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Stop blaming your subjects for blinking in photos; it’s your fault

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Blinking is a problem that every photographer deals with and while it frustrates many, most photographers come up with little tricks to avoid the blinks, but even those tricks aren’t fool proof and usually don’t account for the real reason the blinks are happening in the first place.

So right out of the box — I want to debunk a common misconception. When you are shooting with flash — doesn’t matter if we are talking speedlight or studio strobes — the flash does NOT cause the blink that you photograph. It very likely does cause your subject to blink — but that blink happens AFTER the shutter closes.

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Stop making these three mistakes and you’ll become a better portrait photographer

I’ve said it before and you’ll sure hear me say it again: we all make mistakes. They are an integral part of the learning process, so we can’t really do without them… But, the sooner you stop making the same mistakes all over again, the sooner you’ll improve. In this video, Eli Infante talks about three common mistakes he used to make and you probably make them, too. But as soon as you overcome them, you’ll raise your portrait photography to a much higher level.

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These eight portrait mistakes are so common, but so simple to fix

When taking photos, it’s good to know what you should so, but it’s equally important to know what to avoid. In this video, Karl Taylor discusses eight things that we should avoid in portrait photography, yet we do them so often. Luckily, they’re easy to fix, so check out the video and make sure to have them in mind at your next shoot.

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Follow these tips to take NatGeo worthy portraits

We all know that striking portraits require more than good lighting and an interesting face you’ll photograph. You want to add life and soul of the person that you’re photographing. Marc Silber of Advancing Your Photography spoke to National Geographic photographer Bob Holmes about this topic. In this short video chat, Bob analyzes some of his own images and gives you plenty of tips for raising your own portraits on a higher level.

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Catchlights 101: Why they matter and how to get them right

The eyes are the window to one’s soul. What truly brings out the eyes in your portraits is a small, yet important detail: catchlights. In this short but very informative video, Joe Edelman takes you through the basics of catchlights – the psychology and science behind them, their importance, as well as plenty of useful tips to get them right and make the best out of your portraits.

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Photographers Code: why you should NEVER interfere with another photographer’s shoot

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If you haven’t heard about this situation, then you might just lose your temper now.

So a couple was having their wedding shoot with their professional photographer.

Photographer Alex Stemplewski , who’s a big TikTok star, barges in and asks if he can shoot portraits of the couple.

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Five photography tips you’ll wish someone told you sooner

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There are plenty of tips and tricks that will help you get better shots. But here are five lesser known, yet amazing tricks for all portrait photographers out there. In this video, Miguel Quiles gives you five tips that will take your portraits to a whole new level. And once you try them out, you’ll wish someone told you about them sooner.

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How Bella Kotak takes you on a magical journey with her dreamy images

If you are a fan of dreamy, whimsical images, you’re probably familiar with Bella Kotak‘s work. She creates her own fantasy scenes and stories that take you into magical worlds when you look at them. Thanks to SmugMug Films, we can take a peek behind Bella’s dreamlike worlds and find out more about how she creates them and what stands behind her inspiration and ideas.

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Dear introverted photographers, here are five tips for successfully working with people

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If you’re an introvert, you may find it very difficult and even exhausting to work with people. Naturally, it makes it more difficult to work as a photographer in certain genres. But there are ways to deal with it. In this video,teams up with fellow YouTuber, photographer, and introvert Taylor Jackson. They share some tips for all you introverted photographers to help you work with people and feel less awkward.

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Portraits of Honor: photographing the last of the WWII veterans

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This is a year for monumental anniversaries of events in American history—particularly the WWII 75th anniversaries of the D-Day invasion, Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge. With those in mind, I started a project in April photographing WWII veterans, knowing that the numbers still surviving are dropping rapidly each day.

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