Portrait Photography How To

Whether you’re planning a weekend adventure or taking a long overdue vacation it’s important to do things right, because it’s rarely possible to return to a scene for a redo of an epic memory.

Bright summer days are great for trips to the beach, sitting around a pool, or casting a line into your favorite stream. But when it comes to outdoor portraiture, well, not so much.

We’ve sung the praises of using a 50mm lens for a while now including in this Shutterbug video that’s racked up nearly three million views on YouTube. Now another photographer has published his ode to the beloved “Nifty Fifty.”

Are you dissatisfied with your portrait photos because they tend to look like snapshots? Do you wish you had a studio and a bunch of costly lighting equipment (and knew how to use it)? Well, keep reading because this is your lucky day.

Do the subjects in your portraits look a little stiff and unnatural? Your problem might not be the person you’re photographing but, rather, your choice of camera settings.

One “rule” many photographers learn when first starting out is to “always shoot with the sun at your back.” This advice may work well for “Kodak Moment” snapshots, or for predictable photos of average scenes, but a different approach is called for if you’re after eye-catching imagery that stands out from the crowd.

The human form provides a wealth of possibilities for intriguing images, from fully clothed portraits to explicit nudes. Today’s tutorial takes sort of a middle ground, by explaining how to capture seductive images that leave plenty to the imagination.