Portrait Photography How To

One of our favorite ongoing photography shows on YouTube is “4 Photographers Shoot the Same Model,” which just dropped its ninth episode on Jessica Kobeissi’s popular channel. In Episode 9, Kobeissi teams up with Brandon Woefel, Jon Sams, and Zach Allia to photograph model Sydney Harper.

Sometimes working with natural light is the best way to create a stunning portrait. I love lighting, don’t get me wrong and I use artificial light almost always. However, sometimes, the opportunity is right to allow natural light to be the only source.

If you’ve ever shot portraits in front of a seamless white background or a cyclorama, you’ve probably had to deal with pesky background shadows. They’re fine if you’re going for a dramatic look in your portraits, but what if you wanted something cleaner as your background to draw attention to your subject?

The flash vs natural light debate is almost as old as photography itself. (Or at least as old as flash photography itself.) Photographer Craig Beckta recently jumped into the fray with the below video, which is titled “7 Reasons Why Flash Is Better for Portraits Than Natural Light.”

Even top pro photographers can have trouble achieving ideal sharpness for portraits. Photographer and YouTuber Jessica Kobeissi has been there before, so she devised a 6-point system to help her get sharp portraits every time.

There's a mantra attributed to event photographer Michael Weeks:

• If you don't take it, you can't sell it

• If you don't show it, you can't sell it

• If you can't print it, you can't sell it

• If you can't take payment, you can't sell it

Last week we shared photographer Pierre T. Lambert’s “7 Secrets to Get Sharper Images Every Time You Shoot” and now he’s back with five more secrets for capturing sharp photos for street photography and portrait photography.