Top 10 Portrait Tips and Tricks to Become a Better Photographer

[Music] hey guys irene here welcome back to my youtube channel today i'm sharing some of my favorite photography tips and tricks with you guys i have learned these over the past 10 plus years of doing photography and these really helped me out so i'm hoping that they're going to be able to help you out as well i'm always learning though always discovering something new so please share your favorite tips in the comments down below let's share the knowledge and help each other grow so here's the first tip props are an easy but very effective way to elevate your portraits make them more interesting and tell a story through your art but also it will help your model to come up with more poses around that prop so if you struggle to pose a model props will definitely help out a few of my favorite easy props are flowers flower bouquets baskets or even baskets full of flowers and you don't have to spend a lot of money on these this bouquet was actually made out of weeds that grow pretty much everywhere i even used thistles here and baskets like these you can find in any thrift store or second-hand store just for a few bucks other props that i use often are umbrellas musical instruments fans books candles vintage cameras pretty much anything can become a prop so be creative with it tip number two when processing raw images use the native software so for example i have been using canon digital photo professional and it is significantly better than adobe camera raw in my opinion just look at the difference native software will be able to get you the most accurate colors and it's free for sony and fuji capture one works great i think olympus has a program called olympus workplace just google row processor for specific brand and download it from the brand's website i'll leave the link to the canon digital professional in the description tip number three is to use a step ladder this has changed the game for me and i know a lot of you also became a part of ladder gang after watching my videos so a ladder is great for experimenting with your angles you can easily get those very flattering portraits from above avoiding double chains getting that great eye contact this angle works for all people especially for non-professional models it's also awesome for avoiding skies i prefer shooting wide open apertures and natural light and that comes with white skies so if you step on the ladder and get that higher angle you can easily avoid the blown out skies it also can serve as a reflector holder or a space to put your lenses on that's easy to reach for i got my foldable stepladder at a local hardware store for like twenty dollars tip number four is to change the crop and camera i ditched the standard crop a while ago and i don't know why i didn't do it sooner go to the camera menu and simply change the crop to 4x3 or any other crop you like but 4x3 to me is the most aesthetically pleasing it reminds me of medium format crop and it works great with instagram's aspect ratio if you shoot raw the camera will still save the original ratio and you will be able to go back to it in your raw processor if you don't end up liking it tip number five is to use an editing tablet i could never go back to using a mouse now working with a tablet is so much faster and easier especially for things like skin retouch masking selecting areas it's something that every photoshop user should own i have been using my wacom into a small pen and touch for maybe six years now and it still works great even though i spilled many things on it and i dropped it a lot it's not expensive either i think i paid about eighty dollars for it and recently i tested a cheap xp pen one that sells for about forty dollars and it works great as well so really just get one i'll leave a bunch of links below tip number six is to start shooting self portraits i like most photographers out there hate getting my picture taken but during covet log town i had to resort to taking self-portraits and i freaking loved it when i shoot with the model i usually stay away from experimenting too much because i don't want to waste too much of their time so i stick to what i know best but when i'm just by myself i can go crazy with lighting makeup costumes i can try things that i'm not really sure of and it's a great way of trying out something new without worrying that it won't work plus being on the other side gives you a different perspective and it will teach you a few posing tricks if your camera has wi-fi you can easily connect it to your phone and control it that way it really makes taking selfies super easy tip number seven is to go thrifting thrifting for me is a part of my creative process when i'm feeling uninspired i go to a local value village salvation army or some cool hand shop and just spend hours looking for unique pieces i can use for photoshoots pretty much every item you see me using in shoots from clothing to accessories and props are most likely thrifted keep in mind though the thrifting takes dedication and you might not find any exciting items on your first few tries but once you find something awesome you'll know that it's worth it tip number eight is to rotate your image when editing this is such a simple tip but i only started using it lately and i never really thought about rotating the image until i started doing more professional retouch and a lot of dodge and burn think about an artist that draws a painting often they will rotate the canvas to get a better angle and it works the same way in photoshop to rotate simply press r and rotate or on my tablet i can just use the touch screen another reason why you should get a tablet tip number nine is to shoot film at least once for me shooting film is a lot more than just getting that signature look it's about the whole process you have only one roll with like 10 to 15 shots and each shot costs you money so you take a lot of time and care with each shutter click film taught me to be more patient to get it right in camera and to value each picture i feel like i often rush and take way too many shots with digital often not noticing simple things like a ponytail on a model's hand but with film you really cannot afford any errors so it's just such a different process the developing is really fun as well and it gives you a different perspective on how the images used to be created it really gives you an appreciation for the craft another plus is that most film cameras are a lot cheaper than the modern digital ones and you can find some very unique glass to experiment with if you don't have the money to spare but still want the experience i suggest you get a disposable film camera and then develop it at a local camera store or london drugs it's close enough experience and it won't cost you a ton tip number 10 is to look back at your work and learn from it i like to choose my favorite and my least favorite picture at the time and then analyze it what do i like about the favorite one when i look at it i just remember the amount of work that went into research scouting the perfect location finding the perfect model everything from start to finish was thought through and that's what i can take away from this for me taking the time that it takes to come up with an idea and then plan it perfectly really pays off most of my spontaneous shoots don't really interest me anymore and i end up really not loving them my work really shines with its costumes and themes and it's definitely worth all the work i put into these shoots now for my least favorite one this self portrait the thing that bothers me the most is probably the makeup i think it's too strong and doesn't really fit me so i often find for my personal work and my personal photography style i prefer less makeup so it's something that i have been doing pretty much in all of my recent work very natural and simple makeup looks instead of anything too extravagant doing this exercise really helped me to grow and understand my own mistakes and times where i nailed it i think it's really important to be able to analyze your work like this it will help you to develop your own unique style so this is it i hope you guys enjoyed this video let me know if you would like to see part two as i have a lot more tips to share with you guys and remember absolutely anyone can become a great photographer just believe in yourself and practice practice practice so give this video a like subscribe to my channel and i'll see you guys in my next one bye [Music] now

Channel: Irene Rudnyk

Views: 502,990

Keywords: photography, model, irene rudnyk, photographer, professional, tutorial, canon, 85mm 1.2, photoshoot, session, tips and tricks, hacks, portrait, best, top 10, become a better photographer, learn, teach, props, pose, editing, photoshop, R5, R6, RP, new camera, best camera, best lens, retouch, improve photography skills, pure tips, knowledge, sharing, instagram, self-portraits, film, analog, thrifting, amazing, beautiful, outdoor, strobe, flash, bokeh, blurry background, look, clean, signature, style, unique, picture, cool, yes

Id: 2lleGP6mYHs

Length: 10min 1sec (601 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 08 2020