Stepping in to Wedding Photography

By: Chas Elliott  

Wedding Photography is unique among all other photography mediums. As a professional photographer you have free reign over an incredible event full of emotion, action and beauty. Being able to use your skills to capture these moments forever, and have them be cherished by your clients is an honor wedding photographers take very seriously. It isn’t for the faint of heart. The pressure is as high as the clients expectations, but it can be a very rewarding occupation. For these reasons, wedding photography is quite a competitive field.

Image by forbescreative

With camera equipment simultaneously rising in capabilities and dropping in prices, it means more and more photographers have been able to make the leap from enthusiast to professional. For those already established in the industry, they might resent the added competition and the downward pressure on prices, but for those photographers who have what it takes, now more than ever are opportunities to start the transition into becoming a true professional photographer. In this article I identify 5 things you can do now to prepare yourself to make the leap.

1. Analyzing the Aesthetics

Start comparing your pictures with those of established photographers. Professionals want their work to be seen and are constantly sharing their favorite images. Take advantage of this wonderful free source of knowledge. Scour both web and print sources and learn from the best. In analog style, I recommend starting a physical scrapbook of images you like. Get a few of the jumbo wedding magazines and start ripping it apart. Look for poses and techniques that you’d like to learn to duplicate. If you are more computer oriented, I find having a folder of great pictures I’ve stumbled on a valuable reference. Don’t worry if the pictures seem beyond your level. This will be a process and you’ll advance to higher levels in due time.
Things I look for in photographs:

• Lighting – Pay attention to the quality (harsh/soft), angles, and colors of light used.
• Posing – Posing can be a difficult skill to learn. Some will utilize actual posing more than others depending on your style. As a skill, it can be learned and there is nothing wrong with mimicking poses you’ve see in others work. Remember, artists have been duplicating the human figure for as long as there has been art, so chances are you aren’t stealing a style from anyone still living.
• Capturing the “moment” – Look for the photographs that capture the beautiful simple moments of a wedding day. Often I shoot random happenings that otherwise seem unimpressive, but being able to take photographs that are natural and full of emotion make great and memorable pictures. As easy as this sounds, it takes a keen eye and a quick hand to avoid missing the fleeting moments. This is a must have skill as clients now increasingly seeking out that “wedding photo-journalist” style photography. A little harsh but still an informative read is this article from the well known WPJA on capturing “moments”.

2. Getting the Gear

Invest in high quality glass. Many photographers put excessive weight in the camera body, when the truth is, as a professional photographer you have to expect your camera body to be obsolete in as little as 3 years. Not a pleasant reality. The flip side of the coin is that a good lens will hold its value almost indefinitely. Some lenses have even been known to increase in value. Start slow but buy the good stuff. Your safest bet is to stick with the major manufactures and avoid zoom lenses with constantly varying apertures. Choose lenses that allow you to lock down the aperture to at least a wide f/2.8. Don’t pass out at the total price of your complete kit, instead, build it piece by piece.

3. Building your Portfolio…NOW!

Building a wedding portfolio can be a challenge. Many fine art photographers with incredible skill find it difficult to make the switch into wedding photography simply because their portfolio lacks wedding images. To move past this hurdle you may have to volunteer yourself as a wedding photographer for friends and family. Start getting word out of your ambitions and opportunities will come. If your invited to a wedding, don’t leave your camera at home. Another option is to attend a wedding photography workshop where live models are brought in (often in wedding gowns) for you to practice your techniques on. These are fine to use in your portfolio in the beginning but should be transitioned out as you build a quality gallery of your own unique shots. It’s important that early on you set up some sort of portfolio organization system, ideally with a star ratings. As your pictures improve so should your galleries. Since a photographer should always be improving, this means his public portfolio should never stay static. Save yourself searching through long forgotten events for good images and start organizing your favorites early on.

4. Maximizing your Web Presence

As you build a good portfolio, you need to make it accessible and get your services online. To do this, there is a mind boggling array of options, from completely free to fully custom designed sites. You can find pre-made website templates for photographers that require little changing for about $50 at Template Monster. For more expensive complete turnkey web solutions look to companies like BluDomain or BigFolio. DPS readers can easily add to this list. For a great album generator for showcasing your work I recommend starting with JAlbum. It’s open source, has some incredible skins and best of all it’s free. Other popular online galleries include Zenfolio, Pbase or even Apple’s iWeb.

5. Be Patient and use this Time Wisely

Generating a flow of clients is going to be a slow process. Use the time you have now to get a solid foundation for the busy days down the road. Create a solid package price list and breakdown. Search out vendors you’ll be dealing with for prints, albums and other products. Design some promotional materials you can provide to clients. Research bridal shows in your local markets and most important of all… keep shooting.
Update: Charles has added a second article to this series which is all about Choosing a Lens for Wedding Photography.

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Choosing a Lens for Wedding Photography – Stepping into Wedding Photography Part 2

By: Chas Elliott

Choosing the Right Lenses for Wedding Photography

So you’re serious about stepping into wedding photography, you’ve starting getting experience and your portfolio is growing. Now you want to know what gear the pros are using so you can start building your own formidable wedding arsenal.
The problem is, when researching how to invest that hard earned cash, you get a different answer from as many photographers as you choose to ask. The reason why is simple. There is no perfect wedding kit and every photographer will swear by this lens or that camera body.

