Today, I’d just like to muse a bit of some lessons I’ve learned over a long career as a professional photographer. Hopefully, some of these concepts will help you as well.
A Guide to Retouching Portrait Images
When it comes to portrait photos, lighting and shooting the image is only half of the process. Knowing how to edit your images with a careful touch while still applying your signature creative look is the other half. This excellent video tutorial will show you how one photographer edits his shots using a combination of Lightroom and Photoshop.
The Bokeh Monster: A Review of the Sony 135mm f/1.8 Lens
While the 85mm focal length is the classic choice for portrait photography, 135mm is a popular alternative, and there are some real gem lenses to be found there. One such option is the Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, and this great video review takes a look at the lens and the impressive performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
How to Create Interesting Images by Dragging Your Shutter
The beauty of shutter speed and aperture is that they are not just for getting technically correct exposures; they allow you to explore creative renderings as well. One way to do this is through dragging your shutter when shooting photos with motion, and this great video tutorial will show you both how to do it and the sort of results you can create.
Shooting Portraits With an Insane 400mm f/2.8 Lens
Traditionally, portraits are shot with focal lengths between 50mm and 135mm, though there is no reason you can’t use a longer focal length. Nonetheless, 400mm f/2.8 lenses are traditionally reserved for professional sports and wildlife photographers who need a lot of reach and the ability to capture as much light as possible. With super-sharp results and a narrow depth of field, they seem like a great (if somewhat impractical) option for portraits, and this fun video shows you what you can expect.
A Review of the New Irix 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly Lens
Irix is known mostly for making manual focus wide angle lenses with rugged build quality and nice image quality, and the new 21mm f/1.4 Dragonfly lens seeks to continue that trend. The lens comes in Canon, Nikon, and Pentax DSLR mounts (and can be easily adapted to mirrorless), and this fantastic video review takes a look at the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
How to Create Balance in Your Images
Even though it is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of creating a successful photo, composition does not get the kind of attention it deserves when it comes to talking about photography. One aspect of composition that we should often consider is how we create and convey balance for our viewers. This excellent video tutorial examines the topic and offers some helpful advice that will improve your shots.
Techniques to Save a Poor Landscape Photo
Of course, we all try to get out photos are close to right as possible in camera, but none of us are perfect, and mistakes will happen. So, if you really miss the mark, what can you do to save an image you really want to use? This excellent video tutorial will show you some helpful tips and techniques for rescuing that shot.
