This easy reference guide to portrait photography offers inspirational techniques for digital and film photographers from novices to pros. It includes more than 100 stunning photos and practical tips for making the most of color and black and white.

A pro’s guide to taking portrait photos—whether it’s framed on the wall or an online profile pic. 100 Ways to Take Better Portrait Photographs is a practical and informative guide to every aspect of portrait photography, from informal pictures of family and friends to professional studio techniques. It contains: Straightforward, practical tips and advice Over one hundred inspirational portrait photographs Invaluable digital manipulation techniques Whether you’re earning a living as a professional portraitist or snapping informal social shots just for fun, this resource offers clearly presented advice on the many aspects of digital and film portraiture: Composition and posing Outdoor and studio portraits Fashion, glamour, and beauty shots Group portraits—family, social, corporate, and business

A collection of 100 ideas for posing newborns, babies, children, siblings, and families.

Photographic portraits should not be the formal, corporate-style poses of yesteryear, which reveal nothing of the subject's emotion, personality or mood - so believe Sarah Plater and Paul Wilkindon. Theirs is a modern, fresh and vibrant approach that aims to capture a moment in the lifestyle of the person or persons in the picture. This authoritative guide contains clear, concise and jargon-busting text that discusses the essential technical aspects of photography from choosing a camera and equipment to an appreciation of exposure, aperture, metering, shutter speed, depth of field and white balance settings, in addition to how natural light, colour and movement affect a photograph. A guide to posing helps to ensure dynamic and arresting images

Providing readers with a study of learning how to turn poorly lit images into finely crafted, masterfully lit photographs, this guidebook instills photographers with the self-confidence to think on their feet and photograph any portrait subject anywhere. Acclaimed photographer Neil van Niekirk presents seven distinctly different lighting scenarios—available light, exposure metering, a touch of flash, bounced on-camera flash, off-camera flash, video light, and hard sunlight—to show readers how to manipulate the direction and quality of light, the subject’s and photographer’s position, and numerous other variables so as to turn a bad image into a stunning, professional-level portrait. Packed with dozens of instructional, full-color photos, this work also features 10 sample photo sessions, allowing readers the opportunity to see the seven lighting scenarios put to practice.

Practical teaching and stories related to the author's life experience teach you how to overcome your hesitancy in photographing people. Shy photographers know how uncomfortable it is being photographed. Naturally, we should be more sensitive, more empathetic, and therefore more capable of creating portraits with depth and feeling. Photographing People - A Guide For Shy Photographers is intended to encourage you to take photos of people. Experience has taught me to overcome the feeling of not wanting to impose when I point my camera in the direction of a person. It's also taught me this fear is common, particularly amongst shy photographers. The book, divided into four sections, is designed to guide you through the adventure of learning to photograph people. Each section demonstrates and teaches how you can overcome the fear of not wanting to impose. You will learn how to manage your camera well. You will also learn how to manage your thoughts effectively to deal with the unnecessary fear that inhibits shy photographers from photographing people. My first review: The photos of people I've taken on my travels are my favorite souvenirs. Along the way, though, I know I've missed so many opportunities because I was unprepared or just too shy to ask if I could take a photo. In this book, Kevin describes how he personally overcame shyness to become the awesome portrait photographer that he is. In this down to earth and easy to read text, Kevin provides practical advice on how to be prepared as well as how to approach and communicate with people you'd like to photograph. This is an inspiring little book. I read it while traveling in Mexico and, in the two days after finishing it, I approached three people for photos and, using Kevin's suggestions, they all said "Yes". If you love taking photos of people, you will love this book. I can't recommend it enough! Maryellen, Davis, California, USA

In this sexy, bold book, Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer Brian Smith tells the stories behind the photos and lessons learned in 30 years of photographing celebrities and people from all walks of life. Smith’s long list of famous and infamous subjects includes pro basketball players Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal; billionaires Bill Gates, Richard Branson, and Donald Trump; tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams; actors Anne Hathaway, Antonio Banderas, Christopher Walken, Taye Diggs, Jane Krakowski, and William H. Macy; and many more. You’ll get the inside scoop on what goes on at a celebrity photo shoot in this gorgeous guide to making professional portraits. Smith has mastered how to make a meaningful portrait on a magazine’s budget and on a celebrity’s schedule, which can sometimes be 15 minutes or less. Smith reveals his tips on connecting with people, finding the perfect location, telling a great story through portraiture, getting the ideal pose, capturing emotion and gestures, arranging unique group shots, and lighting the scene just right. You might not be photographing the rich and famous, but after reading Smith’s tell-all guide, you’ll know how to give everyone who makes their way in front of your camera the star treatment.