Photoshop How To

One way to capture dramatic portraits is to shoot under low light. The catch is that there’s a lot of complexity involved in getting the image right. But with the proper shooting and editing techniques it’s easy to make some truly awesome images.

Retouching expert Justin Laurens says, “My passion is helping portrait photographers elevate their game to the next level.” In the video below, he does just that with some great shooting and editing tips for perfecting low light portraits.

Laurens is really confident about his technique, and insists, “I’m going to give you everything you need to know to become a master of low light photography.” There are a number of great tips in the tutorial, including how to fix the inevitable under exposure while maintaining a vivid high-contrast look.

You’ll also see how to reduce the appearance of noise and grain in a low light portraits, while avoiding a “smooth plasticky texture.” Laurens also demonstrates how to maintain sharpness during the editing process, while retaining a clean, natural look.

One of our favorite tips in the video is how Laurens easily introduces and stylizes color in dark, undersaturated images. For complete details on these and other great techniques, all you have to do is watch the video. Then go out and capture some stunning portraits.

There are a variety of helpful editing tips on Laurens’ YouTube channel. And be sure to watch a recent behind-the-scenes tutorial we posted where a pro captured gorgeous portraits of a stranger he approached on the street.