Portrait Photography How To

In the trifecta of portrait lenses—85mm, 105mm, and 135mm—the 85mm focal length is the gateway. It’s short enough for tight shooting spaces, while producing a real portrait look, yet versatile enough for use in other genres, including photojournalism, where a nifty 50 comes up a bit short. Enter Sigma’s 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens ($1,199) that’s fast enough for reportage and long enough for portraiture.

Most of us occasionally shoot portraits at home, and in the absence of a real studio rely upon a white wall as the backdrop for our shots. For those on a budget, wouldn’t it be nice to do something more dramatic without spending money on a custom backdrop or fiddling around with Photoshop?

In this clever seven-minute video, New York-based portrait photographer Peter Hurley offers a simple trick to help you create more flattering portraits.

NY-based photographer Richard Renaldi embarked on his “Touching Strangers” project in 2007, in which he has complete strangers pose together for an affectionate portrait. Since then he’s set up his 8x10 view camera in cities across the U.S. and asked passersby to interact as though they were close friends or loved ones.

The photo reflector is an affordable, easy-to-use device that can make a big difference in your images by diffusing harsh light and filling in shadows. In the video below, photographer Aaron Nace demonstrates why he says “every photographer should have at least one reflector in his arsenal.”

In this episode of the Last Frame, Joe Edelman demonstrates how to capture some great fashion photos without a lot of expensive gear. As he explains in the video below, all you need is a single strobe, a 50mm lens, and a couple “gobos” or light modifiers you can easily make yourself.