Why You Should Look Back at Your Old Photographs (and Cringe)

If you haven’t looked back at your old photographs in a long time, this video will explain why it’s something you should do more often.

Cameras sure have come a long way since the birth of photography, and photographers now have a lot of tools to achieve their creative vision. Even smartphones are now equipped with cameras that are getting more powerful, making it possible for virtually everyone to be a photographer. These things have made it possible for most of us to create decent photos today. But how do we know if we’re improving given that most of the technicalities have already been taken care of for us? Canadian photographer Peter McKinnon tells us about one way to find out in his quick video.

Continue reading…

How to Create Stunning Lighting on Location Using Speedlights

Planning to shoot on location anytime soon? Get an idea on how to make those speedlights work for you with these lighting tips.

One of the things you’ll learn as a portrait photographer is that lighting definitely still has its place when shooting on location. If you want to give it a try soon, Trevor Dayley has put together a quick video with lighting equipment maker MagMod to help you get an idea on how you can use speedlights to achieve stunning outdoor portraits.

Continue reading…

Here’s How Five Different Film Scanning Techniques Compare

There’s more than one way to scanning film at home so it’s worth comparing different techniques and see which best gets the job done.

If you develop your film at home, you might as well be doing your own film scanning with a flatbed scanner. It’s a crucial part of every film photographer’s workflow so it’s important to know how to do it properly. If you’ve yet to figure that out, here’s a helpful video comparing different film scanning techniques and which one works best.

Continue reading…

It Takes Just Five Minutes to Make This DIY Diffuser for Macro Photography

This quick tutorial is perfect if you don’t have a diffuser on hand but want to get on with your macro shoot.

Diffusers are among the things that should never go missing in every photographer’s toolkit. If you’re just starting out, it’s understandable if you don’t have one yet. There are lots of choices out there, and it can also depend on what flash you’re using. But you certainly can shoot with one right now, if you realize that you’re in dire need of one. All you need are some everyday office materials to put together a basic DIY diffuser that works.

Continue reading…

How To Develop Your Photographic Voice

Buying a camera is the simplest part of your photographic journey – switching it on is the second. But to develop your photographic voice takes time, experimentation and a deep analysis of your self.

New photographers often want to imitate those that inspired them to first delve into the world of photography. They look at images from the past masters and confirm to themselves “I want to take photographs just like that”. They buy their first camera and tell the whole world that they are going to be a photographer. First, forcing family members to sit and pose, and second, taking photos of every sunset that they witness. But like any relationship, the honeymoon period only lasts for so long. Over time you need to become more confident in who you are and what you can do. You need to find your place in the photographic world, and it needs to hear your voice.  Doing so isn’t easy – how does one go from replicating the work of others to truly finding out who they are as a photographer?

Continue reading…

Here’s What You Need to Know About Color Science (And What Makes Canon’s Special)

Wondering why there are so many raves about the so-called Canon Color Science? Should you even care about it? Here’s a quick but comprehensive video that should give you an idea.

Among the digital photography terms we hear once in a while is “color science” and it can be especially intriguing for beginners. The term is also often related to comparisons between the colors produced by different cameras and manufacturers, with Canon’s particularly the most raved about. In this video by Gerald Undone, we learn more about what color science really means as he demystifies the technicalities and adds a little bit of practicality to the subject.

Continue reading…

It’s Lit: How to Do Flash Photography Under the Sun Like a Pro

Yes, you can do flash photography under broad daylight for those beautiful, editorial-style portraits!

When we want to shoot and the sun’s blazing outside, our instinct is to forego flash photography and just use ambient light. But as photographer Ed Gregory of the YouTube channel Photos in Color demonstrates in his seven-minute tutorial, speedlights and studio flashes can actually be your allies if you’re looking to create stunning and perfectly exposed photographs.

Continue reading…

These Fall Portrait Ideas Include Sunkissed Golden Hour Glow!

Want to make the most out of the fall season with a portrait session? You may want to get some ideas from these lovely fall portrait photography videos! 

