Good portrait, fashion, or glamor photography doesn’t have to be strange or shocking to catch the eye. A nude model fixing a tractor, a half-naked woman holding an old medium format camera, or a secretary on the phone with a plunging neckline and glasses. These are some cliché combinations often found in amateur portrait photography. How can you avoid them?

“Now look this way, please. Smile, put your hand here.“ A person is willing to go through quite a lot to get a nice picture of themselves. We were interested in what models think about the photography process. To find out, we did some research. Just like a customer satisfaction survey is part of the buying process, we reached out to several models and asked them about their recent experiences during photoshoots. We asked how they felt about it at the time and how they feel about it now. What they liked and didn’t like. The results of the survey surprised us, and unfortunately, not in a positive way.

A friendly relationship between the photographer and the model is absolutely fundamental for the entire process of portraiture. It should definitely include mutual respect and understanding. A photographer should respect certain requests from their model, and meanwhile the model should know how to respect the work of the photographer. There are a few basic principles that apply for both models and photographers, and we’ll look at them in this article.

Sick of running around with your camera outdoors? Whether you’re cold or you just want a change of environment, sometimes it’s good to head into the warmth of a cozy studio. I’ll show you why every portrait photographer should give studio photography a try. A studio’s configurable flashes will give you almost unlimited control over light, which is a big advantage over photographing outdoors. And it’s so easy to get started. In this, the final part of my miniseries, I’ll show you that even in a studio, you’ll never be bored!

The first of a series of articles on how to find shot locations outdoors and what elements within them to put to work. There are few limits outdoors, and so this is a good environment for practically every type of photography.

Full-length shots give dramatically different impressions depending on your height. When you’re photographing someone from up high, they can end up distorted in your picture—for example with shortened legs. Let’s take an illustrated look together at the effects that height and distance can have on portraits.

Work with a model depends on more than just posing. You also need to talk right and act right. Act natural, and you’ll get good results without actually having to instruct your model at all. Read on for some tips before you try out model photography for yourself.

There’s a first time for everything. If you’ve only been shooting nature photos until now, and you’d like to start working with models, you may be a little nervous at first. In today’s article we’ll offer a few tips that can help you with these tough beginnings.

Inspiration for photos can come from anywhere—even from a video. In today’s article, we’ll be following the story of a photo inspired by a Pink Floyd video: the birth of its idea, the shoot preparation, the shoot itself, and the post-editing. If you like the picture’s final style, then try to recreate it! All you’ll need is a camera and a lens, plus Zoner Photo Studio for the post-editing.

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?