Portrait Photography How To

Making great portraits doesn’t have to require a lot of expensive gear as you can see in the quick tutorial below from Canadian commercial photographer Nathan Elson. In less than three minutes Elson explains two indoor setups and one outdoors that are guaranteed to give you some great results.

Most photographers think of “golden hour” as prime time for capturing stunning sunrises and sunsets, and know it’s important to get there early to set up their shot. But as you’ll see in the video below, the sweet early morning and late day light also provides a great opportunity for portraits.

A while back we shared a viral video in which six photographers shot the same model with widely varying results, partly because they were given false information about the person being photographed. The video below was inspired by that challenge and resulted in quite a creative experience.

The late Mr. Newton was certainly onto something. I believe the overwhelming desire of most portrait photographers is to please the client, with seduction, amusement, and entertainment far from their minds. Let me submit this idea: shoot what the client says they want and then shoot something challenging their assumptions. Most wedding clients tend to be traditional but even introducing black and white or infrared images can increase sales and show clients you’re thinking outside the veil.

The Killer is Jerry Lee Lewis—if you want the origin story of his nickname, it’s searchable—and on that night in 1975 he was past his rockabilly and rock-and-roll days and into his country music career. Photographer Henry Horenstein was at the Ramada Inn in East Boston on assignment for Country Music magazine to photograph Lewis between sets.

While previously thought of as a niche, boudoir photography is now a thriving way for photographers to make a living. Usually a gift to a loved one or one’s self, boudoir photography consists of an intimate photo of a woman or man suggestively covered or even fully nude. Although the photographers I interviewed all have different businesses, they all have one thing in common: tremendous kindness and compassion. Thanks to the following photographers for sharing how they have made their businesses a success: Mariah Carle, Lynn Clark, Lindsay Rae D’Ottavio, Megan Drane, Kristi Elias, and Mistie Simone.

Daniel Norton is a NY-based photographer with a celebrated career in portraiture and fashion photography. He’s also a respected educator, and in the video below he illustrates a quick and simple setup for shooting portraits at home or on location.