We all have a favorite photo style or a dream photo. And for many photographers, that’s a window-blind portrait. But there’s one little problem. Sometimes when you’re getting ready to take this kind of photo, the weather suddenly just isn’t cooperating. Got everything ready, but the sun just won’t shine the way you need? We know a way around that. Create a dark-stripes setup in your own home or studio. It’s very easy!

Like many beginning photographers, you may wish for your own studio. But do you really need one? Many pro photos today are born outside the studio. In fact, more and more photographers are avoiding classical studios completely. This trend has been apparent for the past several years. So here’s a tip on how to work like a modern pro from the comfort of your home—by creating your own home studio.

We see many product photos daily in our consumeristic society. They call out to us in all their perfection on the Internet, in flyers, in department stores... but for us as photographers, they raise the question: can they be even better? Of course they can! Read on for tips on how to excel in product photography and make sure your product photos live their lives in public, not just on your disk.

Lately, street photographs are starting to break their way into respected fashion magazines. They’re very natural photos, and play strongly on our emotions. How can you approach this genre in a way that makes it the best possible advertisement for your work?

Today we’ll look behind the scenes of one type of commercial photography. You’ll learn the whats and hows of preparing to photograph fashion models. And you’ll see how this work reaches beyond just photography—it’s largely about meeting, calling, and communicating with people.

Looking around, you may get the impression that portrait and fashion photography are only about tall, thin women models. But men are out there posing too! Today we’ll be taking a look at just how much you can carry over into male fashion and portrait photography... and at the differences. How should your models dress? And pose? What should you retouch, or leave untouched? Read on to learn all this and more.