Four more images to enjoy! Thank you to the authors for submitting their work – lots to enjoy and learn from in this episode. Oh, and a very shaggy lockdown hairdo! If you would like your images critiqued, please use the Image Critique menu option above to submit a file (or more than one of you wish). Your image will then appear in one of the future episodes! JOIN NOW to view this and hundreds of articles, videos, critiques and …
The good folk at Rotolight lent us two pieces of kit for this demo: the Rotolight AEOS and the NEO 2. These lights were originally designed for video work, but Rotolight have added a strobe feature that means they can be used like studio flash lights or location strobes (off-camera flash). They are extremely lightweight, very portable and their battery goes on as long as you can. JOIN NOW to view this and hundreds of articles, videos, critiques and discussions …
Perhaps you’re fairly (or very) comfortable with window-lit portraiture, but feel a little intimated by the idea of studio strobes. If so, you’re definitely not alone! For a very long time, I struggled to understand all the technical detail that seemed to be a requirement for getting started with studio lighting, especially as I just wanted to get back to what I love doing most – creating beautiful portraits! I finally had a breakthrough and realised that my knowledge of photographing …
In this video, we take a couple of good friends of the studio – Chris and Ben – who are both Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Fighters and create some images for their new YouTube channel. I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to show: How I work with, pose and frame two subjects for an image that will fit a wide aspect ratio (for a video channel). How to light dark-toned clothes so that they stand out on a dark background. JOIN NOW to …
This was captured at the end of a family shoot. We’d walked through the woods together, which I’ve found to be a really good way to get everybody very relaxed. As we left the woods we came across the edge of a hill, with a monument in front of us and Aylesbury Vale spread out at our feet. It was too good an opportunity to miss… I don’t head out on shoots with a planned shot list. I might have …
You don’t need flash to create a studio-style portrait like this one; you only need a little lighting know-how… One of the highlights of our year is spending a few weeks on a luxury cruise ship… working, of course. We’re taken onboard as the lead photographers, with a remit of capturing beautiful images of their clientele in the stunning surroundings of the ship (with no cheesy printed backgrounds in sight). On one particular cruise, we were looked after by a …
We came into the studio to warm up and dry off after a rather soggy winter portrait taken in the rain/snow outside. I put the kettle on and handed out the cups, and spotted the opportunity for a few simple but lovely studio portraits featuring some splashes of red. Watch the video to see what we created and find out why you shouldn’t complicate your lighting, or be scared of including shadows in your portraits. JOIN NOW to view this …
Why you need wider shots to help you sell wall portraits, and how to place elements in your composition so they are either visual blocks or stabilisers. This kind of portrait works well on the wall. My subject, Emma, isn’t so close up that the picture would feel overwhelming at a larger scale. The mood of the picture is calm and relaxing, and the environment surrounding Emma is beautiful in itself. If you’re selling prints then bigger is better, so …
If it’s hot outside, here’s a newborn portrait that you can replicate. Everything is a potential source of inspiration: this one was inspired by a 1980s poster. It’s a rare day that photographers in the UK can shoot a nude newborn outdoors – the weather just isn’t warm enough most of the time. If you’re lucky enough to time a newborn shoot with that one balmy summer day we get, or if you live in more exotic climes, here’s a …