While you can absolutely create professional-level portraits with a single light, using multiple lights will allow you create more advanced and precise setups that simply are not possible with just one source. One of the most important secondary lights a portrait photographer can use is the kicker, and this great video tutorial will show you both what they are and how they are used to create more effective images.
35mm lenses with wide maximum apertures are some of the most popular and versatile out there, suitable for a huge range of applications, from events coverage to portraits, astrophotography, and more. The Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2 SE is quite an interesting alternative to many mainstream options, and this excellent video review takes a look at the lens and the sort of performance and image quality you can expect from it in practice.
Portrait lighting is about more than creating a technically correct exposure; it is your chance to add your creative touch to your images and create a memorable style. Once you are comfortable with a single light, multiple lights will open an entirely new world of possibilities for your work. This excellent video tutorial will show you an effective two-light setup for creating compelling portraits.
While many pros working in studios will use complex multi-light setups for portraits, when you are shooting on location, it is often much better to employ a single light that allows you to be a bit more nimble. And with a bit of lighting savvy, you can still create fantastic professional-level portraits. This great video tutorial will show five easy one-light setups sure to help you make compelling images.
Portrait photographers generally prefer focal lengths over 50mm. This is because these types of focal lengths help to produce a more flattering look. Personally, I find a 50mm lens to be slightly too wide and an 85mm lens just a tad too long. For this reason, I thought I’d compare two lenses that sit in-between these focal lengths.
Of all the things that go into making a compelling image, posing is perhaps the thing that photographers struggle with the most. If that is something you have trouble with, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you three easy posing techniques for when your subject is sitting on the ground or floor.
An 85mm lens is by far one of the most useful and popular options out there, but premium versions can reach well over $2,000. Canon’s RF 85mm f/2 Macro IS STM is far more affordable and offers some useful features more expensive options do not. This great video review takes a look at the lens and the kind of performance you can expect from it in practice.
A lot of the time, you will see professionals use two- or three-light setups for portraiture, but you might be surprised by the professional results you can get from just a single light. This fantastic video tutorial will show you how to master both the technical and creative aspects of a single-light setup for portraiture.
Photographers generally avoid on-camera flash whenever they can, but there are situations in which you will not have another option. For those situations, there are certain things you can do to make the light look more natural, and this helpful video tutorial will show you what they are.
