Portraiture

Paul Aresu
I had worked before with some of the other Explorers. I had even employed and trained one of them. But I had never before experienced the likes of Paul Aresu, a New York-based commercial photographer. His clients are like a who's who of dream customers. Aresu is a freestyler. He shoots just like all the commercial photographers you see in...

As mentioned in the previous tutorials, the impact and success of a studio portrait is often the combined result of lighting, composition, body language, lens choice, camera angle, clothing, color, texture, and even luck. Armed with a few portrait techniques, however, your work will improve dramatically. There are many portrait-making methods that can help you develop your own...

For years photographers have extolled the virtues of taking portraits on overcast days or during the "sweet light" that occurs near the beginning and end of every day. On cloudy days, the contrast range is reduced, allowing you to capture detail throughout the image, from the brightest area to the deepest shadow. Near sunset, you also get a reduced contrast range, with...

There is much more to black and white photography than simply an absence of color. Maybe we wouldn't feel this way if the first photographs had been made in full color, but that didn't happen and, like many photographers, I grew up admiring the...

The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) invited me to come to England and Ireland to do a series of lectures and classes. The SWPP is fast becoming one of the world's leading groups dedicated to advancing the professionalism of portrait and wedding photographers throughout Europe. Not only were the photographers receptive to my instruction, but they were...

Photos © 2004, Steve Anchell, All Rights Reserved

Well, I don't know if I should really call this a self-assignment, as it came my way when I was called upon to supply a chapter for a book. The only problem with the assignment was that I only had 30 days to complete it, including illustrations. Even though I have done just about everything in photography from...