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 feels like you truly see the subject being themselves. Here are five keys to help you consistently make great candid photographs. 1. Acclimatization You need to be known to always have your camera and always be making pictures. At first, it's obvious to anyone that sees you that you have a camera and they notice it everytime you lift it up. But after a short while, … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Five keys for candids
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Portrait Tips: Four tips for photographing teenage boys
It's time for senior pictures and school portraits and that means facing one of the hardest subjects on the planet: Teenage boys. Now, brides are under stress, two-year-olds can't sit still and executives are in a hurry. Those all pose trouble for you when you're trying to make a portrait and elicit genuine expressions. But unless you do things right, your teenage boys are just going to look bored. I've photographed a ton of teenage boys, and these tips will help you have an easier time getting it done with genuine and engaged … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Four tips for photographing teenage boys
The InFocus Interview Show with Sue Bryce | Photofocus Podcast August 31, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/infocus-interview-show-with-sue-bryce-photofocus-podcast-august-31-2018/s-h48qP In this episode: Photographer and Educator Sue Bryce shares her insight on The Portrait Masters Conference coming up in September. Topics: Why we need a portrait specific conference How to maximize your experience at any conference Why you should build relationships with vendors Why you should network with other photographers Why portraits are the best business in the world and the best subject Why … [Read more...] about The InFocus Interview Show with Sue Bryce | Photofocus Podcast August 31, 2018
Portrait Tips: How to combine photos for the best expressions using layers in Luminar
Photographing large groups of people is the most challenging assignment you'll get as a portrait photographer. Each person expects you to make them look great in the final portrait, but there's always at least one person with a half blink or a nose tickle and there's definitely one person who is just looking off into space while everyone else has a winning smile. Sigh. The easiest thing way to manage this is to make many pictures and then combine them together into one with everyone's face look great. It's simple to use Luminar to make this … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: How to combine photos for the best expressions using layers in Luminar
How to balance flash with natural light to make pleasing portraits
If you're like most photographers, using a flash to make portraits is intimidating. Using available light is so simple that most photographers never dive into the world of using flash to light their portraits. Unfortunately, that severely limits the hours of the day when you can make pictures and leads to worrying too much about how well your camera performs at high ISO's. Making great balanced light pictures doesn't require the fanciest tools or a full-frame camera. I shot all the pictures here with a cropped micro four-thirds camera. You can … [Read more...] about How to balance flash with natural light to make pleasing portraits
Portrait Tips: The most important tip for street portraits
Making pictures while traveling is the best way to share your experience with others. But the best way to the have the best experience for yourself is to make pictures of the people in the places you visit. In fact, making street portraits in your own town can give you a fresh perspective on the place you live as well as a fun activity. And there's just one thing you need to do to get it done. "Can I make a picture of you?" The only key to making a picture of a complete stranger you meet on the street is to ask permission. It's simple, … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The most important tip for street portraits
Portrait Tips: Family reunion posing time-lapse
Photographing large family groups is intimidating. There are so many people that you have to help look good and if you look at the big picture it can be overwhelming. This is a picture I made at my family reunion the other day. Every time I do this it makes me sweat, and it's tempting to simply have everyone line up and turn toward the center like a high school band picture. But, there's one thing you can do to make it simple to photograph an extended family. Chop it up Instead of thinking of this task of photographing one huge family, … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Family reunion posing time-lapse
The Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Jen Rozenbaum | Photofocus Podcast August 10, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/the-mind-your-own-business-podcast-with-jen-rozenbaum-photofocus-podcast-august-10-2018 Get the show here or get it on iTunes — Please post a review on iTunes. [Editor's note: A word of caution: There is some strong language and topics in this episode. In an abundance of respect in our listeners, we've chosen to list this one episode as explicit.] In this episode, Skip Cohen and Chamira Young chat with boudoir photographer and educator Jen Rozenbaum. We discuss in detail: How … [Read more...] about The Mind Your Own Business Podcast with Jen Rozenbaum | Photofocus Podcast August 10, 2018
Portrait Tips: Go for the tilt
People standing right next to each other seem like they are close, but once you ask them to tilt their heads together you'll see that they were really miles apart. Anytime you photograph two people together, you'll make an infinitely better photo if you just ask them to tilt their heads together. Why tilt? You should do this with friends, coworkers, families, kids, couples, everybody. Now, of course, coworkers standing next to each other probably shouldn't be touching their temples together, but just tilting their heads toward each other … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Go for the tilt
Portrait Tips: Beg, borrow or steal — whatever it takes to get catchlights
We talk about posing and connecting with our subjects and all kinds of other stuff when we make portraits, but there's one thing that matters more than that stuff and you've got to do it first. You've got to find a spot that puts catchlights in your subject's eyes. Catchlights let us see that the person is alive and they allow us to focus more on their eyes and see more from the expression. Do this to get catchlights The key to ensuring that your subject has catchlights in their eyes is to make sure that they are facing a bright light … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Beg, borrow or steal — whatever it takes to get catchlights
Portrait Tips: The sneaky secret of white balance
White balance is always trying to pull a fast one on you and sneak by with the wrong color in your photographs. Here's the case in point, today: It's a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, so you set the white balance to Daylight, which is just what the camera manufacturer advises you to do. But then you end up with a picture like this that has significantly too much blue in the skin tones. What the heck? Shade is sneaky The trouble is that although the subject is standing in the sun, the light shining on her face is actually coming from … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The sneaky secret of white balance
Portrait Tips: Watching and practice are key for kids
Do you ever feel like Nemo's dad, Marlin, from Finding Nemo? He meets a new group of fish and they say, "Hey, you're a clownfish: Say something funny!" Once people find out you're a photographer, the pressure is on to be able to make a great photo on the spot under any conditions and one of the hardest of those circumstances can be photographing children. But I've found one key that helps me photograph kids, and that's practicing being observant. Readiness from watching Now, don't go get your binoculars and hang out at the park, 'cause that's … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Watching and practice are key for kids
How To Make Self-Portraits: The Cheap And Easy Way
As some of you might now know, I am the kind of person that can be a perfectionist, but sometimes I also can be lazy. Reaaaaaaally lazy. Perhaps you can relate, you know, when you just don't want to do anything complicated, you just want to have fun! That's exactly how I felt when I did some really cool, easy and fun self-portraits. How to do it with minimal equipment and literally no setup - right here right now? Read on! So yesterday I was by myself at home, kind of bored, looking for something creative to do with my photography. Then, … [Read more...] about How To Make Self-Portraits: The Cheap And Easy Way
Surviving Wedding Portrait Sessions (Even When the Time is Cut in Half)
Editor’s Note: Tracie Maglosky is a portrait photographer specializing in weddings, maternity & newborn photography. She loves teaching and inspiring other photographers in lighting, posing, business techniques and balanced living. Tracie is an Olympus Visionary, MagMod Ambassador and a part of the Miller’s Speaker Team. Follow Tracie’s work at http://www.traciejeanphoto.com. We photographers are in on the secret. Wedding day is not wrapped around the time we need or want. If that were the case we’d be taking portraits for hours on end … [Read more...] about Surviving Wedding Portrait Sessions (Even When the Time is Cut in Half)
Portrait Tips: A Layered Workflow for Retouching
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 that makes it more fun than frustration is simply the way you go about it — the workflow. Let me show you how using layers in your retouching allows you freedom and creativity and reproducibility. I'll demonstrate using Luminar, but you can get similar results using any layered app. Basics Start by doing your basic tweaks — adjust the camera profile and white balance, which are in … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: A Layered Workflow for Retouching
