Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review:Four thirds (17.3x13mm) sensor 16.1 million effective pixels with 4608x3456-pixel output Weather...
Category: Portrait Tools
Zen
I don’t know enough about Zen to write extensively about both Zen and archery, but I do know a little bit about archery because it was a sport I competed in when I was younger. There is little about the mental focus used in archery that I haven’t brought forward to photography, and those precepts [...]
Dummy Stand-In
Nail your lighting down before your portrait subject arrives for the shoot. That may take some time. I like to set aside 90 minutes to prep and take some test shots before a portrait subject arrives. Sometimes I work faster, and sometimes slower and more methodically when setting up. But it always seems to take [...]
Pencil Box
If you decide to store more makeup than just a powder compact and some cotton balls, you should assemble a cosmetic kit for portrait photography. Cosmetic kits come in many expensive and stylish forms, but for photography you don’t need something that’s pretty to look at, just something utilitarian and preferably inexpensive. For a simple [...]
Spray Water Bottle
Speaking of hair, there is an exceptionally easy way to get rid of cowlicks and stray tendrils, or to tighten curls on someone’s head. Simply spray a little water onto their hair. (See Figure 5.31.) Hairspray is an item you definitely want to keep away from your cameras. In any case, male portrait subjects may [...]
Disposable Makeup Tools
As I mentioned, when applying powder makeup to a portrait subject, you want to use disposable makeup applicators. But besides foam swabs and cotton balls, there are other useful items that can be used to primp and alter someone’s appearance. (See Figure 5.28.) Powdered makeup can be easily applied with little, foam, wedge-shaped makeup applicators [...]
Translucent Powder Makeup
If you have little or no experience with makeup, you should buy this one excellent makeup item to use for portrait subjects. I wish I could remember who taught me about translucent powder makeup, long ago, so I could thank them. Skin, under photo lights and without makeup, will tend to shine from the lights’ [...]
Old TV
Now that the digital transition for TV broadcast has taken place, you might find yourself with an old analog TV sitting around unused. If your camera has an analog (NTSC or PAL) video-out port, you can put that old television to good use as a portrait preview device. (See Figure 5.22.) When taking someone’s picture [...]
Breath on a Lens
Soft focus portraits have a sentimental and timeless look. Although soft focus isn’t for everyone’s taste, it’s a look that can add a dreamy quality to portraits and be attractive for a subject. There are many types of soft focus filters for cameras and many of them are excellent. I own several myself and have [...]
Stools
When I’m teaching, I like to have a stool to sit on when I’m not standing or jumping around making a point, and I’m always amazed at the blank looks I get when I ask for one. You may not need one for me, but for portrait photography you should always have two or three [...]
A-Clamps
If you’ve ever used a 9-foot roll of background paper and unrolled it from high up while on a ladder, you may know that as soon as the weight of the paper that’s been dropped down gets heavy enough, it will keep pulling the paper down of its own accord, and you have to quickly [...]
