Portrait Photography How To

On-camera flash tends to get a bum rap, especially for portrait photography. But if you want to shoot stunning people pictures at night, unencumbered by flash brackets, light modifiers, or other flash attachments, all you have to do is watch the quick tutorial below. 

Everyone knows that laughter and smiles are infectious, and there’s no better way to loosen up a photo shoot and capture better images than by getting everyone to smile. This not only includes the model, but the photographer and anyone else at the shoot.

We regularly share helpful tutorials from portrait photographer Manny Ortiz. In this behind-the-scenes photoshoot, Ortiz reveals his two favorite lenses—a fast 55mm f/1.8 and a high-speed 85mm f/1.4. 

As people move through different stages of their life, photographic records of these events are the mainstay of the portrait photographer’s business model. The idea of hiring a professional photographer to capture life’s important moments will never be completely replaced by relying on family or friends to “just take a picture.” 

We’re all familiar with the notion that the camera adds 10 pounds to people in our photos. Rather than debating the veracity of that claim, we’d thought we’d share the following video from SLR Lounge, describing a simple lighting technique for making portrait subjects appear thinner.

The photo reflector is an affordable, easy-to-use device that can make a big difference in your images by diffusing harsh light and filling in shadows. In the video below, photographer Aaron Nace demonstrates why he says “every photographer should have at least one reflector in his arsenal.”

Photographer Manny Ortiz and his model wife have great chemistry as is clear from the below video where they discuss the "5 Do’s and Don’ts When Photographing Models."