I'm not really fussy about my lights. By that, I mean I'm not enamored by a specific brand and I don't need them to measure light in hundredths of a stop. I also don't need them to cycle in half a second. If I were a fashion or commercial photographer, things might be different, but as a portrait guy, my needs are pretty simple.
In today’s world, stock photos often sell for pennies, yet there are still photographers out there making a good living selling work for a good price. By talking with stock shooter Bill Bachmann, I found out that I, and most of my portrait/wedding brethren, have been missing the boat big time by not using our client images for stock images. According to Bachmann, we’re sitting on a gold mine and...
There's another section in this issue of Shutterbug where many of the writers are asked to predict the future of photography. I've got to admit that I try my best but I'm not very good at it.
I am a dyed-in-the-wool natural light shooter. Outdoor portraits are my specialty and 95 percent of my outdoor portraits are taken with nothing but daylight. Yet, unlike other photographers I know, I actually prefer shooting on sunny days, and my studio schedules all day, so there is no waiting for the “golden hour” to get soft, directional light.
You might think in the digital age that anyone out there hawking traditional portraiture would be a dinosaur, pleading for people to have their portraits done. After all, it's now possible to put people on the moon without them setting foot out of the studio. You would be wrong.
There are portrait photographers out there who command high fees who have clients...
A few short years ago, many writers and photographers, myself included, were of the opinion that in a few short years film would be history, with the exception of a few "niche" areas of photography, like, say, infrared. Now that I've been...
Monolights are a handy and portable way to work and I am always interested in testing out new models. When I tested these new lights from Adorama I received an added bonus, some of their new Belle Drape Muslin backgrounds. This was going to be fun--it was like getting a new studio setup in one box. When I opened the box I found two of the Flashpoint II 2420 monolights, a...
The first time I saw some of Thom Rouse's work, I was stunned. It was so artistically and technically excellent I had to stop and study it for a while, just like you do when visiting a gallery. That's why I had to share it with you. Rouse is a portrait and wedding photographer who regards digital photography as not just an advancement of conventional photography but as...
In this article I'm going to show you how combining two software programs and one plug-in can make your life easier and your workflow faster. As a bonus (see sidebar), I'm going to show you a way to handle dodging and burning that is nondestructive to your files. First up, we've got a family portrait with 16 people to retouch. That sounds like an hour's...