Without asserting that it’s the equipment that makes a good photographer, here I hope to present some basic suggestions and let you take it from there. Some of the information I present here is Nikon specific, only because that is what I have experience shooting with. I hope that others will share suggestions in the comments on makes and models not included here.

Choosing a Wedding Portrait Lens

First things first, every wedding photographer needs a good portrait lens.
One of the more technical aspects of portrait photography, and perhaps a new concept for beginners, is the importance of camera-to-subject distance and its relationship with the focal length of your lens. You already know that if you put on a wide-angle lens and shoot your subject up close, it appears enormous in relation to everything in its surroundings. The closer the subject gets to the lens of the camera the more exaggerated this distortion becomes. This phenomenon is sometimes called foreshortening and can be used for some very cool creative effects.
The problem you can run into however is this same effect manifesting itself where you don’t want it. The famous “big nose, tiny ears” look may not go over well with a bride (unless she has a small nose, big ears complex). Even small changes in the position of your camera can change the overall feel of your image.
I came across one scientifically developed study on the topic, which involved showing similar compositions taken at different focal lengths to a sample of reviewers. After filling out a questionnaire on each image, it was discovered that closer portraits gave a subtly more soft and intimate tone, while shots taken at further distance made the subject appear stronger or firm in nature.
There seems to be a sweet spot in which images appear most pleasing to the human eye. So in short, to avoid unwanted foreshortening and achieve natural looking perspectives of facial features or body parts, a good rule of thumb is to try and shoot portraits from a distance of around 3-4 meters or 10-15 feet. (Of coarse when it comes to photography, rules are more like loose guidelines, as you often want to achieve a certain look that falls outside of the norm.)
In order to accomplish this you need a lens with enough magnification to let you stand at least that distance from the subject, but not so far that you have to shout in order to communicate. For 35mm film and full frame cameras, 85mm is often described as the best portrait focal length. Because of the 1.6x crop that occurs with smaller sensor cameras, a small sensor equivalent might be the 50mm lens. This of course all depends on the type of portraiture being taken. Longer focal lengths, all the way up to 200mm are great if you have the room maneuver. Remember, longer focal lengths combined with wide apertures exaggerate the blurred backgrounds that nicely isolate the subject from the distracting background details. Below are a few my personal suggestions. Look for equivalents made by your manufacturer of choice.

Good Wedding Portrait lenses:

Nikon 50mm f/1.8 – US $100
A great lens for an unbeatable price. Every photographer should look into getting this or a similar lens.
Nikon 85mm f/1.4 – US $1000
Considered by some to be the best portrait lens ever made by Nikon. It’s an extremely sharp lens, for both your photos and on your wallet.
Nikon 105mm f/2.8 – US $750
This lens provides a great portrait focal length and has the added ability of taking stunning macro (close-up) shots such as wedding rings, cakes and bouquets.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 – US $1,600
Probably the only telephoto-zoom you’ll ever need. Aside from portraits, for events where you can’t get up close and personal a 200mm lens is crucial.

Choosing your walk-around lens for Wedding Photography

As nice as it would be to shoot with only prime lenses, having 3 cameras around my neck with 3 more lenses attached to my belt isn’t really practical and will only serve to intimidate partygoers. Having a high quality zoom lens makes life much easier and you wont miss any shots messing with your gear. Wide-angle zoom lenses, sometimes also called standard zooms, to the rescue.
I find the best lens for wedding photography to be a lens that covers somewhere around the 20-70mm focal length range with an aperture of f/2.8. This ideal range lets you get wide enough to avoid constantly reaching for a dedicated wide-angle lens and close enough to capture facial emotions in your candid shots. It also doubles as a good lens for portraits. In the end, this type of lens is on my main camera 80% of the day. Again, sorry Canon users but here is a short list for Nikonians to research.
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 – US $1,700
A new lens to Nikon’s lineup, and replaces the 28-70mm lens. It’s compact, very sharp and has a good focal range.
Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 – US $1,400
The previous standard for this type of lens. Built like a tank, but almost as heavy as one too. Not quite as wide as the newer Nikon lens above, but a great lens.
Nikon 17-55mm – f/2.8 – US $1,200
This was Nikons first DX wide-angle zoom that has the needed constant f/2.8 aperture. Its angle of view is great and versatility unbeatable. Having used this lens and loved it, the only caution I would give is to seriously consider your upgrade path ahead. This lens will be at a great disadvantage when mounted on Nikon’s newer full frame bodies at reduced resolution. If you plan to stick with the DX sensor, and word is Nikon has more coming down the pipes, this is a must have lens.

