How to Use a Strip Softbox

Beginner portrait photographers often freeze when the photo shoot is supposed to begin. If you get stuck wondering where to start with your lighting setup, here are a few things to keep in mind. And remember, we always want to start with the key light in a common sense placement.

Photographers often ask me about getting into bodyscape, boudoir, or other forms of artistic figure photography. Not just the technical side, but the personal side. The hesitation. The discomfort. The feeling that you are curious about the work, yet unsure whether it fits within your own boundaries or values. In this video, I talk openly…

In this video, you’ll get an overview of the basics of flash photography portraiture using two lights. Two-light flash photography is commonly used in portraiture, where the key light is the main light and the second serves as fill flash. We’ll cover several different roles your second light can play, including fill light, hair light,…

One of the most important decisions you’ll make when lighting a portrait is where you place your key light. Even if you’re only using one light, that key light is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. It’s shaping your subject’s features, setting the mood of the image, and even affecting how the background looks….

Here’s a quick rundown about different ways to approach finding clients for your portrait photography. If you’re looking for some tips, you might find this useful. If you’re already a member of The Portrait Club, you’ll find a community version of this video and several others posted up in the main feed and in the…

In this Flash Photography for Portraits crash course (updated for 2025), I go over all the important things you’ll need to know to get started. The course will teach you about flash photography for portraits. Learn about different flash gear options (speedlites and strobes), flash synchronization, lighting modifiers, how to take advantage of TTL and…