With fall season afoot, it’s time once again for photographers to go on a mad scramble to the most stunning locations showcasing those golden foliage. Portrait photographers are no exception! It’s not surprising if autumn happens to be one of your favorite times of the year to shoot, so we’ve put together some nice behind the scenes videos by Xing Liu to inspire your fall portrait photography!

Continue reading…

Golden Hour is Truly Your Friend for Natural Light Portraiture

For a simple yet lovely natural light portrait shoot session outdoors, you’d need an eye for detail, good gear, and good weather. 

If you’re planning to conduct a natural light portrait shoot sometime soon, you don’t have to look any further than this behind-the-scenes video by Toronto-based photographer Lee Zavitz of the YouTube channel Zed Pro Media for some inspiration. In his vlog, we can see Lee and his model Keira making the trip to a nearby park where cherry blossoms were in full bloom for an impromptu shoot. The only cameras he used were a Fuji X-H1 and a Sony A7III.

Continue reading…

How to Get More Intimacy in Your Photographs

Photography can be a lonely practice. Connecting with the intimacy we have around us is a great way to soothe the feeling of isolation.

Intimacy is a beautiful part of being human. It makes our heart beat faster, our pupils dilate, and fills our brains with endorphins. To have the opportunity to record that is an extremely satisfying thing to do. To connect with intimacy, however, isn’t always straightforward. If we are not open to the process of identifying a human connection, then the tiny moments of connectivity will slip past our eye. For this reason, we must train both our mind and our eye to spot all the amazing moments of human interaction that happen around us.

Continue reading…

The Approach: How to Do Bath Tub Shoots with Models (NSFW)

The iconic bath tub shoot is one that photographers should try at least once.

For years the bathtub shoot has been a fantastical and magical idea for many photographers. Those of us who draw our ideas from cinema, the bathtub can come from lots of 90s movies including those like American Beauty. Then there were those of Marilyn Monroe amongst others. Doing these shoots of course requires planning, ideas, work, and figuring out things like spaces available. To me, these style of shoots are mostly a result of my restless mind and my endless urge to create something and improve my portraiture skills, like a fine art series or a short-term project but without an artist’s statement or intention. Most of these style of shoots are a collaboration between models, stylists, and myself so everyone has something to add to the shoot.

Continue reading…

How to Shoot Moody Natural Light Portraits

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you could create moody portraits, courtesy of photographer Ben Chambers.

We’ve featured a ton of tutorials on taking natural light portraits by many talented photographers here on the website. Today, we’re adding one more. If you’ve always wanted to perfect shooting moody natural light portraits, this tutorial by Australian wedding photographer Ben Chambers of Bach Photography is for you. In Ben’s 12 minute-long tutorial, uploaded on his YouTube channel, he showed the process of how he created a particular portrait shot, as seen above and below. He took the photo with a 5D Mark IV and Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art Lens but said that similar results can be achieved with an APS-C camera with a 35mm prime lens.

Continue reading…

This Big Tip Will Help You with Fashion and Portrait Photography!

Been looking for your next fashion photography inspiration? This short video featuring Australian fashion and beauty photographer Max Papendieck will give you just that.

Whether you want to do fashion portraits as a hobby or you want to do it professionally in the long run, it always help to get some tips and be inspired by those who are already successful in the field. In this quick video by Henry Thong, we get our fashion photography inspiration from Australian fashion and beauty photographer Max Papendieck, who has photographed a good number of high-profile personalities for an impressive list of brands and publications.

Continue reading…

Michael Muller Shows How Lighting Will Change Your Portrait Photography

This quick video, featuring entertainment and fashion photographer Michael Muller, will show you how to work with lighting to make outstanding portraits.

Still in the dark when it comes to working with different kinds of lighting for portrait photography? Then, we’ve got just the right stuff to inspire and enlighten you. In his quick video, Sawyer Hartman brings us to his shoot with leading entertainment and fashion photographer Michael Muller, who gives us an idea on how he works with lighting to get stunning portraits.

Continue reading…

See Tatyana Zadorin’s Quick Demo of a Natural Light Outdoor Portrait Shoot

Screenshot image from the video by Tatyana Zadorin.