Adding Creative Lenses

For the majority of your wedding shots, both photo-journalistic and portrait, the above lenses should have you covered. But as a wedding photographer you need to have a few tricks up your sleeve to get those creative shots that help you stand out from the rest of the pack. These are lenses you won’t use quite as often, but when you need them, they are essential.
First up is a good wide-angle lens to get those cool wide-angle shots. Since your walk-around lens can often go decently wide, it can often be used at its widest setting. But if you want to take it to the next level look into getting a dedicated wide-angle lens. If you have an extra camera body, even an older one, you may just leave your wide-angle lens mounted and grab it when necessary. I prefer the versatility of the zoom lenses, but if primes are your thing there are some great wide angles at the 14, 20 and 24mm focal lengths. Below are two wide-zooms that stand out.
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 – US $1,500
Nikon 12-24mm f/4 – US $900
Next in the creative category is a good telephoto lens with a wide aperture. As mentioned above, a nice blurred background can be achieved with wide apertures and long focal lengths. These lenses aren’t only good for blurry backgrounds or shooting events from a distance. I have seen some stunning facial close-ups from creative angles above or below the subject that don’t exhibit the normal distortions of large chins or shrinking heads that come from wider lenses. Below are a few to look into.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 – US $1,600
Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 – US $915
Not as pricey as the lens above with similar quality.
Nikon 180mm f/2.8 – US $750
A solid prime lens and a decent price.
Lastly, used even less often but very cool is the fish-eye lens. The angle of view is simply insane. With a fish eye lens you are able capture images with a 180 degree field of view for stunning special effects.
Nikon 16mm F/2.8 – US $760
Again, insane angle of view and also good in low light situations.
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 – US $600
Same as above, this is an awesome lens for DX cameras, but consider your future upgrades before purchasing. All DX lenses shoot with lower resolution on FX camera bodies.
That about sums it up. There are some great lenses made by Sigma and Tamron that match the quality of the big players and cost much less. The resale value is sometimes lower on these lenses but definitely they are worth looking into. Do as much research as possible before making your big purchases by reading formal reviews as well as user ratings.
Feel free to sound off in the comments with your own thoughts and recommendations.

 

My Portrait Gear Essentials

By: Gina Milicia

What’s the best equipment for taking amazing portraits?

I’m often asked what the best equipment is for taking great portraits. Many people assume that a great camera will take great portraits. That is simply not true. A quick scan through Flickr, Instagram or any photo sharing site will reveal thousands of beautiful portraits, some taken on mobile phone cameras, and yet others using very basic entry level equipment.

A great photographer can take great photos using any kind of camera. A great camera in unskilled hands will still deliver mediocre photos. Before you invest the big bucks in high end gear take the time to learn the craft first.

I started out my professional career with a borrowed camera and very cheap lens. I worked this way for a few years and then invested in a high end second hand camera and lens. If I were starting out again now I would do exactly the same thing. My advice on buying a camera is always buy within your means and upgrade as your skills start to improve.
Most girls love buying shoes and handbags. I admit I’m a self-confessed gear-a-holic!
It’s taken me 25 years to accumulate this gear. My gear is subjected to punishing workouts, with my average shoot being approximately 2000-3000 images. I need gear that is built to last and won’t curl up and cry for its mama when I push it too far.

My portrait gear essentials – what’s in my bag

Cameras

• Canon 1Ds Mark III – this is a pro-level camera, so it’s more expensive and a lot heavier but it’s designed to survive heavy usage. I would say I use this camera for 80% of my shooting.
• Canon 5D Mark II – I’ll favour this camera body if I know I have to shoot with a high ISO (in very low light or on a night shoot). At 400-1600 ISO this camera is amazing.

Lenses

I like to work with a focal length between 70mm and 200mm. With a long lens, facial features are slightly compressed, which is really flattering for portraits.
The workhorse
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens – this lens is my workhorse and I use it for 70% of my shoots. It’s fast, sharp and consistently gives amazing results.
I like working with zoom lenses because they give me the luxury of zooming in to get tight head shots and mid-shots, or zooming out to get full length shots. All without moving my camera. As a result, I can stay out of my model’s personal space, which can be intimidating or confronting, and keep the momentum of the shoot flowing.
The traveller
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens – this is the lens I use for events, lifestyle and travel shoots. It’s light, compact and my go to lens when travelling.
Makes my heart skip a beat
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L lens – it’s expensive, heavy, and slow to focus but I quickly forget all of this when I see the gorgeous results. I love using this lens for head shots, beauty, portraits, and events.
This lens will give amazing results in very low light conditions and the shallow depth of field will eliminate any background clutter giving me the luxury to use it lens in any location.

Tripods

Most of my portraits are shot using tripods. I like to set up my shot, position my model and then focus on their expression. Keeping my camera fixed in one position allows me to do this and really suits my shooting style.
Having my camera on a tripod also allows me to focus 100% of my attention on my model and frees me up to gesture with my hands, or step away from the camera without breaking the shot.

I have four tripods:

• Manfrotto 190XPROB – small, light-weight tripod that I use when I travel
• Manfrotto 475B Pro – great sturdy tripod for location shoots
• Manfrotto 058B – heavy duty tripod for studio use
• Manfrotto 679B Monopod – for film, TV stills, and theatre

Remote flash triggers

PocketWizards
I have six PocketWizard remote flash triggers because I’ll often have three different sets running. I love the PocketWizards because they are reliable and rarely misfire.

Light meter

I believe the light meter is an essential tool in good portrait photography and would never leave home without one. When you use a light meter you know you have most accurate readings.
Minolta IV (not available any more) – I’ve had this light meter for over 23 years now and I’ve grown rather fond of it. As a basic meter it’s excellent, reading ambient light or flash, and it’s perfect for most lighting conditions.

