Portrait Photography How To

Here’s an interesting video in which Chief White House Photographer Pete Souza explains how he makes such intimate images of President Obama who considers him a friend. In the past Souza was an Official White House Photographer for President Reagan and a freelancer for National Geographic. He also worked for the Chicago Tribune in their Washington bureau.

Because her intent is to get the absolute best image in-camera, Lindsey Thorne is “pretty exact when it comes to lighting and posing.” When she describes her studio, the scene of almost all her boudoir sessions, as “modest and simple,” she’s citing an advantage. “I love shooting in a smaller room because I have so much control over the light.”

Photographing people for a living can prove intimidating for many photographers. Now add “celebrity” to that and you may find you have to step up your game several notches to stand on equal footing with your subject. You can’t afford to be intimidated and you certainly can’t afford to appear unsure of yourself or to question your decisions. You have to enter the picture with a game plan and be decisive, know which lens you’ll be using, what lights, and where to place those lights. But you also have to be prepared for the unexpected. That’s why they give these jobs to photographers such as Victoria Will.

R. J. Kern is the owner and photographer of Kern-Photo, a Minneapolis-based wedding photography business. He started the company eight years ago after spending five years with the National Geographic Society. His wedding photography locations range from backyards to destinations around the world. He also teaches photography workshops and has won many awards, including making the “50 Top US Wedding Photographers”.

We’re still in shock over the death today of legendary musician and artist David Bowie. Someone who knew Bowie more than most folks was renowned fashion photographer Brian Duffy who, between 1972 and 1980, worked with Bowie on five photo projects, including three of his most famous album covers.

This fun and informative video from COOPH photographer Leo Rosas documents the dramatic evolution of photographic technology through the decades—from the very start to today in about two minutes. 

Hi everybody! I’m very excited to be launching a new Q&A column here in Shutterbug—a magazine I’ve been reading, and been a fan of, for so many years—so it’s truly an honor to be here with you. I invite you to send in your questions to editorial@shutterbug.com, and I’ll do my best to answer them in Ask a Pro. OK, let’s jump right to it.