Portrait Photography How To

Cristian Movila, who was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1983, has four sisters whom he says taught him all about “emotions,” a trait he’s been able to successfully incorporate into his work. He also says he was drawn to the arts early in life. In elementary school, he learned to play the piano and the trumpet. Later, in grade school, he became interested in journalism while hosting a children’s radio program. Although he studied electronic engineering at the University of Polytechnic, Bucharest, over time he found himself increasingly concerned with social issues, and so he decided to become a photographer so he could capture the complexities of life “in a snapshot.”

There are several approaches to photographing couples. As with all portraiture, you can pose the two people for a more-formal look. Or you can shoot a more-candid portrayal that will convey the strong relationship between them. For example, just watch through your viewfinder and click the shutter when you see a special look or gesture that passes between them. Whichever approach...

With Honda and Acura as major clients, having an automobile in his large cove studio is a frequent occurrence for photographer Jerry Garns. He's been shooting for American Honda Corporation since the late '80s, and his intricately lit detail shots of auto interiors and exteriors appear in the company's brochures, sales manuals, and on Acura's Website. And...

All photos by Mark Garten

As a third-generation shutterbug in his family, Mark Garten found his passion for photography in high gear by the early age of seven: "My father and grandfather were pharmacists by trade, but both were camera buffs."

In college, he attended the University of Michigan, where he started out as an engineering...

We rarely consider photographing shadows, but oftentimes the long shadows created in early morning or late afternoon light are so dramatic that they can actually become interesting subjects for our photos.

Shadows exist wherever light exists, but we tend to overlook them, partly because our eyes are drawn to light--and...

In his day, Father Ambrose Mattingly ministered to the Native Americans in the northern Great Plains, and had a small photography studio in South Dakota near the mission at Village Stephan. From 1895--1905, this Benedictine monk took pictures of various tribes in his studio and at several South Dakota Indian reservations, including...