Lighting

Speedlights
I use a speedlight off camera for about 20%-30% of my photo shoots. Like any piece of gear, they have their pros and cons, but they can light you out of some tight spots (quite literally).
I use Canon 580EXii speedlights as my preferred lighting when I am travelling or need to work quickly or in tight locations. I will also use a Photoflex medium size softbox that folds flat, and is perfect for lighting one person and couples.

Portrait of Vito shot on location at my Sicily Photography workshop

My complete travel location portrait photography kit:

• One Canon 5D MKII (much lighter than the Canon 1Ds Mark III 
• Two Canon 580EXii speedlights
• Four PocketWizard remote flash triggers
• Six 8GB memory cards. I prefer smaller cards because I don’t like to have an entire day’s worth of images on one card. I’ve had several cards fail over the years ,and also lost one once.
• Minolta IV light meter (this model is no longer available, try one in the Sekonic line)
• Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS lens
• Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L lens  or Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens

Studio lighting

Elinchrom Lights
60% of my shoots require studio lighting, so I need heavy duty monolights with fast recycle times, and a high quality of light. When I’m working on location, I still need a great quality of light and I give my Elinchrom Rangers a work out in those situations.

Behind the scenes for Piperlane.com

Large Softboxes
If I could only pick one light modifier to take to a deserted island, it would have to be a softbox. Small, medium or large this little puppy is my go to light source for 80% of my shoots.
Why? The quality of light is soft, flattering and malleable. Changing the angle and proximity of the softbox to the subject, easily changes the quality and direction of light.
A softbox, I feel, recreates the effect of soft daylight through a window.
I think what I like most about softboxes is that they are subtle. Highlights gently merge to shadows.
If it’s a studio shoot I love using my Chimira Medium softbox, with white reflective interior. The white interior creates a softer light and this particular softbox has an extra layer of diffusion on the inside, adding even more softness to the light.
Rotalux Deep Octabox
Rotalux deep octabox would be the result if a softbox married a beauty dish and made babies. This, as far as I’m concerned, is a match made in heaven for lighting single person portraits.

Laptop

MacBookPro 15”

Shooting tethered to a computer has made my life as a photographer so much easier, because I can use my computer as a teaching tool. ?I can show my model a series of great images, with slightly different poses. We can talk about how the poses are different and what I want them to do in the next series. They can see what I mean and it makes more sense, straight away.

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Gina Milicia has been a professional photographer for more than 25 years. She has photographed some of the world’s most high-profile people including royalty, billionaires and A-list celebrities. Often travelling the world, Gina also runs photography workshops and private mentoring sessions. You can sign up for her free ebook on “Portrait and Post Production Essentials” and see more of her work here. Check out her podcast “So you want to be a photographer” on iTunes.

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How to Find Great Backgrounds for Outdoor Portraits

By: Andrew S. Gibson

Outdoor portrait photography involves going outside, and utilizing the beauty (or the ugliness) of your surroundings. You probably already know some local beauty spots, and can think of some good places to take portraits right away. But once you start observing your local area with the aim of making portraits in mind, you will begin to see the potential, even in mundane locations. But how do you find great backgrounds for outdoor portraits?

Here are some ideas to get you started.

1. What lens are you going to use?

This is important because, broadly speaking, there are two different ways to take portraits. Both involve the use of different types of lenses.
The first is to to use a wide-angle lens to take an environmental portrait. This may be documentary in approach, or it may be more fashion or beauty orientated. Either way, the idea is that you use a wide-angle lens to take a portrait, and that the setting is as important as the model.
The second is to use a longer focal length, and shoot with a wide aperture to throw the background out of focus. In this situation the requirements for the background are different, because you are looking for something that looks good out of focus. Also, because longer lenses have a narrower angle of view, you are using less of the setting in your portrait.
Of course, it is more than likely that you can find opportunities to take both types of portraits, in the same setting. You may also make up your mind, once you have scouted a location and assessed its potential. But it helps immensely if you know what your approach to the shoot will be, while searching for a spot to shoot.
These two portraits show the differences in the two approaches. The first was taken with a 40mm lens (on a full-frame camera), and shows the setting as well as the model. The second was taken with an 85mm lens (also on a full-frame camera) and shows much less of the setting.

2. Where does the light fall?

Some photographers tend to shoot portraits entirely in natural light; others use flash to supplement it. Whichever approach you take, it is still important to assess the quality of the light in your given location.
Take into account the time of day you plan to do the shoot. To take full advantage of natural light you should aim to shoot in late afternoon or evening, during the golden hour, when the sun is close to the horizon. For this reason it helps if you do your scouting at the same time of day, so you can see how the location looks in this beautiful light.
Another option is to take photos on a bright sunny day, but in the shade. The light bounces off nearby surfaces, which acts as a giant reflector. This is another type of natural light with beautiful qualities.
Alternatively, you might like to shoot on a cloudy day. This means that time of day is not so important, but it does mean that the light is most likely to come from above, and may create shadows under your model’s eyes and chin. In this situation you can use a reflector or fill-flash to minimize shadows. So think about whether there is room to set up a light-stand (if using flash) or for somebody to stand and hold a reflector (if using natural light).
This photo was taken in Wellington Botanical Gardens, and the model is illuminated by light coming from above, through the tree tops. As she is in costume, I thought the direction of the light was reminiscent of a spotlight on a stage, and appropriate to the style of portrait. I used a short telephoto lens (85mm, full-frame camera) to separate the model from the background.

