How You Can Create Professional Portraits With Budget Equipment

Most of the time, when you see the work of a professional, they are probably using higher-end equipment. And why there is certainly justification for more expensive equipment, it is important to remember just how good the images you create can be even with budget equipment, and this great video shows how good fundamentals can get you there. 

Coming to you from Irene Rudnyk, this excellent video shows a photoshoot using more budget-level equipment. For this shoot, Rudnyk is using the EOS RP, Canon's budget RF mirrorless model, and the EF 50mm f/1.8 STM lens, the DSLR version of the nifty fifty. What I really appreciate about this video is how Rudnyk shows the importance of good lighting. When your lighting is well crafted, you can make even budget lenses shine. No doubt, a more expensive lens will offer higher image quality, especially at extreme apertures, but if you stop down the lens and light your subject properly (so as to keep your ISO low, especially if you are working with an older camera), you can get results that just about any client would be happy with. In fact, many photographers have built their careers using such equipment, and it can be a fun challenge as well. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Rudnyk.

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
13 Comments

Love Irenes work. This does remind me of Sean Archer.

from a teaching perspective it might be much more helpful and create less desperation to show unedited images from the setup. Not just with this Video but most tutorial videos about studio setups, lightning are always showing super heavy edited images that seams to be the in camera result of the current setup. People starting studio photography building same setups might get unsatisfied when they see their images and compare them.

But then all the "purists" start gatekeeping and complain that she can't take a photo without photoshop and how everything used to be better

I've only seen Karl Taylor showing unedited images. He's lighting setup is always top notch.
I'm afraid if this person would show her unedited images - she might lose all her youtube base...

Hey Tammie, thanks for the comment. I have been showing my unedited images for the past year in all of my YouTube videos and my channel has been doing better then ever.

Good for you :)

lol, you know everyone can see who downvoted the comment right? Makes your "good for you :)" seem super petty

That was for a reason. You downvoted my comment, why? Now what did you expect?
"Good for you" was a sarcasm in case if you didn't catch it. Just get over it, ok?

Downvoted because you were obviously incorrect.

Whatever makes you happy :)

Did you watch the video? Because I always show the before and after

Also, find great models....Irene always seems to 🙂

I think Ken that if we ever get as good as Irene (top lady that she is in terms of talent and sharing ideas) then the models would come to us also. But yes i agree.