Portrait Tips: Don’t waste your cash on fast lenses
Levi Sim
It’s the new year, and you probably need to buy a new lens, right? I mean, it’s clearly your gear that’s holding you back. The only thing you need to
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Portrait Tips: Sculpt a portrait
Levi Sim
Making portraits for clients is like competing in the decathlon. You have to be able to shoot movement and groups and individuals and kids and products and available light and
Portrait Tips: How to photograph people on snow
Levi Sim
When people play in the snow they always have fun. It often ends in tears, but there’s always a lot of fun along the way, which means it’s a great
Portrait Tips: Ruin the color for better black and whites
Levi Sim
When you make a picture with a digital camera, even if the camera is set to black and white, it records the picture in color and then converts it to
Portrait Tips: The solution to the Cuteness Zone
Levi Sim
“1200 pictures??? How is that even possible …?” You’ve said that to yourself after a shoot, right? There’s a certain sense of dread associated with it. “She’s a newborn; she
Portrait Tips: How to ruin Thanksgiving in three easy steps!
Levi Sim
Thanksgiving is next week in the U.S., and it’s one of the biggest, most-celebrated holidays of the year. Family and friends gather from all around the world to express their
Portrait Tips: You’re not done until your client is gone
Levi Sim
This is what usually happens: You go to the park to meet your clients, you head to your secret portrait spot and make a bunch of great pictures, then you
Portrait Tips: You need to up your selfie game
Levi Sim
You’re a photographer, for Pete’s sake! Shouldn’t your photos be just a little better than average? Selfies made with a phone at arm’s reach are the epitome of average. Sure,
Portrait Tips: Color contrast makes all the difference
Levi Sim
I made this portrait the other day at the Out of Oregon Photography Conference. I was teaching a class on portraiture, and I had a picture like this in my
Portrait Tips: Light outside the box
Levi Sim
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
Portrait Tips: Don’t put the cart before the horse
Levi Sim
It’s an old saying that means doing things in the wrong order. I could also say, don’t run before you can walk…but I had this picture handy. I want to
Portrait Tips: Lighting the Hulk
Levi Sim
It doesn’t really take too much imagination when you have a muscleman in front of your lens to picture him as a green mass with purple highlights. It’s either because
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
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
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.