3. Use a smartphone to take photos

You can use a smartphone to take photos of locations to help you remember what they look like. Of course, you can do this with any camera, but the advantage of a smartphone is that most of them have GPS, and this helps you remember, and find, the exact location again later. This could be important if you are out in the countryside somewhere. There is nothing more frustrating than finding a great place to take some portraits, then not being able to remember where it is.
You could also import the photos into a specific Collection in Lightroom, and go to the Maps module to see the locations displayed on a map.
Here are some types of location you can search for. Remember, it’s important to think about what type of lens you are going to use for your portraits, as well as to assess the quality of light.

Backgrounds by the coast

Any location by the sea is full of potential. The same place can look very different every day, thanks to changing tides, weather patterns, and light. If the coastline is rugged, look for locations where you can use the rocks and cliffs as a background. Each bay or beach has its own character, so get out and explore. You are likely to find a good variety of beautiful locations, even in a relatively small area.
This photo was taken on a local beach, which has become one of my favorite locations for taking portraits, using a 40mm lens on a full-frame camera. This lens has a slightly wider angle of view than a 50mm standard lens, and allowed me to include a little of the beautiful location, but still make the model the focal point of the photo.

Graffiti backgrounds

It may be bit of a cliche, but there’s no doubt that graffiti or street art, can make an interesting and colorful background.
This photo was taken on a local beach with a graffiti covered, concrete bunker in the background. I used an 85mm lens (on a full-frame camera) to include just a little of the artwork in the frame.

Field and forest backgrounds

Fields and woodlands often make good locations for taking portraits, especially in the spring and summer. Fields of flowers are gorgeous locations. Try using a telephoto lens, and shooting through the flowers so they are out of focus.
The light in a forest is usually most suitable for portraits on a cloudy day. The light is soft, and unlike on a sunny day, your camera can easily cope with the brightness range. The one thing to watch out for is the direction of light. It comes from above, through the trees, and is highly directional. You will have to search for the places where gaps in the trees let light through. You may have to use a reflector to fill in the shadows created by the top light, or ask your model to tilt her face toward the light.
On sunny days, try shooting at the end of the day, when the light is softer, and use backlighting.
This portrait was taken on a cloudy day, in a thick forest where not much light penetrated through the trees. We found a clearing next to a large tree that we were able to use as a background. I used an 85mm lens (full-frame camera) to pull the tree in close to the model, and exclude most of the forest from the frame.

Local buildings for backgrounds

Keep an eye out for local buildings with public access that you can use for photos. I’m not talking about busy locations, as they are difficult places to work, unless both you and your model are very experienced. Let me give you some examples.

Here’s an abandoned boat shed on a lonely beach. 

Test shot

This is the portrait we made at that location.

The second example is a graffiti covered concrete bunker left over from WWII.

Test shot.

Here’s a portrait we made there.

In both examples I used a small part of the building as a background. You can see the same technique in the other photos in this article. The idea is to make sure the background complements the model in your portraits, and doesn’t overwhelm her.

Summary

The outdoors is a bit like a giant stage set, just waiting for you and your model to use. Wherever you live, I am sure that there are plenty of great locations for portrait photography nearby. It’s just a matter of learning to spot their potential, and thinking about which lens (or lenses) you will use for your portraits. 

Share some of your images from your favorite spots in the comments below.

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How to Plan the Perfect Portrait Shoot

By: Andrew S. Gibson

In my last article I gave you five reasons to use natural light for portraiture. The next step in creating the perfect portrait shoot is planning. The more details you figure out in advance, the more likely you are to come away from the shoot with some beautiful portraits to make you proud.

Generating ideas

The creative side of portrait photography is something that some photographers seem to find easy, and others really challenging. One approach to generating ideas is to look at the work of others and let their portraits inspire you.
You’re probably familiar with the main photo sharing sites already (Flickr, 500px and 1x) and there’s no doubt that you will find plenty of inspiration if you take the time to search them. To help you out I’m going to give you a short list of portrait photographers and websites to look at. The work you will see here will open your eyes to the possibilities within the world of portrait photography.
For high quality black and white portraits take a look at the work of Betina la Plante, Eduardo Izq and Phil Sharpe (Phil has a lot of colour portraits in his portfolio too).
For beautiful colour portraits view the portfolios of Cristina Hoch, Alex Benetel, Alessio Albi, Emily Soto, Ling Li, Anna Karnutsch and Sarah Ann Wright. You can gain greater insight into how some of these photographers work by checking out my interviews with portrait photographers.
Other websites where you can see more work by portrait photographers are Faded & Blurred (leans towards the fine art and documentary side) and The D Photo (leans towards the creative side).

