Professional Portraits – Quick Tips
August 14th, 2009
Use Window Light - What’s the easiest way to get professional looking light? Simple: Pose your model next to a big window during the daytime. In this case, Jordan is standing next to a large window. Large windows act like expensive professional photography soft-boxes – but you don’t have to cart around bulky equipment, or break your wallet.
Frame Your Subject – Be on the lookout for creative ways to frame your subject. In this case, I used the lines in the background to create an attractive frame for the portrait. Simple and effective.
Use What You Have – It’s easy to get caught up in gear lust, but you can get a shot like the first with a used DSLR and a $100 lens.
Gear – Nikon D80 (my backup camera), Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 lens. Just window light for the top image. The second shot utilized a strip soft box bounced off a mirror behind the model, and an SB-600 shot through an umbrella for the key light.
Models: Jordan, Kali
Stylists: Kristopherson Sloan / Studio Nine, Alicia Poppinga / The Electric Chair Salon