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
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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: A note for newborns
Levi Sim
One of the best experiences you’ll have as a portraitist is making pictures with brand new babies. There truly is something special about working with someone so new and pure,
Portrait Tips: Does your picture have the sweetness?
Levi Sim
“Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie, Who cares for all the crinkling of the pie?” This line is from William King’s Poem, “The Art of Cookery,” and it applies
Stylizing images in ACDSee Photo Studio Ultimate 2019
Bryan Esler
I recently went out to the Muskegon Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Muskegon, Mich. Sounds…smelly, right? Well, there was a reason for this — snowy owls are known to be
Finishing color photos for perfect tones in black and white
Levi Sim
Like many of you, I started photography learning to shoot and process black and white in high school. It was amazing to see a photograph materialize in the chemicals, and
How to use Luminar’s looks to be creative differently
Levi Sim
If you subscribe to the Photofocus newsletter, then you just got an announcement about a huge pack of looks for Luminar that add all the looks from Skylum’s wonderful Tonality
Creating custom black-and-white effects with the on image tool in Photoshop
Rich Harrington
Photoshop offers a very compelling black and white adjustment layer. But to get the results that you want, you should take advantage of the on image tool. You learned about
Portrait Tips: Five keys for candids
Levi Sim
Candid portraits are often the first type of portraits photographers learn to make, and they are probably the most often requested by clients. When you view a candid photograph, it
How to simply create powerful black & white images
Michèle Grenier
(Editor’s note: Making photographs on an active railway is not only a flagrant violation of safety, it is also seriously illegal. Michèle Grenier, the author of this article, made the accompanying
Portrait Tips: A Layered Workflow for Retouching
Levi Sim
Retouching the portraits you make can be a lot of fun, and it can be a lot of frustration. I realize that I’ve retouched thousands of portraits and one thing
How To: Use Colored Filters in Luminar 2018 for Black and White Portraits
Levi Sim
There’s a simple tool for making your black and white portraits look great with little or no retouching. It’s called a color filter. We often retouch things like pimples and
Portrait Tips: Cut the Rim Light
Levi Sim
Making portraits with a rim light is awesome. It gives depth and punch and when you do it really well you’ll notice that it looks more natural. Take a close
Quick Tip: Shooting On A Grey Day – Black and White
Cathy Seaver
A comment on one of my recent articles got me to thinking that I need to write some tips on how to make good looking photos on a grey day.
Photographer of the Day: Paul Francis
Bryan Esler
Category: Street Photographer: Paul Francis Paul’s photograph of a man walking in what appears to be an alley is somewhat mysterious — you can’t really tell who the man is,
Portrait Tips: If You Know Your Tools You Can Relax
Levi Sim
At weddings, you shoot portraits as quickly as possible so that your couples can spend as much time with their families as possible. I was an assistant shooter at this
Lightroom Live: Monochromes For Winter With Jim Welninski
Levi Sim
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be
Lightroom Live: Monochromes For Winter With Jim Welninski
Levi Sim
You gotta join us live for our next Lightroom Live, totally free of charge. Not only will you learn terrific techniques, but if you tune in live, you can be
Photographer of the Day: Isengardt
Jason Hahn
The power of photography is its ability to make us feel and imagine from nothing more than a 2 dimensional collection of dots on a piece of paper or computer screen. “Mannequins” by Isengardt, definitely makes you feel something, the best word I have to describe it is “uncomfortable”. This is a “rule breaker” image, and why it works so well. The mannequins have been transformed by the light and composition into something other than the typical figure of glamour we expect. Messy hair, harsh light, and black clothes create something more out of a Hitchcock movie then a department store. We associate the eyes with life and personality, here they are lifeless, the gaze of each directed somewhere off frame. This otherworldly scene takes the viewer out of their comfort zone, one of the greatest purposes of art.
“The purpose of art actually is, in many cases, to make you feel quite uncomfortable. Or at least to go to that place that’s already of discomfort inside of you and tap into that.” – Michael Moore
Photographer of the Day: Andrea Fucà
Bryan Esler
Category: Sports Photograph: Andrea Fucà “IMG_4811” This image of young boys playing soccer in Morocco, showcases Andrea’s ability to capture street life when traveling. This could really fit into a
Photographer of the Day: Pamela Aminou Follow
Bryan Esler
Category: Sports Photograph: Pamela Aminou “Shallow waters” I love this shot by Pamela, mainly because of the simple, minimalist nature of it. The sailboats are clearly outlined, but there’s a