portraitphotography

How to Shoot Dramatic Portraits with a Point and Shoot Camera and One Light

Photographer and YouTuber Jiggie Alejandrino loves to show his viewers what's possible when shooting with just one light; but for his most recent tutorial, he took the concept one step further. Not only did he shoot this using a single LED light panel, he used a point-and-shoot camera instead of his more professional gear.

Eye Autofocus Comparison: Canon Has Caught Up to Sony, Nikon Lags Behind

Back in May of 2019, Jared Polin of Fro Knows Photo ran a side-by-side Eye AF comparison that showed (to nobody's surprise) that Sony was the king of Eye Autofocus. But a lot has changed since then, including several firmware updates and an updated focus system from Canon. Is Sony still king? Jared wanted to find out.

Co-Creating a Light Painting in Real Time with Someone Across the World

Photographer Dan Roberts recently collaborated on an "intercontinental light painting." Using a projector and the power of the Internet, he and Frodo Alvarez captured a light-painting portrait in real time from across the world: Frodo's light from Spain ended up on Dan's camera in Denver.

This Sunset ‘Levitation’ Photo Was Captured in a Single Shot

Believe it or not, the "levitation" photo above isn't a multi-shot composite. Some lighting equipment was removed from the edge of the frame, but the main image of the woman "floating" above the water is actually a single exposure. It simply took some patience to capture it just right in-camera.

How and Why You SHOULD Blow Out Your Highlights Sometimes

Our friend Pye Jirsa over at SLR Lounge has put together a great portrait photography tutorial that explains when and why you SHOULD blow out your highlights sometimes. It might seem obvious to seasoned shooters, but a balanced exposure is not always the right choice.

‘Bad’ Weather Rewards Photographer with Stunning Graduation Photos

Canadian freelance photographer Christy Turner recently ran into a bit of good luck in the form of some "bad" weather. In the aftermath of a violent thunderstorm on the day of a graduation shoot, nature rewarded her with a spectacular backdrop of mammatus clouds ... and a rainbow to boot.

An Introduction to Backgrounds for Portrait Photography

Photographer Miguel Quiles has created a quick, crash-course style video that explores the different types of backgrounds you can buy as a portrait photographer, and then explains why collapsible backgrounds might be the best option if you're just starting out.

Lensbaby Omni Color Expansion Pack Review: Adding Foreground Interest

For those that have followed my work for a while, you’ll know that I love to show a sense of depth to my images. Sure we can all shoot wide-open (f/2.8 for example) to get that shallow depth of field, but nothing beats the depth of showing not only a separation between subject and background, but a foreground element to your image too.

How to Set Up a Basic Photo Studio at Home Using Only One Light

Filipino portrait and wedding photographer Jiggie Alejandrino recently released a great beginner's guide to creating a basic photography studio at home. In the video, he shows you how you can set yourself up to take beautiful portraits using just one light, a 5-in-1 reflector, and not much else.

This Striking Portrait of ‘Division’ Was Captured with Non-Visible Light

Whenever something is bothering wet plate photographer Markus Hofstaetter, he captures his anxiety with striking, creative imagery. Lately, the idea of "division"—in ourselves, our societies, and our world—has been on his mind, so he set about capturing a "division" portrait. The twist: he didn't want to capture any visible light.

How to ‘Magically’ Remove Glare from Glasses in Photoshop

Unmesh Dinda over at PIXimperfect has released another exceptional photo editing tutorial that you'll want to bookmark if you shoot portraits. In this video, he shows you a detailed step-by-step method for removing glare from glasses in Photoshop—something all of us have probably had to do at one point or another.

Samyang Unveils New 85mm f/1.4 Autofocus Lens for Canon RF Mount

Following last year's release of the AF 85mm f/1.4 FE for the Sony E Mount, Samyang/Rokinon today unveiled a version of the lens for Canon's full-frame mirrorless RF Mount. According to Rokinon, the new AF 85mm f/1.4 RF is "arguably the best value, high performance and affordable autofocusing portrait prime available."

Shooting Hockey Player Portraits from Below, Through Plexiglass

Ever since joining the San Jose Sharks two years ago, I’ve looked for different ways to photograph hockey and showcase our athletes. There was one specific photo that I had been thinking about for a while. The concept would be to create a photo from below the ice, as if looking up at a Sharks player inside SAP Center.

How to Edit Portraits in Affinity Photo

Portrait and headshot photographer Ivan Weiss recently created a helpful tutorial that walks you through his entire portrait editing process in the popular Adobe alternative Affinity Photo. If you've been wanting to give Affinity a shot, this is a phenomenal resource.

Taking Pinhole Portraits of ‘Lockdown Street Bingo’ for World Pinhole Day

Working as an analogue photographer at Little Vintage Photography, Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day (#WPPD) is something that I love taking part in every year. Sadly with lockdown happening, the workshops and photowalks I'd normally run were of course, put on hold.

Catchlights: The Small Detail that Can Make or Break Your Portraits

Photographer Joe Edelman has put together a helpful beginner's guide that explains one of the most important (and easy to overlook) details in portrait photography: catchlights. These specular highlights can make or break your photo, and in this video, Edelman covers all of the basic "dos" and "donts" of catchlights in portraiture.

Photographer Documents Neighbors’ Isolation from His Bedroom Window

In a bid to stay creative (and sane) during lockdown, London-based photographer Christopher Fernandez posted a sign on his bedroom window inviting neighbors to let him document their self-isolation in candid portraits from afar. Much to his surprise, his neighbors came a' calling.

How to Use Studio Strobes with Fuji Instax Instant Film

Fuji's Instax film is typically thought of as a "snapshot" product, not something you'd use in a studio, but Brooklyn-based photographer Anthony Tripoli hasn't let that stop him. He's figured out a way to shoot studio portraits on Instax film, strobes and all.

What’s in a Photograph? Time Machines and Legacies

I don’t remember the first time I became aware of my family photo album, but from a very young age I always found looking at those photos a time absorbing, and totally enthralling pastime. I would sit for long periods of time staring at those familiar faces, all those captured moments of times gone by, and lose myself in a world of wonder.

How to Shoot Epic Landscape ‘Selfies’

One of the most impactful types of outdoor portraiture is what you might call the 'epic' selfie: a self-portrait where the landscape photographer becomes a tiny fraction of his or her own composition, giving a sense of scale and awe to an already epic vista.

I Used My Drone to Take Fun Portraits of People in Self-Isolation

Since we're all stuck inside and social distancing, I recently took out my drone and photographed people in their homes through their windows or on their terraces. It's a 100% zero-human-contact way to see how people are going crazy during quarantine times.

Portraits In The Time Of Coronavirus: Shooting Free Front Porch Photo Sessions

We are living in unprecedented times. As a photographer of social events (weddings), individual, family, business portraits and sports, the recent closing of schools and the virtual shut down of our towns and cities—basically our lives as we have known it—has shut everything down.

21 Portrait Photography Lessons from 21 Great Photographers

My portrait photography education didn’t happen in a classroom, library, or workshop. Most of what I learned came from studying my heroes’ work, trying to figure out why I loved their pictures, and then putting my own twist on them.

Three Ways to Use RGB Lights in Your Portrait Work

RGB LEDs are a relatively new piece of technology, and a wonderful addition that photographers should be taking advantage of. Before this technology existed, we were forced to resort to adding gels to our strobes in order to add a pop of color into our images. This worked well (and still does) but having the ability to change the hue and saturation of your lights with the flip of a switch or turn of a dial is incredibly useful.