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Natural Posing Techniques: Practical Tips for Better Portraits

When you’re just starting out, helping subjects pose naturally can often be more challenging than learning camera settings or lighting techniques. Making someone feel at ease in front of the camera is a vital skill that can significantly enhance your images.

In this practical video, Glyn Dewis addresses common posing struggles head-on. He begins by sharing a clever trick: pretend to adjust your camera settings while actually giving your subject time to relax. This technique is especially useful when working with someone who seems stiff or overly posed—though Dewis notes it should be used sparingly within a session. He also emphasizes the value of studying legendary portrait photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Mark Seliger. Rather than relying purely on in-the-moment inspiration, he recommends building a mental collection of poses from their work.

Dewis moves beyond theory with actionable advice, such as using simple props—especially chairs—to help subjects settle into more natural positions. Chairs not only provide physical support but also create a sense of comfort and security. He also advocates for using visual references like movie posters or iconic photographs to communicate a specific mood or pose. This approach often works better than verbal instructions, helping subjects understand and replicate poses with more confidence. Dewis highlights how images from photographers like Leibovitz and Seliger can lead to more relaxed and authentic portraits.

He also recommends a slower, more observational approach. Rather than constantly shooting and directing, taking time for casual conversation allows for natural expressions and body language to emerge. These unguarded moments often result in the most compelling images. Keeping your camera set up on a tripod ensures you’re ready to capture these candid shots without disrupting the flow.

Dewis further suggests incorporating everyday actions—such as letting someone smoke or take a short break—to break down barriers and reveal genuine personality. These relaxed moments often yield the richest portraits. He stresses the power of observation over constant instruction, noting that being an attentive observer can elevate your portrait work far beyond rigid, overly directed sessions.

Shooting Portraits in Harsh Sunlight

This video from Westcott Lighting is truly illuminating, offering expert guidance on mastering the delicate balance between sunlight and flash. The explanation delves into why harsh sunlight may not always be flattering, highlighting the importance of strategic subject placement for achieving the desired composition—a point well made.

What sets this video apart is its ability to transform complex concepts into actionable steps. Managing exposure effectively and transforming available light into the key light is a true game-changer. The step-by-step breakdown, ranging from controlling available light to the intricacies of flash setup, proves incredibly beneficial.

A standout feature is the insightful discussion on calculating flash output, ensuring precise illumination that covers all essential areas. The video’s emphasis on utilizing different diffusers adds a necessary layer of complexity for achieving professional results.

This comprehensive guide caters to both beginners and those seeking to refine their photography skills. The practical approach distinguishes it—instead of just imparting information, the video demonstrates how to execute each step. The inclusion of visuals and examples not only enhances the learning experience but makes it enjoyable and easy to follow.

Major kudos to Westcott Lighting for providing such valuable insights. This video is undeniably a must-watch for anyone eager to elevate their photography skills, particularly in challenging lighting conditions.

Enhancing Photo Compositions: Unleashing the Power of Framing

Photography composition is a challenging aspect, often more elusive than straightforward camera settings for specific situations. Among the underutilzed yet highly effective techniques for creating captivating compositions, framing stands out. In an informative video tutorial by Mike Smith, you will discover the essence of framing, how it operates, and various inspiring examples to incorporate in your own images.

Framing revolves around skillfully surrounding your subject with elements from the scene, drawing attention to it in a remarkable way. But its impact goes beyond mere focus; it also introduces depth to the image by crafting layers. Adding depth infuses vitality into the picture, as the illusion of three dimensions helps viewers forget it’s just a flat representation. The beauty of framing lies in its versatility—it’s not limited to artificial elements in the scene. Natural elements like branches, gaps in foliage, rocks, or even variations in brightness, color, or contrast can all serve as frames. Once you start observing, you’ll notice framing opportunities practically everywhere.

For a comprehensive guide on harnessing the power of framing in your photography, watch the incredible video tutorial above by Mike Smith. Unleash the potential of framing to elevate your compositions and create visually stunning images.

Technique and Vision over Gear Hype

Photography is often seen as an expensive hobby, with the camera gear industry constantly enticing photographers to purchase the latest gadgets, cameras, and lenses. However, it is crucial to remember that the key to creating compelling images lies not in the gear but in the photographer’s skill and creative vision. In an enlightening video essay by Adam Gibbs, the significance of technique and artistic vision is explored, revealing that the pursuit of better photos cannot be achieved solely through expensive gear.

While it is undeniable that using the latest cameras and lenses can be exciting and enjoyable, the misconception arises when photographers start believing that purchasing better gear will automatically result in better photographs. It is essential to recognize that without a solid foundation of technique and creativity, the gear alone cannot produce exceptional images. In fact, a skilled photographer can create extraordinary photos with almost any equipment, while an inexperienced photographer will struggle, regardless of the gear they possess.

