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24thNomad · 04-03-2018, 07:11 AM

Hello there,

I have been a hobbyist for about 4 years now and after the encouragement of a lot of friends, decided to try this professionally. I landed a contract with a local media agency that connects freelancers to local newspapers and it's been a lot of fun. I continue to meet people and network and I keep noticing something.A lot of people need portraits. This wasn't part of my original focus but I accepted that freelancing meant I'd like to have to focus on people as subjects (I prefer landscape and architecture) more than I am used to. So I have an immediate need to improve my portrait skills. I was wondering if anyone had any resources I could check out. Books, videos, whatever. I just want to up my portrait game since it's such a common request. I appreciate any sincere and serious replies. Thank you for your time!

**geomez** · 04-03-2018, 08:39 AM - **1 Like**

There's an absolute ton or great resources on youtube.

AndrewN · 04-03-2018, 10:18 AM - **1 Like**

I found this quite useful when I was starting off taking portraits.
6 simple lighting setups for shooting portraits at home (plus free cheat sheet) | TechRadar

24thNomad · 04-03-2018, 10:24 AM

Originally posted by AndrewN

I found this quite useful when I was starting off taking portraits.
6 simple lighting setups for shooting portraits at home (plus free cheat sheet) | TechRadar

I'm gonna check that out; thanks for that link! Seems like that's just about what I'm looking for.

tuco · 04-03-2018, 11:31 AM - **2 Likes**

Practice is going to be your most valuable resource.

murrelet · 04-03-2018, 01:56 PM - **1 Like**

I've been honing my portrait photography lately as well. YouTube has some great channels. Although how the presenters vary in styles and may not suit your taste (for example, grating voices or cheesy music). I'm gotten a lot out of Joe Edelman's channel.

R. Wethereyet · 06-28-2018, 03:36 PM

B&H, Adorama both have great channels on YouTube with content related to portraiture. There are also some low cost video courses on Portraiture to be found on www.udemy.com as well. The cost ranges from $15-$45 or so. Pick up a copy of Peter Hurley's "The Headshot" - although specifically about headshot photography, he gets into the psychology of directing people in front of the camera which you will find useful. ... Best of Luck!

aaacb · 06-28-2018, 07:03 PM

A lot of focus in tutorials is on lighting (gear and arrangements), a lot less on getting something more from your model than a blank stare, unless that is intentional. Not saying technique should be skipped or ignored... but my experience is that lighting technique is the easier part, especially with amateurs, both the photographer and the model, as in my case.

About gear, manual flash works fine for me and it's quite easy to tune the exposure just with trial and error with digital preview shots. I'm saying this because external flash meters are very expensive.

04-03-2018, 07:11 AM	#1
24thNomad Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 66	Portrait Photography Hello there, I have been a hobbyist for about 4 years now and after the encouragement of a lot of friends, decided to try this professionally. I landed a contract with a local media agency that connects freelancers to local newspapers and it's been a lot of fun. I continue to meet people and network and I keep noticing something.A lot of people need portraits. This wasn't part of my original focus but I accepted that freelancing meant I'd like to have to focus on people as subjects (I prefer landscape and architecture) more than I am used to. So I have an immediate need to improve my portrait skills. I was wondering if anyone had any resources I could check out. Books, videos, whatever. I just want to up my portrait game since it's such a common request. I appreciate any sincere and serious replies. Thank you for your time!

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04-03-2018, 08:39 AM - 1 Like	#2
geomez Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Roanoke, Virginia, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,760	There's an absolute ton or great resources on youtube.

04-03-2018, 10:18 AM - 1 Like	#3
AndrewN Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Derby Photos: Gallery Posts: 41	I found this quite useful when I was starting off taking portraits. 6 simple lighting setups for shooting portraits at home (plus free cheat sheet) \| TechRadar

04-03-2018, 10:24 AM	#4
24thNomad Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Detroit, MI Posts: 66 Original Poster	Originally posted by AndrewN I found this quite useful when I was starting off taking portraits. 6 simple lighting setups for shooting portraits at home (plus free cheat sheet) \| TechRadar I'm gonna check that out; thanks for that link! Seems like that's just about what I'm looking for.

04-03-2018, 11:31 AM - 2 Likes	#5
tuco Pentaxian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pugetopolis Posts: 11,032	Practice is going to be your most valuable resource.

04-03-2018, 01:56 PM - 1 Like	#6
murrelet Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Portland, OR, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 506	I've been honing my portrait photography lately as well. YouTube has some great channels. Although how the presenters vary in styles and may not suit your taste (for example, grating voices or cheesy music). I'm gotten a lot out of Joe Edelman's channel.

06-28-2018, 03:36 PM	#7
R. Wethereyet Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Alberta, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 126	B&H, Adorama both have great channels on YouTube with content related to portraiture. There are also some low cost video courses on Portraiture to be found on www.udemy.com as well. The cost ranges from $15-$45 or so. Pick up a copy of Peter Hurley's "The Headshot" - although specifically about headshot photography, he gets into the psychology of directing people in front of the camera which you will find useful. ... Best of Luck!

06-28-2018, 07:03 PM	#8
aaacb Pentaxian Join Date: May 2016 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,726	A lot of focus in tutorials is on lighting (gear and arrangements), a lot less on getting something more from your model than a blank stare, unless that is intentional. Not saying technique should be skipped or ignored... but my experience is that lighting technique is the easier part, especially with amateurs, both the photographer and the model, as in my case. About gear, manual flash works fine for me and it's quite easy to tune the exposure just with trial and error with digital preview shots. I'm saying this because external flash meters are very expensive.

Portrait Photography

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