Portrait Photography How To

Back in the “old days” of film photography, soft-focus portraits were either achieved using lenses that were not nearly as sharp as those we have today, or with more invasive measures like scratching the front element of a lens. 

New York photographer Brandon Woelfel is a force to be reckoned with on Instagram, with a unique shooting style and over a million followers. Last week we shared a free Lightroom preset to give your images the “Brandon Woelfel Effect,” and in the video below you’ll learn how to mimic his style in camera.

Whether you’re shooting indoor portraits by window light or using available light outdoors, an inexpensive reflector is one of best tools for dramatically improving your results. In the five-minute video below, photographer Mark Cleghorn demonstrates everything you need to know to get the job done.

Now that we’re officially in the throes of summer, there’s a good chance you may confront the challenge of making a decent photograph of someone with a serious case of sunburn. You can take the sting out of this task by watching the simple Photoshop tutorial below.

A tutorial we shared yesterday suggested that one way to increase your creativity is to ignore focal length rules and “think differently” when choosing a lens for various types of photography. In the video below, photographer/educator Mark Wallace demonstrates why there’s more than one perfect lens for portraiture.

Everyone knows that shooting during the sweet light of  “golden hour” makes for better landscape and nature images. But in this tutorial from innovative photographer Manny Ortiz you’ll learn how to take great portraits when the sun is low in the sky.

There’s no better way to glean a bit of inspiration than by listening to a legendary photographer reveal the secrets behind his success. In this fascinating video from Canon USA, celebrity shooter Douglas Kirkland discusses his heralded career and explains why his iconic portraits are so compelling.