Creating portraits like the featured image above that have that beautiful background blur is actually much easier than you think. There's really no secret or trick to it - it's simply understanding the factors at play. Some of those factors are mechanical and have to do with your lens. Others...

How often do you hear the phrase, “photography is all about lighting?” Probably a lot, right? And rightfully so...lighting is a crucial element of any photograph, whether the photo is of a person, a building, a plant, an animal, and so on. The difficulty with lighting, though, is when you...

We spend an awful lot of time learning how to take portraits of our friends, family, and even our pets. In fact, there are scads of portrait tutorials on our website that cover all aspects of composition, lighting, framing, posing, and so forth. But, you know what photographers often don’t...

One of the best arguments for using your phone as a camera is that you always have it with you. There are few cameras that are as accessible, easy to use, and ready to go at a moment’s notice. What’s more, because you always have your phone with you, you have plenty of opportunities to take...

One of the great things about portrait photography is its variation. Here’s what I mean… I can take a portrait of my family in the backyard and then go to the beach for some candid shots of my son. From there, I can create a portrait of a perfect stranger on the street, and then try my...

Imagine this scenario… You want a nice lens to use for portraits of your friends and family. So, you hop online, search “best portrait lenses” for your particular type of camera, and boom - you’re presented with a lineup of really expensive glass. Then the sadness sets in. As a casual...