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Take the best photos this fall with the fall foliage prediction map for 2022

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The moment September came, my hometown entered the full-blown autumn mode. It’s been raining for two days now and the temperature suddenly dropped from the tropical 40 to the maximum of 18°C. But you know what it means? The sun will shine again, Indian summer will come, and the surroundings will be colored in the wonderful, warm tones of falling leaves.

Portrait, wedding, and landscape photographers particularly like this time of the year. And to make your planning easier and your photo shoot perfectly timed, SmokyMountains.com’s fall foliage prediction map for 2022 is here.

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Annie Leibovitz under fire for “poorly lit” photos of Black skin… Again

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Vogue recently hired famous photographer Annie Leibovitz to take photos of the United States Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. As perhaps we could have expected after those Simone Biles photos, people were all over Leibovitz over “poorly lit” images.

Many have criticized the photographer over the “poor” lighting of Jackson’s brown skin. Some attempted to “fix” the photos and relight them. And some went as far as claiming that Leibovitz should not be allowed to photograph Black people.

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Five tips for stunning portraits in harsh midday sun

If there’s anything we can expect outside every day, all day, it’s the sunshine. I don’t know about you guys, but I haven’t seen a single cloud in over a month. When you want to take photos on hot summer days, early morning or late afternoon are certainly the best options. But sometimes you just can’t choose, and the harsh midday sun is the only lighting you’re left with.

The sweat stains you get from the scorching midday sun aren’t the only unflattering thing it gives you. It’s also the worst portrait lighting you can imagine. However, there are ways to work with it and still get some awesome portraits. And in this video from Adorama, Gavin Hoey will give you as many as five ways to do it.[Read More…]

This is how you use a light meter properly – they’re really not that difficult or scary

While they were once a fixture in every studio and photographer’s gear bag, light meters seem to have fallen out of fashion ever since digital photography came along. And while it’s true that we now have a lot more options for exposing our shots, the humble light meter can still play a very valuable role in nailing the shot quickly and consistently.

The cost of messing up the exposure of a shot, twiddling some dials and shooting another isn’t as expensive as it was in the film days, light meters can still save you a lot of time and hassle. And in this great video, Daniel Norton walks us through how to use a light meter, along with some tips and tricks to make your life a little easier when using one.

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Ukraine’s First Lady sparks Sit like a girl photo trend after Vogue cover shoot

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Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska has sparked an online trend of women sitting in a traditionally masculine pose. The trend is hashtagged “Sit like a girl” after  Zelenska was featured sitting in this position on the cover of Vogue.

The image was shot by Annie Leibovitz and shows her seated on some steps, front facing the camera, legs apart, elbows resting on knees. The stance apparently provoked a wave of criticism that it wasn’t ladylike enough for a leader’s wife. However, Zelenska is no ordinary woman.

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How to shoot portraits in natural light and enhance them with LED lights

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The vast majority of us learn photography with the aid of natural light. Whether we started years ago with our parent’s film camera, or whether you found your passion for photography thanks to your smartphone, natural light was most likely the sole source of light in your shots.

For many, making that first step into the world of controlling the light can be a daunting one. Which light should I use and how do I learn to use it? Regardless of whatever light you choose though, one of the simplest first steps, is to use that supplemental light in conjunction with natural light and in this article I aim to show you a simple method of combining your lights with the ever-faithful natural light.

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How to use a ring light with colourful backdrops for amazing portraits

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I share a lot of lighting setups on here and every time I do, not only am I trying to share something unique, but I’m also trying to share something that’s practical and easy to implement for as many people as possible.

For the most part, I think I achieve that and although not everybody has access to all the kit I do, I still believe that certain elements of every setup I share are accessible by all. This is me trying to soften the blow of this week’s setup, as although not everybody will own all of this kit, cheap alternatives are viable and failing that, at least the DIY background and basic lighting principles involved are very much achievable by all. As always, if you have any questions about any of it, don’t hesitate to drop them down below.

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Five tips to improve your backlit portraits on location

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I don’t know about you, but for me, backlighting a subject – especially on location – is one of the things I love to use and experiment with during portrait sessions. Whether it’s the nice bright clear sun producing a glowy halo or you’re faking it with a strobe, it’s a great way to add some interest and drama into a portrait. They can be very easy to mess up and not get the results you were expecting, though.

In this video, Julia Trotti walks us through her top five tips for shooting backlit portraits using the natural light approach. And as well as talking about the ways to shoot with backlight on location, she also points out some of the pitfalls of using the sun as a backlight and how not to shoot it so you can learn to not mess it up.

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Striking photo of tribal warriors wins 2022 International Portrait Photographer of the Year

The International Portrait Photographer of the Year has announced its 2022 winners. The overall prize has been awarded to Jatenipat Ketpradit from Thailand. His striking image shows warriors from a remote Ethiopian tribe.

I personally find portrait photography to be one of the most difficult genres. But at the same time, as a viewer, I find it to be one of my favorites. So whether you’re looking for inspiration for your own work or just enjoy looking at stunning portrait photos – let’s take a walk through this year’s winners of the International Portrait Photographer of the Year.

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How to create studio lighting setup for these futuristic neon portraits [mildly NSFW]

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When you start using artificial lighting, it’s like a door to a whole new world opens up in front of you. There are so many different looks that you can achieve by just playing with the lights and their color, position, and intensity.

If you’d like to add some color to your portrait, gels are your “weapon of choice.” Mexican photographer Edgar Salgado gladly uses them in his work, and he shared with us his setup for two-colored portraits that look like they come from a future… Or a synthwave album.

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