DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

Search

Submit A Story

studio portrait

Here’s what happens when AI writes your photoshoot setup

by 2 Comments

Here at DIYP, we’ve had a lot of fun playing with ChatGPT and asking it all sorts of stuff. Udi asked it to make a PRD for a perfect mirrorless camera, with some interesting results. I recently started testing it for crochet patterns and I have yet to make some stuff from AI-generated instructions. But worry not, the articles are still 100% human-generated. :)

Photographer Gavin Hoey wanted to know if ChatGPT could write a video script in his own style and give him instructions for a photoshoot. In this fun video from Adorama TV, Gavin shows you what the chatbot came up with.

[Read More…]

Lighting setup: How to make projection backgrounds

by 2 Comments

I’ve been using projectors in my photoshoots for many, many years now and I’ve been writing about how to utilise the power of projectors in your shoots for nearly as long too.

As I’ve always said, I believe projectors to be one of the most versatile and creative tools we have at our disposal today and they’re becoming more and more accessible as each year passes. So why don’t we see more of them in photoshoots?

[Read More…]

Follow these five tips to make your first studio shoot less scary

by Add Comment

If you’re used to natural lighting, photographing in a studio for the first time can be overwhelming. If you don’t have a place to play and experiment with artificial lighting, shooting in a studio for the first time is quite intimidating.

But hold on, don’t be afraid. Take a deep breath, relax, and watch this video from  Kayleigh June. In the video, she gives you five excellent tips that will make your first studio visit a way more pleasant, relaxed, and enjoyable experience.

[Read More…]

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

by 1 Comment

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.

[Read More…]

How to take creative portraits with Plexiglas and a single light

by 1 Comment

There are numerous setups you can create with just one light and take stunning portrait photos. Well, unless you’re in this unilluminable room. But if you add a sheet of Plexiglas and some water to the equation, the possibilities for creative portraits largely expand.

In this video from Adorama, Pye Jirsa shares a simple setup that will get you tons of creative studio portraits. With just one strobe, some Plexi, and a spray bottle, he builds up the set to show you how to take interesting foreground bokeh portraits.

[Read More…]

Create magic with this 3 light gelled portrait set-up

by 1 Comment

Studio photography can be so creative. All you need is a subject and a light. But after you’ve mastered one light, the possibilities are endless. Ohio-based fashion photographer Ron Hautau created this striking series of coloured portraits using nothing more than a black background, 3 lights and some coloured gels. He explained to DIYP how he did it.

[Read More…]

Create striking portraits like these using a hat as a gobo

by Add Comment

If you didn’t already know, the term Gobo is an acronym that literally means ‘Goes Before Optics’. What does that mean then exactly? Well, it’s simply something that goes in front of a light source, casting a shadow or pattern. This ingenious portrait series by Spanish photographer Alfredo González uses a hat as a gobo. Here’s how he shot it.

[Read More…]

Lighting setup: Combining hard and soft light

by Add Comment

Trigger Warning: Yes these shots are of a young lady in her underwear and no that is certainly not necessary for this setup to work. Truth be told; we were working on a separate shoot and model, Grace kindly allowed me to quickly grab some of these shots to illustrate this article and lighting concept for you. The simple shots here are really only to show the lighting technique behind combining hard and soft light and what benefits it can have. Once you understand the reasoning and benefits of lighting in this way, you’ll quickly realise just how far you can take it and how versatile it can be.

Like I mentioned, this hard-&-soft-light-combined is a very simplistic concept at its core and once you see it in practice, you’ll quickly see how you can develop it further with other modifiers and setups. So although I don’t use this particular method myself any more today, I used it a ton when I started to play with it many years ago for headshots and hair campaigns. To understand the benefits of lighting with hard and soft light combined, let’s first look at what isolated hard and soft light means to us as portrait photographers.

[Read More…]

Lighting setup: Classic editorial portrait lighting

by Add Comment

There will always be ‘classics’ in any industry. Sure these classics may not turn heads or make the headlines and they may even take a dip in popularity for a while, but these ‘classics’ will always be a timeless safe bet.

Fashion has its ‘little black dress’ and ‘tan trench coat’, cooking has its lasagne, burger, pizza, and many, many more. They’re always going to be winners in most peoples eyes and they’re as popular today as they were years ago, plus they will undoubtedly be popular for many years to come.

[Read More…]

Have you tried this unusual way of using a beauty dish?

by Add Comment

One of my favorite things to do is using gear, props, or arts & crafts materials in unconventional ways. It often gives unexpectedly good results and you come up with some great new techniques. This is what Miguel Quiles does in his latest video. He uses a beauty dish in a way most of us probably wouldn’t, and he ends up with fantastic results.

[Read More…]

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts