Lighting How To

Among the most challenging conditions faced by landscape photographers is bright midday light. In this situation you can either go home and try again under better conditions or understand how to make the most of harsh light.

Today we're exploring the characteristics of soft light and the different ways it can affect the impact of outdoor images, whether they're landscapes, environmental portraits, or just about anything else. This tutorial comes to us from the folks the Great Big Photography World—a YouTube community of passionate creatives with a comprehensive range of lessons for shooters of all skills levels.

Last month we featured a beginners guide to boudoir photography without flash—using nothing more that window light and a simple backdrop or plain white wall. Instructor Yuliya Panchenko is back with another tutorial today for creating a totally different look that really grabs attention.

In the below outdoor portrait photography from Ed Gregory of Photos in Color, he explains how to balance flash with low ambient light to create professional-looking outdoor portraits that pop. In the video, Gregory walks you through how these portrait lighting techniques work to help you improve your outdoor portraits.

If you've ever wanted to shoot eye-catching portraits in a studio but don't have a ton of space, here's a great video showing you how to create a professional-level portrait shoot in a small area. In the tutorial, pro photographer Andrea Carretta shows you how to create the portrait look you want in a space not much bigger than a bedroom.

The human form provides a wealth of possibilities for intriguing images, from fully clothed portraits to explicit nudes. Today’s tutorial takes sort of a middle ground, by explaining how to capture seductive images that leave plenty to the imagination.

We regularly encourage Shutterbug readers to step outside their comfort zone and experiment with unfamiliar techniques to capture attention-grabbing photos that stand out from the crowd. If you're willing to try something different, this quick tutorial  from the My Photo Journey YouTube channel is a great place to start.