If you’re stuck on ideas for creative portrait sessions, have you ever tried incorporating water? This short video by Adorama TV features studio lighting guru Gavin Hoey taking us through an introduction to wet portraits in the studio.
One of my favorite setups for studio portraits of children was inspired by Jill Greenberg’s photos of crying babies. These portraits are fun, simple, and focus on teasing out a variety of natural expressions of children as they are being photographed. This tutorial demonstrates how to photograph and edit this particular style of a three-light children’s portrait.
When you hear the term “HDR photography,” you probably either cringe, or start to smile at the thought of beautifully balanced landscape and architectural imagery created by the likes of Trey Ratcliff. Some may argue that with the dynamic range of current camera sensors, taking bracketed exposures is no longer necessary, since detail can be effectively recovered from both shadows and highlights. In this video, Scott Kelby demonstrates how an image produced from combining bracketed exposures can be superior to one derived from a single frame.
Creating stunning portraits of our canine companions requires so much more than technical knowledge of photography. Understanding how to coax a dog into just the right spot while keeping them relaxed and happy is crucial to capturing genuine expressions with perfectly composed surroundings. Adding a few special items to your gear bag for those times when you venture out to photograph someone’s four-legged friend can have a much larger impact on your photos than choosing the perfect lens.
Mastering how to control and manage light is essential to becoming a proficient photographer or videographer. If you are new to using off-camera lighting, this short video by Film Riot provides an excellent demonstration of how a single light can be used to produce a variety of effects.
A key factor in the success of any photography business is the ability to produce technically sound images that stand out and differentiate your style from that of other photographers. As a pet photographer, one way to generate bold and professional-looking images from your outdoor sessions is to light your subjects with off-camera flash.
Photos of wedding rings arranged together before they are exchanged are must-have detail shots for every wedding. Wedding photographers are always looking for creative ways to photograph rings. This video by Magic Lens Group takes us through several ways to light the rings incorporating household objects to achieve moody colors and dynamically lit backgrounds.
If you’ve ever tried photographing a newborn, you can appreciate how important it is to have a sleepy baby for your session. Some well-known tricks to encourage a baby to fall asleep include keeping the room very warm, playing white noise, and making sure the baby has a full belly. Newborns operate on a schedule of their own, and sometimes no matter what you do, they are wide awake and not overly happy with being placed in any sort of prop you have on hand. Thankfully there are a few things that you can do to salvage a session with an unhappy newborn.
Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens continues his video tutorial series of photographing simple three dimensional objects with this short tutorial on lighting a cylinder. The video demonstrates how to specifically alter the amount of light falling on the curved surface and flat face of the cylinder to achieve the desired effect.
The month of January is generally a slower time of the year for portrait photographers. While you spend most of the year working hard in your business, the down times give you an opportunity to plan ahead and get organized for the next busy season. Whether you photograph people or pets, an effective way to market to new clients is to engage in activities that involve you meeting them in person. Here are three suggestions for free activities to try in the New Year for meeting prospective clients face-to-face.
Many photographers who are beginning to dabble in pet photography ask about the best lens to use when photographing pets. While there is no right or wrong answer, as a dog photographer who primarily specializes in outdoor sessions, I use a telephoto lens for the majority of photos I take. If I were limited to just a single focal length to use for photographing dogs, I’d go with 200mm, and there are several reasons for this decision.
If you haven’t yet come across the whimsical, awe-inspiring dog portraits created by Kaylee Greer of Dog Breath Photography, they will forever change the way you look at dog photos. Within the last few years Greer has risen to be one of the most recognizable dog photographers in the world, with her colorful style and ability to capture humorous and fun expressions. On a recent episode of The Grid hosted by Scott Kelby, Greer answers a variety of questions about her craft.
One of the most important compositional decisions to make when photographing pets is choosing a focal length. Due to perspective and lens distortion, ultra wide angles (generally considered to be less than 24mm on a full frame camera) can yield unflattering results when photographing humans. However, when photographing pets, shooting with an ultra-wide angle lens can do wonders in making your photos stand out.
As a continuation of his “Laws of Light” video series, Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens describes a variety of ways to light a simple white cube on a white background. This video demonstrates how changing the placement of a single light can effectively emphasize the three-dimensional aspect of the cube and create separation between the cube and the background.
Dogs are among of the most difficult subjects to photograph. They are unpredictable, easily distracted, and move quickly. The challenges that accompany photographing our canine counterparts are multiplied when working with more than one dog at once. Luckily, there are a few things you can do to help get the perfect shot of a group of dogs.
Last week, we covered my all-time favorite tip for creating expressive children’s portraits outdoors this fall. As a follow-up, in this short video, Photoshop master Aaron Nace from Phlearn takes us through simple techniques for editing photos of children in Photoshop. His advice centers on drawing the focus to the eyes and face by adding a vignette, enhancing eyes, and warming skin tones.
Probably the most difficult challenge in photographing children is garnering genuine and happy expressions from them. If you routinely photograph children, chances are you’ve found yourself on a few occasions in the company of a bored or uncooperative little one, with a parent just out of frame screaming: “Smile! Smile! No, not like that!” Every fall, my favorite tactic to virtually guarantee happy expressions is to make use of all those leaves that have fallen to the ground.
Last week, we covered why volunteering for an animal rescue or shelter is a great way to grow your pet photography business. If you do not own or rent a studio, being able to bring a portable lighting setup on location for pet photography is an excellent alternative. When photographing animals in shelters, portable lighting will allow you to achieve a consistent style with your photos. This short video produced by the team at Westcott demonstrates practical tips for simple studio-style portraits of dogs and cats.
These days, more and more of us are investing in professional portraits of our pets. What better way to forever preserve the memory of our nonhuman family members? If you offer pet photography either as one of your services or as your sole specialty, you can appreciate that photographing animals professionally brings forth a unique set of challenges and opportunities. Delving into animal photography opens the doors to channels for marketing and networking that are specific to pets. As a dog photographer, one activity that has given a huge boost to my business is volunteering my services to a local dog rescue organization.
