Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
OnPortraits.com was built to fulfill a positive mission: I want to give you actionable tips and tactics so you can create the portrait photographs you want.
But I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, and I want to talk about 4 things I truly hate about portrait photography in 2019.
You might well have heard of Sophia, a humanoid robot built by Hong Kong-based company Hanson Robotics. Although she’s not a human, she resembles one in more than just facial features. She interacts with people, she can reportedly recognize faces, and she can mimic 62 human facial expressions. So how do you photograph something (or someone) that so closely resembles a human, yet isn’t actually a real human?
Italian-born photographer Giulio Di Sturco had a chance to take portraits of this humanoid robot and her expressive silicone face. But even more than that: he was granted exclusive permission to explore the story behind Sophia and the lab where she was made.
Are you a portrait photographer in search of a 2019 New Year’s resolution?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really stressed over the prospect of another year of not reaching my photography goals.
Catchlights may be a small detail, but they’re very important in portrait photography. In this video from Light Club, you will learn why these little reflections of light are so essential and what they can do to make your portraits more powerful and help you send a message.
Jedi mind tricks are not just for Jedi.
They’re for you too.
Us portrait photographers face a difficult mission.
We must form instant connections with our subjects.
Have you ever photographed someone with whom you just can’t click?
I have, and it sucks.
To avoid awkward suckiness , I recommend using some of these handy Jedi mind tricks.
She came in for her senior session. Her hair was a mess of tangled waves, unruly and uncooperative. Her face was covered with freckles and dotted with acne. She wasn’t model proportions and the clothing she wore required careful adjustment to keep it from bunching up in places.
She was sweet and shy, a girl not used to attention being focused on herself. But 10 minutes into her session, the shyness wore off, leaving behind a girl full of life and laughter. The session ended, she came back for her screening and the order went into production.
There probably aren’t very many of us who haven’t heard of Vivian Maier, a street photographer whose work was discovered accidentally after it was sold at an auction. But she is not the only photographer whose marvelous work would be discovered only after her death.
In 2017, Asya Ivashintsova-Melkumyan found a dusty box of 30,000 negatives in the attic of her home in Pushkin, Saint Petersburg. They belonged to her mother, Masha Ivashintsova, who took the photos between 1960 and 1999. Masha rarely showed her work to anyone, so Asya developed the films and what she discovered was astounding. A collection of poetic, documentary, emotional and gloomy photos documenting Masha’s life, and the time in which she lived.
No matter what genre of photography you’re into, I’m sure you have your favorite lens(es). Manny Ortiz does mainly portrait and has two lenses he’d recommend to any portrait photographer out there. The 50mm and the 85mm are his lenses of choice, and he explains why he thinks every portrait photographer should own them. Let’s see if you agree.
As a photographer, I’m asked to do some strange things sometimes, and I’m always up for the challenge!
I started getting into photography 3 years ago when my wife told me she wanted some good photos of our kids as they were growing up. She got me a Samsung NX500 camera and I fall in love with photography, teaching myself everything I know from watching YouTube videos.
I’ve done weddings, engagements, maternity, newborns, seniors, family’s, kids, products, businesses, and fashion. Most of what I do includes portraits.
I’m always pushing myself to try new things and I love to be challenged. I’ve found that experience is the best way to learn. So when someone asks me to do something I’ve never done before, I jump right in!
I focus my lens not on the forms but on the life that animates them. That’s what attracts me. If this triggers something in you, read on.
On December 20, 2011, exactly five years ago, I shot the first picture of my lucky series “Portraits In Silence”.
At the time, I wasn’t completely aware of being at a big turning point in my way of shooting pictures. I just followed my gut. Up until then, I used to have two very different approaches depending on the type of picture I was working on.
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
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