Portrait Photography How To

Photoshop offers a vast array of features, some more effective and easier to apply that others. Today's quick tutorial from the globally popular PiXimperfect YouTube channel discusses two tools that are frequently ignored because some users dismiss them as useless or even destructive. Applied properly, however, they are very powerful and effective.

Tony Northrup is an image-editing expert who says, “The most common portrait mistake we see is underexposing because of backlighting.” If this problem sounds familiar, fear not, because Northrup provides a simple solution in the 5-minute video below.

All cameras feature a selection of Drive Modes, whether your weapon of choice is a DSLR, mirrorless model, or a full-featured compact. Choosing the appropriate setting for the task at hand will simplify a shoot and increase your odds of success.

Good photographers are said to have a good “eye” that distinguishes them from other photographers. There’s no better way to understand this than to see how several very good photographers photograph the same subject. A case in point is a new exhibition of photographs of Marilyn Monroe titled “Inoubliable Marilyn” (“Unforgettable Marilyn”) at Paris’s La Galerie de l’Instant (December 12, 2014-February 25, 2015).

It seems like every time we post a tutorial about the use of external flash we receive a bunch of comments from photographers who insist on shooting with available light—despite the fact that this approach doesn't always deliver the best possible results in certain situations.

What if you were told you there is a much better way to focus, and pros use it all the time for faster, more precise subject acquisition? If we just grabbed your attention, read on to see how it's done.

Most photographers are familiar with the Exposure Triangle that consists of Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO—the three camera settings that combine to arrive at a “correct exposure.” Of course what’s perceived as “correct” is in the eye of the beholder, as the exposure you use depends upon the mood you intend to convey.