In photography, we are always looking for the best lighting for our subject, but when we don’t have the ability to choose the location or need to create interesting and dramatic lighting on the go, we need to be able to use the light we bring with us. This involves starting at the fundamentals and learning how to balance your flash and the ambient outdoor lighting.
One of the most important skills any wedding photographer needs is the ability to quickly and effectively use artificial light in both a practical and creative way, whether it's to supplement or supply the light for a scene. This great video will show you a few techniques, tips, and tricks for using off-camera flash in wedding scenarios.
Portrait photographers normally have a go-to light modifier they prefer from the standard array and might work with two or three lights to completely sculpt the light as they see fit. However, this neat video shows the awesome results you can get by using a lesser-known modifier as your only light source.
I’ve always loved the color red and the emotions it invokes. I suppose that's the fun thing about backgrounds, props, and general settings in that a color theme can evoke so many different thoughts and emotions. Needless to say the power of a model is critical but what you can create around the model can go a long way in conveying the feel you’re aiming for.
There are a variety of valid reasons you may need to enhance the out of focus blur in Adobe Photoshop. Whether it’s a limitation of your equipment, limitation of the shooting environment, or you just want to make a creative change, this tutorial shows you the trick to making fake bokeh look great.
Being new to strobe lighting can be a bit overwhelming, but learning some fundamental techniques and manners of working can have you on your way. This helpful video tutorial will show you one of the most important techniques: balancing strobe light with ambient light.
When used correctly, frequency separation can be a very powerful and efficient tool for editing your portraits. This great video tutorial will show you a straightforward method to use frequency separation in your portrait retouching.
Are you thinking of trying out portrait photography and want to get some insight as to exactly what you need to create beautiful portraits without a lot of trial and error? Read on for some tried and true suggestions that will get you started without all the hit-and-miss experimentation.
One of the best signs of a photographer who's good at posing is the ability to make the poses look natural and unforced. This great video follows a photographer on an at-home photoshoot with a couple and will show you some helpful posing ideas and tips to improve your own work.
What happens when you fly half way across the world to shoot portraits of a model on an exotic beach, but then realize the light is not as soft or usable as you thought? In this video, learn how you can sculpt the natural light the way you want to create the most flattering results.
That's right, Adobe users, they just added yet another slider into the already fairly extensive bag of tricks. There are probably several schools of thought, as to whether or not the programs needed another slider to control functions similar to sliders already present in the software.
Colored lighting gels can take the illumination in your images from standard to outstanding by adding color for a touch of interest and depth. And while nothing can create that look quite like the real thing, you can fake an interesting colored gel effect for your images using some simple tricks in Photoshop.
Photoshop is a massive and nuanced program, for which there are many ways to accomplish any one task. However, one of the most useful techniques to know is luminosity masks, which are powerful and versatile additions to your editing arsenal. This helpful video will get you started with them.
Blending modes are one of the most foundational features in Photoshop and something that almost anyone working with the program should understand well. This in-depth video will show you the ins and outs of every single blending mode, allowing you to better understand when to use each one and how they can help you achieve your desired results.
Some photos look like paintings. Not because they have some dreadful filter or effect applied, but because their use of light and composition is ethereal. In this video, Vinny Le Pes breaks down what is happening in these incredible images.
An easy lighting setup for any photographer to have in their arsenal that creates a highly sought-after look would have to be three point lighting. It’s classic, it’s easy, and you can achieve several highly stylized looks in only mere seconds by moving a light or two.
Posing professional models can be easy, but how do you get the best poses from someone who’s not used to being in front of the camera? Creating a rapport with your subject that puts them at ease is crucial, and having a small repertoire of posing options can be an incredibly useful part of the process.
In the world of Instagram and social media, what we see, is a lot of times not as it really seems. The line between what is real and what is fake is quickly blurring. In this article, go behind the scenes with instagram photographer, Calob Castellon and see how he creates captivating portraits using nothing more than a camera, and a little bit of creativity. If he can do it, you can too.
Dedicated monolights are certainly highly useful for portrait work, but they're also relatively expensive and rather bulky. However, almost every photographer owns a speedlight, and you might wonder if you can use it in place of a monolight for on-location portrait work. This great video shows you the benefits and drawbacks of shooting with a speedlight outside.
For my latest photoshoot I decided to use harsh light to photograph my buddy Bart in two different ways. If you've wanted to learn how to get that vintage movie style look, you'll enjoy this full tutorial.
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