Today, I’d like to share a few tips for taking better portraits (as mentioned last Friday, the Monday videos are on hold for a bit). Looking back at the many entries on prophotolife, I was surprised to see that the psychology of making portraits hasn’t received it’s own post. This is a huge topic (a personal favorite) and one of the reasons that photography will never shake my interest.

There are many different kinds of portraits (business, formal, classic, casual, studio, outdoor) and they may involve varying technical considerations. Learning the …

The posts this week were chock full o’ links but there are a few more left for today’s around the ‘net. First, a few quick links and than an update on a new home for prophotolife.
Links
Famed photojournalist James Nachtwey speaks about the voice of photography and his work in this video on TED (thanks for the link, Kat). There’s no bigger name than Nachtwey’s and it’s obvious why: his work is definitive, intense and thought-provoking. If you want to view unforgiving images of social issues gripping the world, this is …

Another week, another installment of the location photography gear saga. This week we’ll look inside our kit of portable strobe units. This kit of 2 strobes and accessories doesn’t get used a ton but it’s invaluable when we need it. It’s rare that we use these as main lights since we rely more on studio strobes (primarily the Travelite 125 Travel-Pak Kit if we have no AC power). We generally use smaller strobes more as “out of the way” lights, tucked inside machines or inside an area where a studio …

A few days ago I came across this 30 second video of images from Southern California wedding photographer Ira Lippke (subscribers view video here):

Ira Lippke Studios from Wedding Life Photography on Vimeo.
Though I’m not a wedding photographer the images were inspirational because of their unique style. I can’t imagine any photographer that wouldn’t be moved by his style and presentation and I quickly drew a couple of conclusions:
1) Ira is a very talented photographer
2) a short, well made video of a photographer’s strongest images will surely impress potential clients
So, of …

White House Press Photographers, circa 1924 (Library of Congress Archives)
I must admit, it’s hard to concentrate on photography at the moment, given all that’s happening here in the U.S. financial markets. News on the bank failures abound, I won’t rehash them here, but it has us glued to the radio at Daylight Photo. Through every crisis of the last 25 or so years emerge memories of the different photo studios I’ve worked in and the respective radios that would bring us news and updates.
My love for news developed in the …

It’s Monday…where’s the original video? The plan was in place for shooting this weekend and a model all lined up. Then an old, forgotten back injury came to revisit on Saturday morning and it’s taken me off of my feet for the weekend. A visit to the chiropractor today should get everything back in place (literally) but it’s left me calling for backup to get through video Monday.
Everything happens for a reason and it’s given me time to cruise around the ‘net, looking at some interesting videos from other sources. …

* I mountain bike nearby at East Fork Lake when possible. A trip to the beach is always in order and so is picking up trash, doing my part to keep the beach clean. Last week I took along my point’n’shoot, making compositions of the trash and found objects. Photography can make a person do crazy things…
This week’s “around the ‘net” starts with a hearty thanks…to you, the reader. Prophotolife has never been just about technique, or just about equipment or just about the photo business. It’s a dialogue on …

Last week I introduced our standard location photography gear setup. We’ll be looking at different bags week by week and today it’s the heart of the business, the camera bag.
You won’t find the latest, trendiest equipment necessarily. This is what we’ve amassed over years in the business and what has produced a good return on investment for our commercial studio. We generally make equipment purchases at year end based on profitability and the guidance of our accountant.

Let’s take a look inside:

In the main compartment:

Cameras:
Canon 5D
Canon 20D (backup - it has …

Surrounded by nine computers, fifteen strobes and more light stands than you can shake a tripod at, I’ve been daydreaming. The dreams have been about what it would take to create a “bare minimum” photo business. Sometimes you grow a business and look around and one day the idea of paring things down sounds appealing.
Starting tomorrow we’ll be looking inside various bags in the Daylight Photo commercial photography location kit. Everything in those bags serves a purpose and is necessary for the work we do. But what if I were …

Wal*Mart advises us to “Save Money, Live Better”. As consumers we strive to save money but as sellers we need to sell at an amount fair to all. How much should you charge for your work? Okay, here’s the short version: I don’t really know. For the long version, read on…
Most every photographer that has been at it for awhile has been asked for a print of their work. Perhaps you’ve created a beautiful image that someone would like to frame and they want to pay you for it. Maybe …