Portrait Photography How To

In what can best be described as the “speed dating” of portraiture, the video below demonstrates what happens when two photographers give themselves 10 seconds, one minute, and 10 minutes to capture a great portrait. Sounds crazy, right? But the results are pretty impressive.

Jessica Kobeissi is a portrait pro from Detroit who conceived this high-speed shoot, and she joins forces with fellow photographer Flannery Underwood to demonstrate what two accomplished shooters and a pretty model can create in less time that it takes to watch this short behind-the-scenes video.

Unless you’re photographing a world leader or an A-List celebrity, you may never be forced to shoot a portrait with time limitations like these. Nonetheless, you’ll pick up valuable tips on posing, gear, exposure and more in this insane photo challenge.

The first thing you’ll note is the importance of an experienced model and some advance planning. The need to move fast is an understatement, and given the ridiculous time constraints, there’s no time for equivocating over wardrobe selections.

In some ways, however, quick thinking and planning isn’t as unusual as it seems, like when a wedding photographer only has a split-second to grab a shot of the cake cutting or a guest catching a garter. So take a look at the video, and we’re pretty sure you’ll be impressed with the images Kobeissi and Underwood captured.

You can find more interesting videos on Kobeissi’s YouTube channel, and be sure to check out an earlier tutorial we posted, with seven “essential” portrait tips in just two minutes.