Portrait Tips: Challenge conquers dread
Levi Sim
Dread: That’s the feeling that happens when you know you’re in over your head but you have to perform anyway. Dread started weighing on me and pulling my stomach into
REVIEWS
Levi Sim is passionate about making photographs and helping others make their pictures better, too. He’s a full-time photographer making business portraits and marketing and branding pictures for a living. He spends the rest of his time practicing all other kinds of photography and studying to be a better hunter. Read more of his articles here. And you can see more of Levi’s portfolio here.
Levi is honored to be an ambassador for Vanguard tripods and bags and Spider Holster carry systems.
Portrait Tips: Crop the crud
Levi Sim
Everyone knows that to make romantic, intimate-looking photos you need to be in a romantic kind of place. You’d better build a strong relationship with the Italian restaurant nearby so
Portrait Tips: “It’s not about you!”
Levi Sim
This is about mindset. Somehow, late in the last century, folks became worried about how they looked in photos. People my grandparents’ and parents’ ages were very concerned about how
Portrait Tips: Get close for impactful character portraits
Levi Sim
Whenever you make a portrait, you should say to yourself, “Self, I like this picture because ____.” Then, you should use the right tools to help the picture emphasize the
Portrait Tips: Using window light
Levi Sim
Using the light from a window is a terrific way to illuminate your subject. It can be the biggest and softest light off all — and it’s free. One of
Portrait Tips: Photograph the relationship
Levi Sim
The one thing most worth photographing is the relationship between people. Everything else is documentary. When you make photographs, always be on the lookout for the photo that will reveal
Logickeyboard provides quick shortcuts at your fingertips
Levi Sim
It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you want to improve your workflow, but a new keyboard can be a significant upgrade. Logickeyboard makes keyboards
Portrait Tips: Remember the reflector for senior pictures
Levi Sim
It’s senior picture season, and the one tool you must have is a 5-in-1 reflector. Many of us will be on the run with seniors — they want more locations
Portrait Tips: Quick settings for great black and whites in Lightroom Classic
Levi Sim
In classes and conferences, I’m often asked about settings for making black and white portraits. The question goes something like this, “I’m sure it’s different for every picture, but can
Portrait Tips: It’s summer! Just have some fun
Levi Sim
Take all the lighting tips, all the posing tips, all the retouching tips, all the business tips and put them away in a file folder in your brain. It’s summertime.
Positioning your lights for headshot photography
Levi Sim
Positioning your lights for a headshot is really a very important part of making headshots. Generally speaking, you want to have a nice soft light on the front and if
Portrait Tips: Don’t fight the light
Levi Sim
If you give a boy a hammer, everything looks like a nail and he will pound it. If you give a photographer a flash, everything looks like it needs to
Trust your camera to a Db Backpack
Levi Sim
Camera bags come in all shapes and sizes and from all kinds of places. This is the first one I’ve handled, however, that I’m embarrassed to name. The Norwegian manufacturer
Portrait Tips: Sparkler portraits
Levi Sim
Photographing fireworks is one of the most fun things you can do on the Fourth of July — but it’s also a great way to ruin your family fun. While
Portrait Tips: One light for life
Levi Sim
I was thinking the other day about what one lighting tool would I choose if I were stranded on a desert island for the rest of my life with a
Portrait Tips: Photographing a magazine cover
Levi Sim
When you make pictures for a client, you’ve got to keep in mind what their final use will be. In fact, you’ve got to quiz them carefully about what the
Portraits precipitate stories; make more of both
Levi Sim
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: You need to make more portraits. Portraits don’t have to be formal affairs with special lights and special clothes and special
Lensbaby Edge 35 provides creativity, sharpness in a small footprint
Levi Sim
Lensbaby lenses are to photography what Tesla motors is to the car industry. They make tools that make you stop and reconsider the relationship between creativity and your photography. And
Portrait Tips: A chance with Patch
Levi Sim
The other day a fellow contacted me about a picture I made nearly ten years ago. He was an assistant to the master woodcarver and I spent a few minutes
Portrait Tips: Make pictures now, chimp later
Levi Sim
With visions of Joe McNally’s firetruck portraits in mind, I set out on a ride-along with the Salt Lake City Fire Department. Now, I didn’t get to rig lights outside
Portrait Tips: Identify the environment
Levi Sim
I’m pretty excited because Vanelli and I are teaching a class at Photoshop World on environmental portraiture. I love making environmental portraits because they help inform our knowledge of the