Portraiture

The right equipment, being creative, interacting well with your subjects, and of course being in the right place at the right time can all add up to some stunning imagery. An important part of that gear is the lenses you choose to bring along. Because varying angles and focal lengths portray the face in radically different ways, I always travel equipped with a wide variety to...

Given the current state of technology, a case could be made that a photographer could exist today with only two lenses--a wide angle to moderate zoom, and a short tele to long tele-zoom. That would be a mistake. For as good and flexible as today's zoom lenses are, there are some compelling reasons to choose fixed focal length lenses on occasion. I'll admit, 90 percent...

There's something about a good black and white image that makes it jump off the page. It should be simple, direct, and hit you right between the eyes. It stands on its own. It doesn't even need color to make it stand out. It has a full range of tones from a true, deep black all the way to a clear white...with detail throughout.

What kind of...

Judy Host (www.judyhost.com) only started her business 12 years ago but today you can find her working either in the home of a celebrity creating her award-winning portraits or in Africa documenting conditions in Rwanda and Uganda. By the time you read this, she may be in Ghana and Kenya or traveling to Cape Town, South Africa.

Photos © 2004, Steve Bedell, All Rights Reserved

I love shooting outdoor portraits! As a matter of fact, it has become my "signature style." During my busy season, I may take over 400 outdoor exposures in a single day, so I'd better be able to do it well and do it fast. An element of my style is that I don't use flash. Many photographers do, and...

I take portraits of people every day. They pay me (hopefully) to create an image that says something about them. Perhaps it's a family who loves the ocean; we'll take a beach portrait. Maybe it's a mom who wants me to closely match a portrait done of her when she was 2. Or it could be a high school senior who wants to show how he's making the transition...

All Photos © 2004, Woody Walters, All Rights Reserved

Ansel Adams once told me that it is the background that makes or breaks the image. The background is what will tie all the key elements of a photograph together. I learned very early in my career that it's true whether you're shooting large format landscapes or even if you're shooting digital senior...