Portrait Photography How To

Jeff Rojas is a successful New York portrait and fashion photographer with a clear message in all his tutorials: “Keep it simple.” In the quick video below, he shows you three techniques for using a single reflective umbrella that deliver great results.

Disillusioned with the practice of law, Brian Ingram found himself forced to reexamine his professional path in life. So, at a critical juncture, Ingram chose what to him was the road “less traveled by.” And, to further quote Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken,” it “has made all the difference.” Sparked by the gift of a Nikon D40, Ingram chose photography to be his new profession, and this new path revitalized his outlook on life.

Daniel Norton is a NY-based photographer with a celebrated career in portraiture and fashion photography. He’s also a respected educator, and in the video below he illustrates a quick and simple setup for shooting portraits at home or on location.

Given a choice between a fast 85mm f/1.4 prime lens and a fast-and-versatile 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom, which lens would you choose to shoot outdoor portraits? While the answer may seem obvious, experienced portrait photographer Manny Ortiz decided to find out by taking both lenses along to shoot his pretty wife Diana against a backdrop of the Chicago skyline.

How does an out of work, amateur photographer manage to acquire a following of 18 million people and publish two best-selling books? “Through a lot of hard work and a refusal to fail,” Brandon Stanton says. Known internationally for his groundbreaking books, Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories, Stanton took the simple concept of taking photos of everyday people on the streets of New York City and is now using his popularity to bring attention to the daily struggles of people throughout the world.

Last week we shared an interesting clip from CNN Style, in which famous photographers and collectors discussed “The Power of Photography.” In the new six-minute segment below, acclaimed celebrity photographer Martin Schoeller reveals his unique approach to portraiture.

The below gif is one of the cooler things we've seen on Reddit lately. It gives you a visual demonstration of how changing the focal length of your lens affects how a person's face appear in portraits.