How To: Use Colored Filters in Luminar 2018 for Black and White Portraits
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 redness or uneven skin tones, and these things can take a lot of time on each portrait. But when you make black and whites, you can use a color filter tool to remove uneven skin tones and sculpt beautifully contrasty portraits at the same time. What's more, you can do it in the camera and with software like Luminar. In-Camera Black and White I often recommend setting your … [Read more...] about How To: Use Colored Filters in Luminar 2018 for Black and White Portraits
In Depth Video Gear Review: Vanguard Alta GH300T Tripod Grip Head
The right tripod head makes using a tripod a joy, and the Vanguard Alta GH300T is just such a head. It's a grip head, which means you can make adjustments with a single hand, but unlike other grip heads, it doesn't require you to squeeze a handle. A single lock at the thumb loosens and tightens. It is Arca-Swiss compatible. It also has a trigger built-in which can trigger your shutter with an included cord (includes cords for Canon and Nikon). I like this head very much, and I think you'll enjoy it, too. I'm showing it in this video attached to … [Read more...] about In Depth Video Gear Review: Vanguard Alta GH300T Tripod Grip Head
Portrait Tips: Make Special Day Portraits
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 the memory people keep from the day, the image in their mind is one of the photos we made. This is true for weddings, reunions, birthday parties and even funerals. But you can do a little more for your clients and subjects. You can remind them to make pictures on the anniversary of those days, and offer to do it for them. B-days and Anniversaries Birthdays and anniversaries are the simplest to … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Make Special Day Portraits
Changing a Background with an Image Overlay in Luminar 2018
Replacing a background of an image can be a challenge. The trick is to find the right background that has similar colors, tones, lighting and looks like it belongs with the main image. Here’s how to use Luminar’s Image Layer to add a night sky to an image. Start with a Killer Image Open your image inside Luminar. Make your usual adjustments Add an Image Layer From the Layers toolbar, click the + icon and select Add New Image Layer. Browse for your image and click Open. The background image will hide the main image. We can add a Layer … [Read more...] about Changing a Background with an Image Overlay in Luminar 2018
The InFocus Interview Show with Lou Freeman | Photofocus Podcast June 1, 2018
https://soundcloud.com/photofocus/infocus-interview-show-june-1-2018-with-lou-freeman/s-L39kn In this episode: Sophisticated Wedding Portrait and Glamour Photographer Lou Freeman shares her insight on portrait photography. Topics: How her commercial and portrait work has an influence on one another Photographing people, it’s all about finding their essence How to purposefully find specific types of clients How People are attracted by what they see How to build a portfolio The power of printed pictures over digital a … [Read more...] about The InFocus Interview Show with Lou Freeman | Photofocus Podcast June 1, 2018
Portrait Tips: Zoom To Remove Background Problems
Zooming in, using a longer focal length to make a picture, makes your subject look bigger and closer. But you should remember that when you zoom in on your subject, you zoom in on the whole world. That means that the background becomes closer, too. Your whole field of view becomes smaller. So what does that mean for your portraits? Just yesterday I was making portraits in the park. The trouble was that just as I was about to make the portraits, a couple of kids wandered into the frame in the background. I had only a few minutes to make these … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Zoom To Remove Background Problems
Portrait Retouch Part 3 of 3: Adding a Finishing Touch with Luminar 2018
Part two of this three-part series on Portrait retouching with Luminar showed how to smooth skin, sculpture the face and remove blemishes. Read Part one here. The third part of this series shows how to add the finishing touches to the image. To start, I will apply a preset that adds a combination of four filters: Structure, Details Enhancer, Top and Bottom Lighting, and Vignette. This gives the image a modified version of my sports grit look style. Next, I'll desaturate the image then adjust highlights and shadows to complete the … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 3 of 3: Adding a Finishing Touch with Luminar 2018
The Art of Being “Photogenic”
