If you are like a lot of photographers, you are used to shooting outdoors at a park, the beach or on the city streets somewhere. You guerrilla shoot in interesting locations with whatever gear you have or feel you can get away with.
Photographer Neil van Niekerk recently invited his friend Marco Leibetseder into his NYC studio for a photo challenge: rather than using flash, Niekerk and Leibetseder set themselves the challenge to capture some creative portraits that showcased "depth" in-studio using only continuous lighting.
With the huge range of lighting modifiers available–umbrellas, beauty dishes, soft boxes, octaboxes, and on and on and on—it can be hard for a first time buyer to understand the differences and decide how to best spend their money. Photographer Scott Choucino to the rescue.
‘Flash duration’ isn’t a very glamorous topic, but it’s certainly something that every single photographer that uses flash should be aware of.
Having a photography studio is fun, but it is even more fun when you start applying simple and cheap solutions plus common sense to make your shooting experience (and your clients’ experience) smoother.
I’d love to have access to a massive studio space with all of the latest amenities. Who wouldn’t? But in many cases, a living room is all you need to get the dynamic shot you’re looking for. Nearly all of my favorite studio shots were done with my Oliphant backdrops in a 10x15-foot room.
VSCO has just announced a new studio space in Oakland, California, that's free-to-use for non-commercial photo shoots. This west coast Open Studio comes two years after VSCO opened up a giant one in New York City.
Here's an 11-minute video from photographer Sean Tucker that looks at how you can identify "good light" in street photography.
Here's a 6-minute video from Andrew Mikhaylov that looks at how you can easily shoot beer can photos using 4 light sources for that signatory reflection on the can.
Photographer and Profoto Legend of Light Miguel Quiles made this 7-minute video in which he shares 5 different ways he likes to use a beauty dish for portrait lighting.
Here's a 17-minute video from Adorama that takes you behind-the-scenes on a "character" portrait shoot with photographers Joe McNally and Daniel Norton. The goal is light the subject in a way that emphasizes what the photographer sees in the person.
How much of a difference is there between using an expensive high-end lighting setup and shooting the same portraits with cheaper gear? Photographer Patrick Hall of Fstoppers made this illuminating 9.5-minute video that compares a $10,000 studio lighting setup with a $425 option. Can you tell the difference between the resulting photos?
High-end product photography can be done with fewer resources than many might think if you add creativity and careful execution. Here's a 7-minute video from Dustin Dolby of workphlo that shows you how you can take professional perfume bottle photos in a studio with a single speedlight.
There are fewer than 1,000 wet plate collodion artists practicing around the world, and as far as I know, I am the only one in the state of North Dakota. 5 years ago, I didn't own a camera and knew nothing about photography. I saw a wet plate online and I was immediately drawn to it, and thus my journey began.
Photographers Rachel and Daniel of Mango Street have released a 5-part video tutorial series that teaches how to plan a shoot, find a suitable location, secure the ideal model, conduct the shoot, and edit the results.
Here's an informative 18-minute tutorial by photographer Dustin Dolby of workphlo that teaches how to blend speedlight exposures for water splash product photos. Dolby is shooting a pair of advertising posters.
If you're just getting started in studio portrait light, here's a 12-minute video that may be helpful to you. Photographer Antti Karppinen shares 7 of the most common lighting mistakes done in studio portraits, and he teaches how you can avoid each one.
Adventure photographer Jesper Gronnemark recently did an impressive skydiving photo shoot using flashes and other studio equipment in midair while free-falling at 125 mph (~200 km/h).
Here's a 5-minute video by photographer Bill Lawson that shares 7 different DIY gobos (go-betweens) that you can use to introduce creative shadows to your portrait photos.
If you're just starting out in portrait photography, here's a helpful 4-minute video by photographer Sheldon Evans that looks at 3 big composition mistakes that beginners often make in the genre.
Here's a 5-minute video with 8 simple tips beginning portrait photographers can try in order to improve results. These words of wisdom come from photographers Jessica Kobeissi and Kayleigh June.
Want to get started with shooting portrait photos with studio lighting? Here's a helpful 8-minute video by Adorama with photographer Mark Wallace that introduces the different types of studio lighting and the specific job they each perform.
Want to learn portrait lighting but don't have a model you can spend hours and hours with? Here's a 4-minute video in which photographer Ed Verosky offers a simple suggestion: Buy a cheap mannequin head to practice your skills.
Want to fake a luxurious lifestyle on Instagram? There's a Russian company that can help you do so. It specializes in renting out a private jet for Instagram photo shoots for people who don't have the wherewithal to actually fly around in one.
There are many tips and tricks in Photoshop that can make editing life easier if you know how to use them. Here's a 13-minute tutorial by PiXimperfect that teaches how you can easily identify and remove blemishes in portraits using a black-and-white adjustment layer.
Here's an inspiring 5-minute behind-the-scenes video by photographer Irene Rudnyk, who shot a series of gorgeous portraits in a bedroom using only natural light and a reflector. This video shows what if you don't have pricey lighting equipment, you can still do quite a bit with just window light and some creativity.
In this 9-minute tutorial from photography Andrew Boey of Beyond Photography, learn how to use a white wall to create any color backdrop you want by using just a speedlight and a colored gel.
Bald people can pose a bit of a difficulty for photographers, particularly because of the shine that can come off the skin in the studio. To illustrate this problem, Kalem from DSLR Video Shooter shaved his head for this 7-minute tutorial filled with tips for lighting bald people.
White wine in product photography can be easily made to glow and give a beautiful color and gradient through the glass. In this 9-minute tutorial, Dustin Dolby of workphlo shows a great way to achieve this with a simple setup.
We’ve seen how the upcoming Nikon D850 handles low light, but how does the new sensor perform in a studio shoot? This 4-minute AdoramaTV video with photographer Seth Miranda puts it to the test, shooting a model with special effects makeup.