Portrait Photography How To

Chris Porsz is a paramedic and long-time amateur street photographer who came up with an enchanting project: He tracked down the subjects of the street portraits he shot almost 40 years ago, and recreated the images with the people as they appear today. 

Zach Smidt of Zach Alan Photography is a Houston-based shooter with a creative approach to portraiture. He recently teamed up with his girlfriend Juli to make a series of stunning outdoor images using light painting techniques.

We’re still in shock over the death today of legendary musician and artist David Bowie. Someone who knew Bowie more than most folks was renowned fashion photographer Brian Duffy who, between 1972 and 1980, worked with Bowie on five photo projects, including three of his most famous album covers.

Sometimes there's just no time to shoot a photo. Sometimes you're lucky to have 10 minutes to do a photo shoot and other times you're grateful to get even 10 seconds. (Those annoying celebrities sure are busy!)

Experienced portrait photographers know that one key to a successful image is rendering skin tones in a manner that appears both natural and flattering. Dull pale skin is unappealing, as are overly saturated tones that can be ugly and unrealistic.

When shooting portraits, nature, or other types of outdoor images, one of the best ways to accentuate a key foreground subject is to create shallow depth of field with an out-of-focus background. You can often do that in the camera by selecting the proper focal length and aperture setting, and positioning your subject close to the camera.

One challenge with outdoor photography is that landscape scenes tend to be complicated, often confusing viewers and directing their gaze away from your main subject. One of the best methods for simplifying a busy photo is to blur the background, thereby emphasizing what you consider the key point of the shot.