Creating mood boards

If you’ve had a good look through some of those links you’re probably feeling a little confused. That’s no surprise, I selected the photographers because they represent a wide variety of styles and techniques. So, how do you make sense of it all?
My favourite technique is to create a mood board with Pinterest. A mood board is a place where you gather photos that you like in order to communicate the feel or mood that you want to create. You’re not copying the photos you’ve added to your mood board, but using them for inspiration and to communicate to potential models what you’d like to achieve.
Creating mood boards is easy with Pinterest. You can make as many as you like, pin photos and move photos between different boards. Here is one of mine as an example, containing black and white portraits of men or this one on the dPS board – Portrait Inspiration.
Mood boards are also a good way to get a handle on what sort of portraiture appeals to you. When I look at my mood board of black and white portraits of men, it tells me that I like dark, moody portraits taken with natural light. As you look at your own mood boards you will see patterns emerge as to what style of portrait appeals to you. Use this feedback to inspire your portrait shoots.

Finding locations

Finding locations depends on where you live and the style of portrait photography you’d like to pursue. You may shoot in a studio and that makes the decision easy. Others may prefer to shoot outside, utilizing local beauty spots and other interesting locations. Here are some things to consider:
Are you looking for an urban environment or a rural one? If your mood boards contain photos taken in natural environments like forests or fields, then that is the sort of location you should look for. Going back to my mood board of black and white portraits, I can see that I have mostly chosen ones taken in gritty urban environments. I need a similar location to create portraits consistent with the feel of the images in this mood board.

The background in this photo was a bush, giving it a rural feel. Can you imagine how different this portrait would be if it had something like a concrete wall as a background? The atmosphere would be completely different.

How public or private is the location? You may prefer quiet places without many people around where you can concentrate on your portrait shoot.

Choose a lens

What lens will you be using? This is important when choosing a location. If you use a wide-angle lens, you will be including a great deal of the location in the photo. If you use a telephoto lens, you may only utilize a small part of the location, and that may be out of focus if you shoot at a wide aperture. Telephoto lenses give you more freedom when selecting locations because they can transform a small area such as a fence or wall into a beautiful background.

The portrait on the left was taken with a wide-angle zoom (focal length 26mm) and the one on the right with a short telephoto lens (85mm). Can you see how the focal length affects the background? Wide-angle lenses include more of the background, therefore you need a location suitable to this approach. Telephoto lenses include much less, and can turn mundane locations into interesting backgrounds.

Read my article How to Choose the Perfect Portrait Lens for more information on this topic.
What will the light be like at your location when you are there? Think about what time of day you will be shooting, and where the light will be coming from. The weather is a major factor, the nature of a location and its suitability for portrait photographer depends on both the weather conditions and time of day.

This portrait was taken at the end of the day as the sun was setting, casting a beautiful soft light with a red glow over the scene.

Build a dossier of locations

With these things in mind build up a mental dossier of locations close to where you live that you can use for portrait shoots. Keep your eyes open when you are out and about and you will find yourself seeing the potential of locations in a new way.

I took this portrait in a children’s playground. Every day places like this can become interesting locations. Take note whenever you find somewhere new that could one day be used for a portrait shoot.

Finding models

The final step is finding models to work with. By now you should have a fairly good idea of what type of portraits you’d like to create, and where you’d like to take them. Now you need a model to make that happen.
You may be lucky enough to have friends or family members who would make good models. If have to search a little harder, a good place to start is Model Mayhem. There are other websites where models and photographers can connect, but Model Mayhem is my favourite because it lets you search by location. You can centre the search around the city or town you live in, and save time wading through profiles of models from other parts of the country.
The good thing about websites like Model Mayhem is that its members are people genuinely interested in modelling. You will find that the models who come up in your search range from inexperienced to professional. You may feel most comfortable looking for somebody whose experience matches yours. For example, if you are new to portrait photography then you may feel a little intimidated by an experienced model, and prefer to approach somebody who is also starting out.
Bear in mind that if you have the budget, one advantage of using professional models is that you will benefit from their experience and expertise with posing. Inexperienced models will expect you to direct them. Depending on the style you are pursuing, you may learn quicker and create better portraits with a professional.
There are downsides to websites like Model Mayhem. Some of the models you approach won’t respond and others won’t like your style of photography. Some might let you down at the last minute. But on the whole, my experience has been positive, and I’ve found some of my best models here.
Here are a couple of other ideas that photographers I know have used successfully for finding models. One put up a sign at her local university (where she was also a student) and found models that way. Another friend of mine had some business cards made and approached people in the street to ask them if they would like to model for him. Not all responded, but he found a few good models that way.
By the way, if you’re a model based near Wellington in New Zealand, then feel free to get in touch. Contact details on my website (link below).
Perhaps the readers can share some of their experiences about searching for models. I would like to hear your stories, both the positive experiences and the negative.

Putting it all together

Hopefully these ideas have given you a head start in planning the perfect model shoot. What are your experiences with creating portraits? What advice would you give other photographers? Let us know in the comments.

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6 Reasons Why You Should Get a 50mm Lens Right Now!

Godox TT685 Thinklite TTL Flash Real-World Review

By: Matt Murray  

One of the only things I missed when I moved from Nikon to Fujifilm a few years ago was the quality of speedlights available for X-Series cameras. I never truly appreciated how good the Nikon Creative Lighting System was until I couldn’t use it anymore!
This is no longer a problem though: in the last couple of years, we’ve seen feature-packed speedlights introduced by manufacturers such as Godox.
In this review, I test out the Godox TT685F speedlight flash on my Fujifilm X-Series gear. If you’re not a Fujifilm shooter, keep reading anyway, as Godox makes a version of the TT685 for every camera system.