Technique plays a vital role in photography, encompassing various aspects such as composition, lighting and post-processing. By developing technical proficiency in these areas, photographers can effectively translate their creative vision into tangible images. Understanding how to maximize the potential of the equipment at hand, whether it is a basic camera or top-of-the-line gear, is crucial for achieving remarkable results.

Becoming a proficient photographer requires continuous learning, practice, and exploration of one’s creative potential. Investing time in understanding the fundamental principles of photography, studying the works of experienced photographers, and regularly practicing these techniques can greatly enhance one’s skills. By honing their craft, photographers can capture captivating images that resonate with their audience, regardless of the gear they possess.

While technique provides the foundation, creative vision is the guiding force behind a remarkable photograph. It is the unique perspective, storytelling, and personal expression that breathe life into an image. A camera is merely a tool for capturing the photographer’s vision, and the ability to see and interpret the world creatively is what sets exceptional photographers apart.

The pursuit of photography should not be solely focused on acquiring the latest and greatest gear. While gear can offer additional capabilities and convenience, it is the photographer’s skill, technical proficiency, and artistic vision that truly make a photograph stand out. Emphasizing technique, continuously learning and practicing, and nurturing creative vision are the essential ingredients for creating compelling and memorable images. So, let us appreciate the artistry of photography and celebrate the power of technique and vision over the hype surrounding camera gear.

Creating a Low Key Portrait Using Rembrandt Lighting

Multi-light setups can be tricky to master, but they also offer a remarkable amount of control and creative possibilities. This helpful tutorial will walk you through one such setup with its take on a classic lighting setup, showing how each light contributes to the final image and how you can replicate it yourself.
Coming to you from Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens, this helpful tutorial walks you through the setup and shooting process of a set of portraits using Rembrandt lighting as the key, followed by some adjustments and the addition of some rim lights to separate the subjects from the background. Rembrandt lighting (named after the painter, who often used it) is a popular choice and can be easily recognized by the triangle of light seen on the cheek of the shadow side of the subject’s face. It remains popular as it renders rather natural-looking images with a certain elegant aesthetic to them. It’s also a great technique for those dabbling in artificial lighting and off-camera flash for the first time to try, as it can be achieved with a single light and a reflector, though it’s worth seeing Jay P. Morgan’s more nuanced approach here.

How to Create Headshot and Portrait Setups

Great correspondence with your subject, posing, and post-processing are generally significant abilities as a headshot photographic artist, however you likewise need to have a solid handle of lighting to make incredible pictures. This extensive video tutorial will tell you the best way to make lighting arrangements for portraits and headshots.

Coming to you from Yaneck Wasiek with Westcott Lighting, this excellent video tutorial will show you how to build lighting setups for portraits and headshots. If you are new to artificial lighting, it is generally a good idea to start with a single light first. This will allow you to more easily build a strong foundation and an intuitive understanding of things like relative light source size and fall-off without having to manage more complicated setups. On top of that, it is important to remember that you can absolutely create great headshots with a single light. Once you master the single light, then it is time to start adding more sources to your setups. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Wasiek.

3 Simple Ways To Improve Your Photography Skills

Guidance on the most proficient method to improve at photography is consistently welcome, however considerably more so right now as we endure a pandemic that is influencing the entirety of our inventiveness and inspiration. Here are three basic approaches to improve your photography.

2020 was an odd year for a large portion of us. We couldn’t shoot anyplace approach as much we typically do, with a significant number of our shoots deferred or dropped. Our own work endured as well, with an absence of movement, we for sure, found an absence of inspiration. As we moved toward the last quarter of the year and there was seemingly no end in sight for Covid, we probably chose we needed to constrain ourselves to push on regardless. Thus, we worked out ways we could improve, at that point examined the best ones which we partook in this article.

This video by Sony Alpha Universe, Miguel Quiles experiences three stages for improving your photography abilities. There are a ton of incredible approaches to ensure you’re pushing ahead in our darling art, however we accept practically all techniques are by and large supported by a similar guideline: routineness. In the event that you ensure that you are consistently shooting — consistently if conceivable, however no less than consistently — you will improve somewhat. It is then off that premise that you can work out how to expand the additions you achieve.

Flash Portraits at Night

Portraits that combine flash with natural light are a highly popular look and a technique that will do a lot to help you gain more confidence and versatility when working with artificial light. However, when you start shooting at night, the technique becomes a little trickier. This excellent video tutorial will show you how to shoot portraits at night when using a flash.

Coming to you from David Bergman with Adorama TV, this great video tutorial will show you how to shoot portraits at night using flash. A portrait with a dramatic sky is a popular look, and it is a fantastic way to work on your lighting skills, as it forces you to learn how to balance an ambient exposure with what is essentially a separate exposure on your subject. When day turns to night, however, your ambient exposure can become a bit trickier due to the lower light levels, but it is not impossible to still make those dramatic images, and it will improve your technique all the more.