Portrait Photography
Since its inception, the a7R series has been a mainstay of portrait photographers, for whom its high-resolution imagery benefitted large-scale prints in fashion, beauty, and art contexts. With the release of the a7R VI Mirrorless Camera, Sony has introduced speed into the portraitist's toolkit, eliminating the tradeoff between resolution and processing and making the act of portraiture one of agility and discovery.
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“Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night!” That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture for more than 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live.
Above Photograph © Mary Ellen Matthews
As this illustrious broadcast wraps its 51st season, we’re releasing an encore of our 2025 chat with SNL’s photographer-in-residence Mary Ellen Matthews, while we busy ourselves backstage to bring you some exciting
Who doesn’t want to capture fun and creative portraits of our four-legged friends? We know we love it. In fact, pet photography may just be the most popular form of photography there is. Think of all the smartphone snaps of yawns, big stretches, and funny moments we all take of our cats, dogs, chinchillas, and beyond.
Quick snaps aside, you know what really ups the quality of our pet portraits? Lighting. Just as with any form of portrait, lighting unlocks possibilities that can be impossible without it. But what lighting system should we use?
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You can take portraits with what you have available, even if it's your smartphone and natural light. Composition, angles, and directing have a huge impact on the quality of your photo. However, if you're ready to invest in some gear, Juan shares his camera and lighting recommendations.
0:00 - In This Video
0:34 - Beginner Portrait Photography
4:19 - Mid-Level
8:12 - Professional Portraits 101
12:10 - Outro
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Using RGB lighting can help bring out the story in your image. Visual storyteller and founder of the Know Your Dope agency, Ricky Shoebio, discusses how he uses different colorful lights for more dynamic portraits.
0:00 - Intro
2:12 - About Ricky
4:24 - Purpose & use
7:29 - Color for character
16:05 - Post production
18:59 - Color & accent
25:43 - Ricky's Four Pillars of RGB Lighting
35:24 - Closing
Sponsored by
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Paul Mobley and Ian Spanier have much in common: from starting their respective careers in New York City before relocating to the West Coast, to their knack for forging a human bond with portrait subjects, to an unrelenting drive to generate ambitious commercial assignments while being equally dedicated to complex personal projects.
Above Photograph © Ian Spanier
In today’s podcast, Paul and Ian compare notes on their photographic journeys from coast to coast, while discussing their shared inspiration for 20th century portrait masters such as
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Photographer Marina Williams, known for her colorful and creative portraits, had the opportunity to test the Canon EOS R6 Mark III. Marina reflects on her creative journey and explains why the EOS R6 Mark III is a worthwhile upgrade for photographers.
0:00 - Intro
0:45 - About Marina
8:40 - Creative direction & styling
13:38 - Get variety & posing
16:03 - Marina's work today
18:39 - Upgrading to the Canon EOS R6 Mk III
20:39 -
Good lighting is essential to creating a strong, visually pleasing image. This is as true for naturally lit outdoor shots as it is for studio portraits. For individual or even couples portraits, many photographers make use of on-camera flash or compact, battery-powered strobes to supplement natural light and fill shadows, but how do we situate these in the scene? What light shaping tools should we use? Groups alone can be tricky for a plethora of reasons. Whether it be getting everyone to smile, getting kids to look at the camera, or the
Family portraits are a great way to capture a moment in your family’s history. You may find yourself wanting to capture family photos every few years or so, more often when the little ones are, well, little. Maybe you’re looking for a way to take matters into your own hands, or maybe you’ve been taking your own family photos for years and have found yourself being asked to take photos of friends, family members, or even paying clients.
Family portraits can be a lot of fun to shoot. Maybe you’ve been taking photos of your kids and want to
Photographing pets is something you likely do daily, whether it be with a phone or a dedicated camera. I don’t know about you, but I have thousands of pics of my pup filling up my photos app. After all, pets are part of the family, and we want to capture them in the best possible light. In this quick guide, we’re going to look at 10 ways you can improve your pet photography with practical creative tips and techniques as well as gear.
1. Get to your pet’s level. If there’s one trick to make your images more engaging, it’s to physically shoot
Photography is, by definition, the capture of light on a light sensitive surface. Exactly what kind of light this is in reference to is up to you as the photographer. When we think of lighting for photography we may immediately conjure up images of on-camera speedlights or big studio lights with soft boxes atop towering light stands.
While these lights can give us control over our scene in a variety of lighting conditions, they're not the only way we can light our images. Natural and ambient lighting can be harnessed to dramatic effect, if we
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Can photographers blend the worlds of digital and film in portraiture? Join Lotta to learn how the medium-format Hasselblad 907x allows you to have the best of both words, using the CFV 100C and 500C backs.
0:00 - Swedish Design Philosophy
0:26 - Digital Medium Format
1:17 - How the Camera Feels/Handling
1:41 - Digital Film Hybrid
3:41 - Tethering
4:12 - Setting up the Film
6:04 - Film Photos
6:42 - XCD Lenses
7:53 - Final Thoughts
Sponsored by
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It's time to ditch the mirror selfie and to get creative with your self-portraiture. But how can you take self-portraits by yourself and remain in focus? Sam answers that question and more in this tutorial!
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - Tripod
0:22 - Focusing
1:11 - Tethering
1:45 - Shooting Mode & Timer
2:04 - The Creative Part
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In this in-depth session, Sarah Edmunds will take you behind the scenes of her most captivating portrait shots, revealing the exact lighting setups and techniques she used to create them.
0:00 - Intro
2:34 - Camera & lighting gear used
6:48 - Why is lighting important
7:11 - The 3 Ds
7:58 - Feathering
8:53 - One lighting setup
19:19 - Two lighting setup
23:40 - Three lighting setup
27:56 - Four lighting setup
28:52 - Projector attachments
35:05 - Using gels
38:24 - High contrast
41:13 - Other lighting setup
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“Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night!” That single sentence has become a catchphrase for devotees of comedy and popular culture over the past 50 years—generations of fans who willingly turn their attentions from the height of weekend revelry to the televised antics of Saturday Night Live. Week in, week out for more than two decades, a single photographer has conjured visual magic behind the scenes, creating inventive and irreverent portraits that air for three seconds each as so-called “bumpers” that transition to and from the show’s