Portrait Photography How To

Many photographers consider beauty retouching a difficult and arcane art. And while you can make this task as simple or as complicated as you want, with the proper tools photographers of all skill levels can dramatically increase the quality of their results.

A few weeks ago, boudoir photographer Michael Sasser and swimwear photographer Anita Sadowska explained the differences between their two specialties in a wildly popular video we shared on Shutterbug. Now the photographers have switched roles in the below video with Sasser also shooting swimwear and Sadowska trying her hand at boudoir as well.

One way to give photos a different and dramatic look is to cast your subjects in a totally different light. In other words, expose for stunning silhouettes and forget about details. As you’ll see in the video below, this creative approach is easy to accomplish, and you needn’t limit your subjects to people.

One of the main questions that beginner boudoir photographers ask established pros is about their lens choices. It's something that Critsey Rowe of Couture Boudoir gets asked so often she decided to make a video about it titled "Undisputed BEST Lens for BOUDOIR Portrait Photography: Beginner Tips."

One characteristic of great portrait photographers is the way they employ empathy to develop a strong rapport with their subjects, and the New York-based visual artist known as Shotti is a great example. He says, “My process relies heavily on communicating with my subjects on an emotional level, and through that connection I am able to get an insight into our shared experiences.”

Cropping is a simple and effective way to fix poorly composed images, turn a horizontal shot into a vertical one, or get rid of distracting elements. And if you’re caught out in the field without a telephoto lens, cropping is an effective way to get in tight on a distant subject—especially if you’re using a hi-res camera.

Which is better: cropping your photos, zooming in with your lens, or zooming with your feet? It's another one of those age-old questions from photographers and one that Matt Granger tackles in the below video.