Ask any photographer his or her favorite lens for portrait photography and you’ll likely be told that a 85mm prime lens is their glass of choice. You’ll hear some say that they like to use 50mm primes, and some that even prefer to use zooms like a 24-70mm f2.8, or a 70-200mm f2.8. Every once in a while though you’ll come across a photographer who will say that their favorite glass for portraits are 135mm prime lenses. The 135mm focal length is honestly just about the perfect lens for portraits thanks to their fast apertures, incredible optics, and levels of compression that produce truly flattering images. Join us after the break as we take a look at six 135mm prime lenses that will help you produce jaw dropping portraits.
We all love good deals, and wow have we found one for you here! 100 black and white Lightroom Presets for just $12; that’s going to be hard to beat! This bundle normally has a price of $49, but for a short amount of time you can pick up these Lightroom presets for next to nothing! Take the guess work out of converting your images to black and white, and use these presets for perfect results with a single click. Jump through the break for more details.
Subcultures are always fascinating documentary photography subjects to explore and shed light on, and there’s always one waiting to be uncovered. A perfect example is the dreamy series of Stockholm-based Klas Falk, which features today’s Swedish take on the “Greaser” youth subculture that emerged in the 1950s to the 1960s. If you’re looking for inspiration on photographing unique and popular subcultures, this series could give you some ideas.
“The first instrument of the portraitist is not the light, or the lens or the camera,” explains Eolo Perfido. “It’s the subject.” The French-born, Italian photographer is a deeply thoughtful creator. His series, Clownville, offers a dose of innovation, a slice of controversy and a generous handful of compelling concepts. Whether you’re amused or afraid of clowns, he has brought to life art that you won’t be able to look away from. For him, the series is not just an example of the creative mind; it’s a metaphor of life. The work will get you thinking. It may shock or it may delight. What is for certain, however, is that it will grab your attention.
Whether you’re a professional portrait photographer or someone still learning the ropes, you’ll definitely be working with non-models. So if you still need some help on how to pose them for your next projects, we have a really useful video tutorial that should give you lots of ideas. Portrait photographers Anita Sadowska and Irene Rudnyk recently teamed up for a quick but really helpful video demonstrating poses for non-models. With Sadowska behind the camera and Rudnyk following her directions, we see a good variety of posing techniques that will make everyone look really great in portraits.
Photoshop is one of the most powerful pieces of software around for photographers. There are literally hundreds, and thousands of ways for you to interact with your images, but creating styles, and effects can eat away at your valuable time. The 1850 Premium Photoshop Actions Bundle can change all of that though. With just a single click you’ll be able to transform your images in seconds, and you’ll be able to create clean, consistent results that will wow you, and your clients. The best part is that has a 94% discount right now which makes it just $29! Join us after the break for more details about these incredible Photoshop actions.
There’s always something about abandoned houses and even ruins that make them perfect subjects for emotive photography. In fact, that’s precisely why there’s a genre — urban exploration photography — especially dedicated to it. We’ve put the spotlight on several photo series set in these abandoned locations, and today, we’re adding the Abandoned series of Pembroke-based Andy Lee to the pile.
If you’re just getting started with travel photography and have been browsing around for some tips on the best lenses to use, this 35mm vs 50mm comparison should help. Are you an aspiring travel photographer who can’t decide between 35mm and 50mm lenses as the better choice for the job? In case you’re still looking …
In one of our recent features, Cologne-based André Josselin shared how New York City was his dream destination and, using his Leica M, put together a visual love letter to the city. Well, aside from capturing all the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps, he also made sure to paint a picture of its people through some candid street portraits. New Yorkers certainly are among the favorite subjects of street photographers, and we’re definitely not complaining seeing more being added to the pile.
How I Stopped Obsessing Over Canon L, Sony G Master, and Nikon G Lenses; and Just Continued to Shoot
Before I go on, you should know that I’m not at all saying that lenses from these manufacturers are bad at all. Just go to DXOMark and take a look at their scores: Sony is very high up there and Canon is highly rated with their zoom lenses. But amongst those photographers who seriously started picking up the camera within the past four years, I’d like to relate to you a tale of how my obsession was similar to yours and perhaps even worse years ago. It started with Olympus, then went to Canon, and then I finally learned my lesson. Before you drop absurd amounts of money that you don’t really need to spend, you should probably consider how the bliss from ignorance will one day only make you realize that you’re not going to be any better of a photographer just because you own these lenses.