Portrait Tips: Make Special Day Portraits
Levi Sim
We are so lucky! We get to be present for the most memorable and special days in people’s lives. In fact, most of the time our pictures end up being
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Portrait Tips
Portrait Tips: Fix It Now, Not In Photoshop
Levi Sim
It’s important to keep a shoot moving along, keep your subjects engaged, and keep up appearances that you know what you’re doing, right? We all want to appear to be
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
Portrait Tips: You Gotta Make ‘Em Engage!
Levi Sim
I look at a lot of portraits and I can confidently offer a general critique of 99% of them. I see work from photographers who make very good portraits with
Portrait Tips: Expand Your Vocabulary
Levi Sim
When you make a picture–any kind of picture–you should think, “What word would I use to describe this picture?” From what I’ve seen on the interwebs, lately, the word most
Portrait Tips: Subtle Spice Not Ketchup
Levi Sim
When people see your picture, they should say, “Wow, that’s a great photograph,” not, “Wow, that’s a well-lit photograph.” Once you start using flashes, it’s like having a hammer in
Portrait Tips: Finishing Great Eyes With 3 Different Apps
Levi Sim
When the eyes are visible in a portrait, they should usually be the point of focus for the viewer–your viewer should snap right up to those eyes and linger there.
Portrait Tips: How Do You Get Natural Expressions? With Props & Prompts
Levi Sim
Having photographed thousands of people, it’s true that most people have a ‘camera smile’, and most people desire ‘natural expressions’ in their pictures. Whether you’re photographing children or adults or
Portrait Tips: Always Do This When Photographing Kids
Levi Sim
The Holidays are one of the best times to make pictures. (Check out Bryan’s and Lauri’s articles for some terrific ideas.) And it’s a great time to photograph kids–if you
Portrait Tips: How Do I Choose White Balance For Portraits?
Levi Sim
There are so many things to think about when making portraits that leaving your white balance set to auto is a tempting proposition. Especially when everyone raves about how good
Portrait Tips: Pyramid Posing For Groups
Levi Sim
Group pictures can be intimidating. All the skills you’ve mastered to make a person look great in a picture now have to be applied to a bunch of folks all
Portrait Tips: Vitreous Eyes (Even With Hats)
Levi Sim
Vitreous is a great word. It’s used to describe something that looks glassy or shiny. It comes from the Latin word that means glass. I think one of the most
Portrait Tips: Include Details
Levi Sim
I’ve said many times that the background in a picture is just a backdrop that’s its job is to not ruin the portrait. Well, this time I’m backpedaling a little.
Portrait Tips: Beware Of Parks
Levi Sim
If you’re like me, you get calls all the time to make portraits at your client’s favorite park. The trouble is that your client doesn’t think about the park as
Portrait Tips: Make Clean Profiles
Levi Sim
A classic pose you can use to add variety to every shoot is a profile. This is done with the person’s face looking 90 degrees to the side of the
Portrait Tips: Soft Light vs Hard Light
Levi Sim
I’m always talking about soft light and how great it looks for portraits. But what does it mean? If there’s soft light, is there hard light? Let me show you
Portrait Tips: Pose The Nose To Contain The Lobe
Levi Sim
Anytime you turn your subject’s face away from the camera, you run the risk of emphasizing the size of her nose, and in all the pictures I’ve ever made, no
Portrait Tips: Dramatic Light Made Simple
Levi Sim
A simple and impactful way to make a portrait is to position your subject next to a window and in front of a dark background. With the proper exposure, your
Portrait Tips: Everybody LEAN
Levi Sim
I’ve written before that everyone who gets in front of my camera will end up looking at my toes and that this is going to help me capture great looking
Portrait Tips: Consider the Background
Levi Sim
I’m a big believer that the most important thing in the picture should be the people. Many clients want to know where we’ll shoot, where is a great background. I’m
Portrait Tips: Done Is Better Than Good
Levi Sim
There’s a saying, “Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” While it’s usually true that if you’re going to take the time to do something, you should do your best