Basic Concepts
Home › Portraiture › [Division (linked)]
Training Articles
Behind the Shot: Diamond Ring
Diamond Ring August 21, 2017 Total Solar Eclipse, Marble, North CarolinaBehind the Shot The first time I heard about it was in early July. "Hey, you planning on taking any pictures of the solar eclipse next month?" a friend asked as I was packing up after the...
Photograph Back-lit Leaves!
In this guest article, Hannah Jones shares some ways you can photograph back-lit leaves:Because I don't have much fancy equipment, I'm always looking for creative ways to use what I have. One day I saw this simple, but brilliant idea that I could even use with my...
Videos
Using Forced Perspective as an Artistic Composition Technique
https://youtu.be/B1hLZbR3oVA Summary What is forced perspective? Forced perspective is making objects in a photo that relate to each other appear larger or smaller, closer or farther than they really are. It's usually used to create an optical illusion,...
How to Safely Move a Lightroom Catalog to an External Hard Drive
https://youtu.be/p_gxAmA4CSI If you want to move a Lightroom catalog off of your computer and onto an external hard drive (or to any other location on your computer, for that matter), here's how I would do it, keeping my typical backup process in mind. Summary Need...
How To Permanently Apply SafeSearch While Browsing Pixabay.com
https://youtu.be/qr1O1RBI_z8 If you're like me, and you prefer to search for photos on image database websites without being exposed to adult content, here's how to do it on www.pixabay.com! It's not as intuitive as you might think. A snippet from Photo Critique...
Crazy Photography Camping Trip!
https://youtu.be/VmUrjWWgLQU This was one, legit camping trip!! The fact that I don't normally have all the time in the world to just spend a few days doing nothing but landscape photography, meant that I was totally unprepared for it. But still, I wanted to make...
Photo Critique with Lenspiration #20 (demo)
https://youtu.be/olshvsxHfMY Ever wondered what you'd learn if you got one of your photos critiqued? Here's what 8 different photographers learned from the 9 photos they submitted!
Step By Step, How To Focus In The Dark (demo)
https://youtu.be/Hr2jm27Vfyc This is really important for night photography! Never shoot an out-of-focus picture again using simple steps for either automatically or manually focusing in the dark. A snippet from the Lenspiration Photography Q&A Webinar #20....
How the “Lighten” Blend Mode Works (demo)
https://youtu.be/gfZtI0kiLbc When it comes to merging photos for collages or special effects, there's no better friend than the "Lighten" Blend Mode! Learn how to use it! It's super easy. A snippet from the Lenspiration Photography Q&A Webinar #20....
Old Schoolhouse Magazine Cover Photo Submissions Critique (Video)
You've submitted your photos for the cover of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, now let's critique them. This video covers how I narrowed down all your submissions to only the best, how I edited those shots, how I critiqued of my own schoolhouse submissions, and the...
Blog Posts
On Assignment: Multi-Generational Family
Buried deep in the work of finalizing brand new Lenspiration photography courses, James' voice came over the phone, "You know, it would be really helpful if you could shoot the demonstration video this month". When I heard the details of the new assignment, I got...
Creative Posing Ideas
Follow along behind the scenes as James photographed the "Creative Posing" Shoot to Serve Assignment. The purpose of this assignment was two-fold: helping introverted photographers break out of our mold, and learning the intricacies of a single pose.
5 Quick Tips for Getting Real Smiles
In this guest blog post, professional portrait photographer Mary Neiman shares tips on getting genuine expressions on your clients' faces.
How to Make the Background Blurry
Background blur eliminates distractions, creates depth, and makes the person’s face stand alone from it’s surroundings. A combination of the four elements laid out in this post will get you good results every time!
Getting Started in Portraiture
5 quick tips to keep in mind when you're getting started in portraiture.
How to Take Good Pictures of Children
Four tips to keep in mind when photographing children.
Forums
How to blur the backround in a family picture
Hi, I am going to take some family pictures next week and I am wondering how to blur the background in group picture while getting everybody tack sharp? How do you get a blurred-background family photo when the group covers most of the frame in the photo? I hope...
REALLY focusing on eyes
I'm learning about focus points (yikes! Why didn't someone tell me before?! They're awesome! :D) But I'm kind of confused now about focusing on eyes - I've always heard that I should 'focus on the eyes,' but you can only select one focus point, right? Does that...
General Topics
Basic Concepts
Principles of portraiture, general tips, getting started
Lighting
Natural lighting, studio lighting, low-light situations, speedlights, reflectors
Business Aspects
Client interaction, contracts & pricing, websites & portfolio
Camera & Lenses
Brands, specs, upgrading
Photo Editing
Editing principles, sorting & organizing photos, Lightroom & Photoshop specifics
Biblical Perspective
Dealing with fear, establishing standards, developing a servant's heart
Sharing Photos
Watermarks, image quality, printing, delivery to clients