To be in the public eye, you have to be seen, so public figures need occasionally need representative photos of themselves. If you ever get hired to create such photos, you need to be ready to produce great work in minimum time. What’s the workflow for photographing well-known people? In this article I’ll illustrate it using the example of a shoot for Czech violinist Pavel Sporcl.

Every family has their photos, the ones that capture exceptional moments—times of joy and pain. How should you approach this kind of photograph? What are the things to avoid and rules to respect? To learn all this and a little more too, read today’s article.

Join me for a look at one of the most famous focal lengths in history. It’s the fixed-fifty lens. This is a lens of many faces. There are lots of different fixed fifties on the market, ranging from thrifty to luxury. But why are these lenses a perennial favorite, and why should they be in everyone’s bag?

Depending on the visual culture where you live, the genre called naked portraiture may be an occasional part of the “advertising environment” around you. It also turns up in beauty contests and in the marketing materials for cosmetics, hairstyles, and various other products. It combines nakedness and portraiture, though not necessarily in an erotic, unfit-for-television, or offensive way. After all, if it did, it would not be as widely used in advertising—at least in Europe—as it is. If you’re curious about this subgenre, how to photograph it, and what to avoid, read on.

Dogs are faithful, selfless, and very sincere. Every dog owner can confirm it. So it’s no wonder that dogs are a part of many photo albums. Today we’ll show you how to photograph these furry family members right. Photographing dogs is much like photographing children.

People who are just photography consumers—non-photographers—often envy professionals for the models (the “naked” models!) they photograph. But there’s nothing simple about this photographic discipline, where your photos can easily end up as kitsch that flatters neither your model, nor you.

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.

This is the story of one night photograph. We’ll be using it to show step-by-step how to get the most out of flash photography, and what special steps the pros take.

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.

Every photography job demands some preparation. You need to check the batteries, card space, lens cleanliness, and more. This is all a core part of taking pictures, and yet doesn’t require any special pro knowledge. Are there more things like this you can do to push your portrait photography forward without being a pro? You bet!