Environmental portraits show people in their place and their habitat. The environment sets the mood and the place of the story, and a single look at the photograph can tell you what the story is about. Let me show you three things I think about as I light the background
Creating a compelling portrait can take a lot of thought and design. But here are three practical tips you can use to improve your image. Choose the right lens Choosing the correct lens can make a huge impact on your portraits. Traditional portrait lenses are 85 mm, 100 mm, and
I’m participating in a photo contest today. It started on Friday. The entries must all be photographed, printed, framed and presented by Wednesday at noon. Oh, and they have to be made only in the valley I live in. It’s a ton of fun. It’s a very level playing field
It seems like you’re always under pressure to make pictures quickly. If it’s newborns, it’s hurry up before she wakes up. At weddings, it’s hurry up because the bride was three hours late. With families, it’s hurry up because Dad is losing patience (I’m a dad, I know how it
Making marketing pictures at schools is one of my favorites activities. There’s endless variety in subjects and every classroom offers unique challenges in lighting. Last week I was making pictures in Oregon for a longtime client, the schools foundation. They raise money to hire teachers for science, art, music, etc.
Learn how to enhance both subjects in an environmental portrait. You can make the person look amazing with AI Skin and Portrait Enhancer. Plus bring the background to life with Accent AI and AI Structure. Luminar works as both an application and a plugin. Learn more about Luminar 4. All
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 my shoes when I arrived for this photoshoot. I was on assignment with my assistant to several places in rural
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 things you like. When I made this portrait, I was making a whole series of photos for the beekeepers. I
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 making pictures with them. The event was Baby Animal Days at the Western Heritage Center in Logan, UT, and the
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 the truck, and I wasn’t driving at night through Times Square, but I was hopeful that I might see a
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 person we’re looking at without saying a word. The trouble is, we don’t always get to photograph folks in their
Making pictures of people who are good at their craft while they are doing their craft is one of the best subjects you can ever find. They are passionate, you are passionate, and the pictures always turn out well. When I make environmental portraits, I do my best to control
