Tutorials Archives

It is easy to pay attention only to the family and statue, but it’s equally important to remember the trees and sky in the background. I don’t mind making the statue less visible here because the focus is the family. But without them, I wouldn’t like the separation from the trees. Clutter is a pain you might not notice until you see an image on a larger screen. Step 3 helps you avoid this!

Edit: Dang it, I’ve just one-upped on the speedy portrait end by Strobist and Robert Seal. ha ha. Totally not planned by me!

While you take a break from reading tweets about Kanye’s Swift downfall (I used to write headlines for a living … ), feel free to check out a few shots I took for a family at The Children’s Park in Tyler, Texas. It was a fun shoot, which had to be quick to hold the children’s attention. Knowing a few things can definitely help!
(more…)

I didn’t really have a picture available for this tutorial,
so I’ll just share a cute picture of Simon, instead.

Of all the things there are to concentrate on when taking photos, I think I’ve found focus to be the most maddening. My eyes — even with glasses or contacts — are not too trustworthy. And it’s painful when I pull up an otherwise perfect shot on my computer and see that it’s out of focus. Gah!

Thankfully, there are some easy things you can do to sharpen your knives images that might need a little help. Read below to find out some you can put to use today!
(more…)

Older Lalagray shot I still dig. Circa 2007.

I’ve actually gotten to the point where I’m not sure if I’ve talked about this much, but for me, the most important thing you can hope for in portraiture is to care about your subjects.

Talk to them, get to know them, and don’t just treat them like something to bounce light off of.

What are their stories? What do they like? Hobbies, passions, jobs, schools, pets, relatives, favorite bands and sports. No matter how mundane it seems, even the way they convey this information to you is important. Disarm them. You can do all of this when you are handling details such as lighting levels, angles and such. It’s a great way to keep from boring everyone while fiddling with settings.

You don’t have to be best friends with, or even like, your subjects, but showing a little interest can get the most expression out of those fractions of seconds you capture. Give it a try!

*With apologies to The Shins.

A telephoto lens, and a telephoto lens with a wide-open aperture. Two ways to various levels of blurry background goodness!

I got a good question on my last post about getting that cool blurry background “depth of field” look in pictures. Using a smaller area of focus can really help things stand out in images, and it’s actually an easy look to accomplish.
(more…)

When things get this close, it can be an adventure to get around.

I don’t understand what drives people to give up lungs and bones in order to be half a millimeter closer to on-stage performers, but I know they are very willing to do so. And they deserve it much more than you and I, so get out of the way. Yet, in spite of this mass of crudeness and idiocy, there are actually people who should be up front. And hey, it’s a free country.

So, with that in mind, it behooves photographers to behave themselves and not be rampaging jerkwads while navigating crowds to get the great shots that reside so close to the stage. Having waded through my share of people, I’ve picked up a few tricks to help get by.
(more…)