Using only the bare necessities, photographer Tatyana Zadorin was able to pull off a pretty cool natural light outdoor portrait shoot when she traveled to South Carolina, USA to visit her family.  The seven-minute behind-the-scenes video titled Natural Light OUTDOOR Portrait Photography – Behind the Scenes mostly showed Tatyana demonstrating how she made use of her Canon 5D Mark III and a couple of lenses Canon lenses with 85mm and 35mm focal lengths. She also offered the settings that she shot her photos with for those who want to emulate her images.

Continue reading…

Finding Rembrandt: Master the Art of Rembrandt Lighting and How to Shoot and Edit Images in the Style of the Dutch Master

If you have always wanted to master Rembrandt lighting, you will love this video tutorial with Chris Knight.

If you are ready to expand your skill set and master the art of Rembrandt lighting, and the learn the editing skills required to create portraits in the same Style as Rembrandt, this excellent video guide will be perfect for you. In just under three hours you will learn the history of Rembrandt, how he came about his unique style, how to set lighting, pose your model, and how to edit the pictures. As a bonus you’ll also learn how to add a modern twist, and how to turn your final image into a painting in photoshop for the ultimate Rembrandt effect.

Continue reading…

Quick Tips on Shooting Natural Light Portraits Indoors

Screenshot image from the video by Marc Klaus

Have you ever tried shooting natural light portraits indoors? It’s always worth a try because it could be a pretty fun and educational exercise, considering doing so would force you to work with whatever light you got to produce the best possible images you could.

Shooting indoors using available light and minimal gear and props is pretty easy, as you would observe in photographer Marc Klaus’ seven-minute behind-the-scenes video. Throughout this clip, you’d see that his models actually had more outfit options than he had cameras and accessories combined.

Continue reading…

Review: Andrew Gibsons “Art of Black and White Photography”

Andrew Gibson’s Art of Black and White Photography teaches the fundamentals that most photographers don’t have today; and it’s part of the 2018 5 Day Deal Photography program.

Lots of folks sit there and say that black and white photography is a crutch for when your editing doesn’t work otherwise, but Andrew Gibsons Art of Black and White Photography is a different beast that begins with telling you to learn how to think in black and white. But that’s sometimes difficult to do as black and white photography has so many different looks. One may most appreciate the looks of a scene with super high contrast scenes and lots of clarity while yet others only adhere to the school of Kodak Tri-X. No matter what level of photographer you are, there is bound to be something that you’re going to learn from Andrew Gibsons Art of Black and White Photography.

Continue reading…

These Unique Poses Will Work Great for Both Male and Female Models

Out of ideas for posing your models? These quick poses should give you some ideas, whether you’re shooting with male or female models.

Whether it’s a fashion shoot or a creative portrait session, it’s often part of the photographer’s job to properly pose the model. If you feel the poses often get a little too common or uninteresting, it’s time to experiment with some unique ones, starting with these quick and on-point suggestions by Mango Street.

One of the most common setbacks that portrait photographers encounter is posing their models in such a way that they catch attention and fit the vision or theme of the shoot. This can even be more challenging for budding portrait photographers who don’t have the access to experienced models or budget for modelling agencies. If you’re looking for ways to spice up your portrait photography — especially if you’re aiming to build a fashion photography portfolio, these quick suggestions by Mango Street should give you some ideas and inspiration.

Continue reading…

How to Use Negative Space to Create Interesting Minimalist Photos

Simplicity is beauty, and clever use of negative space will let you achieve that.

Ever felt like experimenting with negative space and minimalist photography? It can come in handy for your photography projects, so it’s a trick worth knowing how to pull off. All you need to get started is a big sheet of white board paper, a coffee cup, and some coffee (or similarly-colored liquid). Once you have those ready, proceed to this quick video tutorial to show you how it’s done.

Continue reading…

Natural Light vs Off Camera Flash for Outdoor Portrait Photography

Learn how to work with both natural lighting and off camera flash outdoors in this quick portrait photography tutorial.

Spotted a picture-perfect location for some portrait photography projects and practice? Working with natural light isn’t your only option to get some impressive shots. In this quick video, find out what you can achieve with both natural light and off camera flash, and decide which look you want.

Continue reading…