I can't tell you how many times I've had someone say 'I am not 'photogenic'. To be honest, I hate that statement. I mean who isn't 'photogenic'? To me everyone, I don't care who you are, is or at least can be 'photogenic.' I love the saying, ‘photogenic’ doesn't have to do with the way people look, but instead how they feel and behave in front of the camera. Lindsay Adler said this, “a lot of the time people who don't feel photogenic are already afraid of having their photograph taken, which then shows in their expression. Our job is to break … [Read more...] about The Art of Being “Photogenic”
Portrait Retouch Part 2 of 3: Smoothing Skin, Sculpting the Face and Removing Blemishes
Part one of this three-part series on Portrait retouching with Luminar showed how to enhance eyes and facial features. The second part of this series is showing how to smooth skin, sculpture the face and remove blemishes. To smooth a subject’s skin, we are going to add the Orton Effect filter. This filter is unique to Luminar. It applies enhancements to an image that includes glow and focus which produces photos that are sharp and blurry at the same time. Sharp and blurry at the same time? Yup, think of it as the sweet and sour sauce we all … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 2 of 3: Smoothing Skin, Sculpting the Face and Removing Blemishes
Portrait Tips: The Critical Time
Photographs extend one instant for eternity. That's a long time and when you're making a portrait that will last forever, the instant most critical to your success is when your subjects first step into your studio. That first impression will set the stage for the rest of the shoot. Now, when I say 'studio' that includes the park, or the office, or wherever you're making pictures that day. There are three things I do that make a big impact on how the shoot will go, and these three things, done your own way, will impact your shoots for the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The Critical Time
Portrait Retouch Part 1 of 3: Enhancing Eyes and Facial Features
To enhance eyes and facial features, we are going to add Structure, Brightness and Contrast filters to the entire image, then—using a filter mask—selectively apply the effect to just the eyes, eyebrows, nostrils and lips. The Structure filter will add clarity and micro-contrast. The downside: this filter usually darkens the image. To bring back brightness, we will use the Brightness and Contrast filter. Let’s get started! Basic Development Before we tackle enhancing the eyes and facial features, let’s begin processing the image using the … [Read more...] about Portrait Retouch Part 1 of 3: Enhancing Eyes and Facial Features
Professional Portrait Photography Tips and Career Advice from Jessica Sterling
Let the ever-positive Jessica Sterling share some advice for shooting portraits https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtBWd1QT9m4 Jessica Sterling's resume boasts photographing major celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Hugh Jackman, and Steven Spielberg, as well some huge brands like AT&T and the LA Dodgers. Her work has even been featured on MTV and the Wall Street Journal. Like most photographers, I'm sure at SOME POINT you've had a client who, for all your efforts, just isn't feeling the mood. Or, maybe your on a shoot, and everything … [Read more...] about Professional Portrait Photography Tips and Career Advice from Jessica Sterling
Photography Tips For Using Natural Light
Sometimes the best place to shoot isn't always the studio. Knowing some fantastic locations to shoot can put a photo shoot over the edge into the realm of "greatness ("coolness" or "awesomeness" can also describe it too, if you fancy). So now you know your spot, it's time to lug all your lighting gear into the car and haul it to the location, right? Or you can just use the natural light available. Watch as the multi-talented Denice Duff shows how to work inside with natural light. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7wlc7Rt5yM First pro tip? … [Read more...] about Photography Tips For Using Natural Light
Portrait Tips: The Best Selfie Method — Shoot a Time Lapse
Selfie's with your phone are fun, but you can do so much if you use your camera. You can control the depth of field, lighting, lens choice, and you can place the camera somewhere other than arm's length. All cameras have a timer built into them, and many of them allow you take three shots on a single timer setting so that you have more opportunity to get into the frame and get everyone looking the same direction. But even better than using the timer is using the timelapse mode--especially for photographing your own … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The Best Selfie Method — Shoot a Time Lapse
Portrait Tips: Cut the Rim Light
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 look the next time you're having a conversation anyplace with windows and you'll probably see that the person you're talking with has a rim light illuminating their cheek from one side. That rim light will help you make a lot of people happy with their portraits (which helps you make a lot of money). You should always use a rim light. And you should always turn it off. Simplicity … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Cut the Rim Light