Many Fujifilm shooters are happy that there’s finally a third-party flash with both TTL and HSS 

(high-speed sync). Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 56mm f1.2 R lens with Godox TT685F on-camera. 

1/300s at f/2.2 ISO 200.

Why Godox?

There’s a wide range of third-party flashes available for different camera systems on the market today. Ten years ago, I would only ever buy a flash made by my camera manufacturer and would generally avoid any third-party flash made in China.
How times have changed – the quality and range of features on third-party flashes these days are outstanding, and prices have fallen significantly.
I first heard about Godox flashes through word of mouth in Fujifilm Facebook groups. Godox is based in Shenzen, China, and has been around since 1993. They make photographic lighting products under their own Godox brand, and also under other names such as Flashpoint.

Introducing the Godox TT685

The Godox TT685F

The Godox TT685 is a powerful, feature-packed speedlight at a very attractive price point, around $110USD.
It’s available for all major systems. If you’re looking at buying one, make sure you grab the right one for your camera. The last letter in the model number gives it away: TT685F is for Fujiilm, TT685C is for Canon, TT685S is for Sony, TT685O is for Olympus/Panasonic, and TT685N is for Nikon.

What’s in the box

The flash comes attractively packed in a sturdy cardboard box with key details of its specifications. Inside the box, you’ll find the flash, a small black mini stand for attaching the flash to light stands, a black protective case, and an instruction manual in Chinese and English. The manual is also available on the Godox website.

Unboxing the contents of TT5685F

TT685 specs

The specifications of the Godox TT685 are truly impressive. Here’s a summary:

• Runs on 4 x AA batteries. Each set will give you about 230 flashes.
• Recycle time varies between 0.1 and 2.6 seconds.
• It can be used as an on-camera flash, as an on-camera master to trigger other off-camera flashes, and as a slave flash off-camera.
• The flash head tilts between -7 degrees (slightly backward) to a 90-degree angle.
• The flash head rotates 360 degrees.
• Allows high-speed sync up to 1/1800 second.
• Full TTL (through the lens) mode for Fujifilm X-Series cameras.
• Manual flash can be adjusted from 1/1 to 1/256 power in third-stop increments.
• Runs on a 2.4Ghz radio connection – very impressive given more expensive flashes in the market run on optical line-of-sight only.
• Capable of firmware updates via a USB port.

Build quality

The build quality of the Godox TT685 is very good. It looks and feels a lot like my old Nikon speedlights, especially the slightly larger SB-900. With batteries in, it weighs around 500g, a little on the heavy side on a mirrorless camera, but not too bad.
The TT685 has a familiar dot matrix LCD screen on the back, which displays all the settings and information you’ll need when using the flash. As well as the on/off switch, there’s a middle dial, which is useful in manual mode to dial settings up and down. It also has a number of buttons, including one for changing the flash mode, one for putting the flash into slave mode, and another that lights up red. This serves as both the test flash button and also an indicator that the flash is ready to fire.

The red button on the bottom left shows the TT685 is ready to fire.

Near the flash head, there’s the standard catch light panel and wide-angle diffuser panel.

Catchlight panel (top) and wide-angle diffuser panel (over flash head)

Ease of use

Setting the Godox TT685 up is easy. Pop the batteries in and attach it to your camera by sliding it on the hot shoe with the dot matrix panel facing you. Rotate the circular lock ring on the base of the flash until it locks up. You’re ready to go!
It’s easy to move the flash up and down from an upright position to facing your subject head-on, but I found it a lot more difficult to rotate the flash 360 degrees. It’s not hard to do; it was just a bit stiff and felt like it wasn’t meant to rotate at first. I had to check that it did rotate in the camera manual as I didn’t want to break it.
Using the flash in all modes is pretty easy. It turns off after 90 seconds of idle use, but pressing your camera shutter halfway or pressing any of the buttons on the flash wakes it up.

It was quite dark here, but I’m really happy with the way this image came out. Fujifilm X-T3 with 

XF 56mm f1.2 R lens with Godox TT685F on-camera. 1/600s at f/4 ISO 200.

Three modes

The Godox TT685 has three modes: TTL, Manual and Multi. You can easily cycle through these by pressing the mode button on the flash.
Having a third-party flash that supports TTL on Fujifilm is wonderful; many other third party speedlights in the past did not.
TTL stands for “through the lens.” This is a way that the flash can work with the camera to determine the best flash output for any given scene and, therefore, the best exposure.

The TT685F mounted on the Fujifilm X-T3.

You can adjust this with the flash exposure compensation feature. This is similar to how you may shoot in full auto mode or aperture priority mode in your camera (allowing it to make exposure decisions) but then adding exposure compensation to suit the scene.
The TT685 range of speedlights also supports high-speed sync (HSS) up to 1/8000s, which is the fastest mechanical shutter speed on many X-Series cameras, including the X-T3.
HSS can be very useful in bright conditions outside, especially if you want to shoot shallow depth of field. Many flashes don’t support HSS, so their sync speed is typically only 1/200 or 1/250 second, which can be limiting.
In TTL mode, you can also select second curtain sync, where the flash fires at the end during longer exposures instead of at the start. This can be useful in night scenes to expose traffic trails or lights in the background while the flash lights up your subject in the foreground right at the end.

