Three Tips for Better Portraits

One of the most important concepts every serious photographer should understand is the exposure triangle. Here, I’ll break down the three components of exposure: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and discuss how they work together to create an image in your camera. What is the Exposure Triangle? The exposure triangle is the relationship between three…

One of my favorite lighting techniques involves mixing flash with natural light, particularly when the natural light is strong and coming from behind the subject. This method creates a beautiful backlighting effect that adds dimension to your photos. The Basics Using natural backlighting alone can work if there’s enough illumination bouncing around to reach the…

Here’s a quick demonstration of how to achieve so-called, soft light for portraits, still life, and other types of photography.  In previous tutorials, we’ve used real people, as well as mannequins to show how to create different levels of contrast using one or more lights and/or reflectors.  Here, we’ll use simple 3D shapes on a…

How to put your first off-camera flash setup together using minimal, budget-friendly gear. In this video I’ll give you an overview of the basic setup and offer some examples of what you can do with a single light. Also, my recommendations about what you, as a portrait photographer should learn to master your portrait lighting…

There’s a misconception that softboxes and other diffusion modifiers produce soft light.  I address this in, The Correct Use of a Softbox for Portraiture.  I made this video in response to a question from one of my YouTube viewers about the Godox 24″ x 24″ vs. the Lastolite Ezbox.  Specifically, he asked about the contrast…

Backlighting can be a game-changer in portrait photography, adding depth, dimension, and that extra “wow” factor to your images. In my latest video, I break down this powerful technique, showing you exactly how to use backlighting to make your subjects pop. Whether you’re aiming for a subtle hair light or a dramatic silhouette, I’ll walk…