Tips for posing your subject during a photo session
Tips for posing your subject during a photo session
Too often, when I am being photographed, I notice one major flaw in how the other photographer interacts with me during the photo session -- they lose connection. They will take a shot, and then spend too long checking the image. Then after that, every other shot is interrupted by looking at the playback screen. Not only is it annoying to the person being photographed - the continuity is lost. Using this photo of Rozalinda as an example - while she looks magnificent, and is supremely easy to pose and interact with, it depends on Read more inside...Direction of light – Using available light in the studio
Direction of light - Using available light in the studio
This striking portrait of Rozalinda was lit by big window light in the studio. In using light - whether studio lighting or available light - you need to consider the direction of the light. You need to figure out how you want to place yourself and your subject in relation to where the light is coming from. Your own position in relation to the light and your subject, will significantly change the way the light appears on your subject. Check this article for an example: Change your position, change the direction of light. With Read more inside...Available light: Boudoir photography & Feminine portraiture
Available light: Boudoir photography & Feminine portraiture
The direction of light is an elemental part of portrait photography. We can control how we pose and position our subject in relation to the light - and we might be able even control the direction of light, as we did with this sequence of photos of our model, Adrienne. To start off this personal workshop on Lighting for Feminine Portraiture and Boudoir Photography, we used only the available light that was streaming through the large windows in my studio. This painted canvas backdrop is on a roller stand. Read more inside...Posing tips: Avoid foreshortening by seeing two-dimensionally
Posing tips: Avoid foreshortening by seeing two-dimensionally
There is this translation we have to do as photographers, from seeing in 3 dimensions, to realizing our images will be shown in 2 dimension. We might see the depth, but that information is mostly missing when the scene is flattened as a photograph. This is a stumbling block when we pose people - we might see their limbs and hands in 3 dimensions, but when your subjects hands extend towards you, there is foreshortening. The perspective changes, and makes the limbs look shorter than they are. This can be visually Read more inside...Checklist for portrait photography on location
Checklist for portrait photography on location
There's that algorithm that I most often use when shooting on-location portraits - find an interesting or complementary background, that also has good light on my subject. If there isn't good ambient light, then I add light. Then, my subject's positioning and pose is adjusted so that the photograph comes together. Find an interesting or complementary background, that also has good light on my subject. If there isn't good ambient light, then I add light. Then, my subject's positioning and pose is adjusted so that the photograph Read more inside...Connect with your clients for better engagement photo sessions
Mauricio is a photographer in Costa Rica that has consistently posted photographs that got everyone's attention in the Tangents Facebook group. One of the sessions was this engagement shoot - his lighting and post-processing are impeccable. But there's more to photography than the gear and camera settings - there has to be a connection with your subjects, and in this case, clients. There has to be a spark that you, as the photographer, help elicit. I asked Mauricio to share some of his magic through advice on how he connects with his clients as part of creating wonderful images that his Read more inside...
Gesture and posing – building up a photograph
Gesture and posing - building up a photograph
This striking photograph of Anastasiya, like some flying super-hero, didn't just happen on a first take in the studio. It started with an idea, and then through several iterations, finally took shape. I wanted to test the Profoto B1 flash's Freeze mode, where the duration of the flash is much shorter - perfect for freezing fast motion. However, with a jumping shot like this, the photo is timed pretty much at peak movement - and there isn't really as much blur as we'd need to show that the Freeze mode is effective. We're going to need Read more inside...Photographing wide-angle portraits
Photographing wide-angle portraits
In photographing wide-angle portraits, we have to make the decision whether we want to embrace the wide-angle distortion (such as Bill Brandt famously did), or have a more natural approach where the wide-angle is used to show more of the environment and to help with a dynamic composition. With this photo of Anastasiya, I wanted to include these massive billboards 5th Avenue. That meant I had to use a wide focal length. In this example, I had my 24-7mm zoom racked to 24mm. The idea here is that we need to be purposeful. Better to shoot in a Read more inside...Wedding photography posing tips – For variety, make slight changes
Wedding photography posing tips - For variety, make slight changes
Wedding photography often feels like a sustained burst of stressful periods - the processional (where you have a really limited range to nail everything in low light), the family photos (where you have to gain control over a potentially chaotic situation), and the romantic portrait session with the bride and groom. Even with a couple as cool as Jackie and Todd, there is still the pressure to get photos as awesome as the images you show in your portfolio. The time is usually limited, and you have to nail the lighting, Read more inside...- 1
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