The Godox TT685F was fired by the X1T-F wireless trigger for some off-camera flash. It was 

positioned on a lighting stand, firing backward into an umbrella with a softbox attached. 

Fujifilm X-T3, XF 56mm f1.2 R lens, 1/120s, f/4, ISO 200.

In manual flash mode, you are selecting how powerful the flash fires, from 1/1 full power to 1/128 power. You can use the dial to move up and down in 1/3 stop increments. This mode is very useful when you want more precise control over your lighting. It was also the way flashes were used for years before TTL.
You can also use stroboscopic flash in Multi mode. Use it to illuminate a moving subject against a dark background: each time the flash fires in rapid succession, the subject is shown moving across the frame.
Although I didn’t test this feature of the TT685, I’m looking forward to trying it out one day.

Using the flash in slave mode for off-camera flash

Off-camera flash (OCF) is something that beginning to intermediate photographers often want to learn. The good news is that it’s never been so easy.

The TT685 in slave mode- note the color of the LCD panel has changed to orange.

Putting a flash in slave mode used to be a nightmare.
I remember being on a Nikon training course in London in 2006 with my brand new D200 camera and SB800 speedlight. At the first break, the trainer asked if we had any general Nikon questions. Before he could finish the sentence, three or four people asked if he could teach us how to set our speedlight up in slave mode!

The Godox TT685 in slave mode shown with my Fujifilm X-T3 with the XT1-F wireless trigger 

attached.

We all wanted to trigger our flashes off-camera by the built-in pop-up flash, but the interface of the flash and user manual left us all scratching our heads. As he explained the process, we wrote detailed notes so we wouldn’t forget. It was a question I was then asked by a number of photographers over the next couple of years, as it was not easy to work out.
What a contrast we have to the Godox speedlights!
To trigger the TT685 off-camera, you’ll need to use another Godox flash or the Godox X1T wireless trigger.

My son illuminated by natural light, backlit by the Godox TT685F in manual mode (1/64 power) 

mounted on a lighting stand. Fujifilm X-T3 with XF 50-140mm f2.8 R LM OIS WR lens. 1/150s 

at f/4 ISO 200.

The X1T is a small, light, wireless trigger made from plastic that sits on the hotshoe of your camera, triggering Godox flashes set up in slave mode. Like the flashes, there’s a different version for each camera system, denoted by a letter at the end of each model.
It’s so easy to use the X1T-F wireless transmitter. The first time I ever tried it with a smaller Godox flash, the TT350F, I spent about one minute reading the manual, and within another 30 seconds, I had the flash set up in slave mode. Voila!
The wireless trigger is excellent – you can fire Godox flashes from up to 100 meters away, which is quite amazing. In my test, I fired it from 50 meters away with no problems.

In this shot, I’m about 50 meters away from my son with my Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF50-140mm 

f2.8 R LM OIS WR lens (zoomed all the way in). The flash fired with no problems!

Usability

Using the flash for basic on-camera/off-camera TTL and manual mode firing is all pretty straightforward. You can easily cycle between modes, vary the intensity of the flash in manual mode, change groups and channels without having to work too much out.
For some of the more advanced functionality of the flash, you’ll definitely need to read the manual. I’ve played around with it by randomly pressing some of the other buttons, and I got lost a couple of times.

Quality

I’m very happy with the quality of the images I’ve taken with the Godox TT685. It certainly feels like it could compete with the best flashes on the market quite comfortably. I’m not sure it has the best recycle time on the market, but other features, such as its use of wireless technology, make up for it.

Value for money

Around $110 USD, the TT685 is excellent value for money. The range of features you get with this speedlight, notably high-speed sync, the ability to use it as an off-camera flash, and the fact it runs on a wireless signal, are all winners in my book.

Alternatives

Godox makes a range of flashes to suit different needs and budgets. Two alternatives to the TT685 are the TT350 and the V860II.
The TT350 is a smaller, lighter flash that runs on two AA batteries. This was the first Godox flash I bought, and at first, I was impressed by the small size and good price point. However, over time, it proved not to be as powerful as bigger flashes, and the recycle times between flashes seemed quite poor.

In this shot, I used the Fujifilm X100F with the Godox X1T-F wireless trigger to fire an off-camera 

Godox TT350F speedlight.

The V860II is practically identical, except it runs on a rechargeable lithium ION battery, allowing faster recycle times. I chose the TT685 due to the cheaper cost, but also because I prefer using multiple sets of rechargeable AA batteries.

The Godox TT685 is a must-have piece of kit for photographers wishing to use a flash on-camera or experiment with off-camera flash. It has an excellent range of features, good build quality, and has a competitive price point.
Usability is good too, only with more complex operations will you need to read the user manual. Turning the TT685 into a slave for off-camera use is straightforward and done with a press of a button.

The TT685F mounted on a lighting stand.

Using wireless technology, Godox flashes all talk to each other seamlessly, and you can trigger flashes in slave mode up to 100 meters away. This is vastly superior to much more expensive speedlights that rely on line-of-sight transmission.
If you’ve never used a flash or a speedlight in your photography, there’s probably never been a better time to throw yourself in the deep end. I highly recommend the Godox TT685F.
Have you tried out the Godox TT685F flash? If so, share with us your thoughts in the comments.

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