the photography side of things. If you are wondering how you can improve your own portraiture, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will give you five tips to help you take better images.

The Hidden Ingredient of Portraiture

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.

Portrait Photography in Bright Midday Sun

Natural light portraiture is forever popular, but as us photographers know, more light isn't necessarily better. In fact, like half-breed vampires, we shy away from the sun at its brightest during midday.

A Simple Two-Light Setup for Dramatic Portraits of Couples

The beauty of artificial lighting is that you can create whatever look you want, wherever and whenever you want. That does not mean things need to be overly complex, however. In fact, just two lights can offer a ton of versatility, and this excellent video tutorial will show you how to use them to create some dramatic and compelling couples portraits.

Using Window Blinds for Creative Portraits in Studio

When looking for things to add to your list of gear and props for your photography studio, some items may not be as obvious as others. Are windows blinds on your list? Here's how you can use Venetian blinds to add a different look to your portraits.

Using V-Flats for Background and the Perfect Lighting

Are you looking for an easy way to achieve great lighting with minimal gear? Regardless of whether it's because you are starting off and have to stay within a certain budget or you simply do not want to carry and set up a lot of gear, here's an easy way to get perfect lighting.

The Evolution of Sue Bryce's Portrait System

Like life itself, all things evolve and change over time. Though as business owners, photographers don't always know what that is going to look like.

How to Take Beautiful, Backlit Portraits at Golden Hour

Golden hour is the holiest of times for photographers of many genres, however, it takes some technical understanding if you want to get the most out of it in your portraiture. In this video, Irene Rudnyk takes you behind-the-scenes of her beach portraiture shoot at golden hour to give you some tips.

Basic Lighting Setup for Capturing Catalog Images

Boutiques, clothing brands, and some stores usually require catalog images for their business and e-commerce websites. Would you be able to deliver clean catalog images? Here's how you can do just that!

Is Expensive Camera Gear Really Not That Important?

Fashion photographer Peter Coulson is back with another video showing us his process of seeing light. This time he takes an even more minimal approach than his previous videos to prove that expensive gear isn't always needed to produce quality photography.

5 Tips for Taking Awesome Portraits of Musicians

Capturing portraits of musicians is one of my favorite things to do. As a musician myself, I think that I have a unique perspective that helps me to connect with my musician clients. Working with other creatives always makes for an inspiring portrait session, and finding novel ways to incorporate an instrument into a portrait is a fun challenge. In today’s article and accompanying video, I will give you five tips that have helped me create engaging portraits of musicians.

Vulva Photographer Shows Women Their Genitals Are Beautiful

Photography can be a powerful tool for good. Photographer Ellie Sedgwick recognized that, and she's using her camera skills for a coffee table book on vulvas and to encourage body positivity, curiosity, and understanding.

Canon R3 Versus Nikon Z9: Hands-on First Impressions

Canon and Nikon, after a slow start, have both been consistently releasing excellent mirrorless bodies. Their respective newest cameras are more or less direct rivals, so how do they compare?

Relight Your Portraits: Testing Out Luminar Neo's New AI Tool

Artificial intelligence has begun to have a real impact in photography via post-processing. This may be a contentious subject, but whichever side of the fence you are, it's interesting to see what it's capable of. In this video by Manny Ortiz, he reworks some images with Luminar's Relight tool.

How to Connect With Your Portrait Subjects

You can have all the camera technique, lighting ability, and post-processing savvy, but if you are not able to connect with your portrait subjects, you are going to have immense difficulties creating compelling photos. If that is something you struggle with, check out this fantastic video that features a seasoned portrait photographer discussing how to better connect with your subjects.

Behind the Scenes of Failed Photoshoots: Learning From Mistakes

It is a truism that you learn far more from your failure than you do your successes, and photography is no different. In this video, esteemed portrait photographer, Irene Rudnyk, goes through some of her failed shoots that never quite made the grade.

A Quick Guide to Creating Portraits

It is common to see family members using their phones to take photographs at family events. Often these images aren’t memorable because of poor composition and bad lighting. Here’s an easy lighting setup you can use to create professional-quality photographs.

If You Need a Bigger Backdrop for a Photoshoot, Try This

Have you ever had a great background you want to use for an image but it just isn't big enough? With this combination of techniques, both in-camera and in post-production, you can make it seem as if it was big enough.

A Look at Portraits Shot at Every Aperture

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.

Transform Your Photograph Prints Into Mixed Media Art

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.

Is the Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 the Best Value 85mm for the RF Mount?

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?

Use This One Cheap Photography Prop to Make Your Portraits Pop

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.

Classic Lighting Setups That Every Photographer Should Know

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.

A Full Tutorial on Retouching and Color Grading a Portrait in Photoshop

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.

Learn How to Create This Festive Portrait With Just One Light

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.

How to Light and Shoot This Classic Five-Light Hollywood Glamour Portrait

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.

Why You Should Avoid Using Rembrandt Lighting on Women

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.

The Best One-Light Portrait Photography Setup for Beginners

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.

Learn From a Veteran Photographer Working With a Model on Her First Shoot

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.

How to Trick the Eye While Also Fixing an Obliquely Taken Image

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.