Studio Portrait

85mm, Controlled Light, and a Repeatable Process: My Breakdown of a Solid Studio Portrait Tutorial
Video Tutorials

85mm, Controlled Light, and a Repeatable Process: My Breakdown of a Solid Studio Portrait Tutorial

There’s a question I get from assistants and younger photographers on set more than almost any other: “What settings are you shooting at?” It sounds simple, but behind it is a real anxiety about the technical side of studio work. The honest answer is that the settings matter less than the decisions that lead to them, and those decisions start with your lens, not your camera. When I came across this The Slanted Lens tutorial from Jay P.

Beauty Dish Basics: What Jessica Kobeissi's Studio Tutorial Taught Me About Light Placement
Video Tutorials

Beauty Dish Basics: What Jessica Kobeissi's Studio Tutorial Taught Me About Light Placement

Every time I take on a new modifier, I test it the day it arrives. That is a rule I set for myself years ago after walking into a campaign shoot having never fired the strobe I’d rented. The images were usable. Barely. I’ve never made that mistake again. So when I came across a studio portrait session documented by photographer Jessica Kobeissi, I watched it the way I watch most tutorials from working photographers: looking for the decision-making, not just the gear list.

Two Hot Lights, One Compelling Portrait: What This Continuous Lighting Setup Actually Teaches You
Video Tutorials

Two Hot Lights, One Compelling Portrait: What This Continuous Lighting Setup Actually Teaches You

Continuous lighting used to be a compromise I made reluctantly. Strobes were precise, repeatable, and fast. Hot lights felt like a workaround for filmmakers who hadn’t fully committed to either medium. Then I started getting more hybrid jobs, clients who wanted a behind-the-scenes reel alongside the stills, and my entire attitude shifted. You can’t fire a strobe at 24 frames per second. Continuous light, once you understand how to manage it, stops being a limitation and starts being a genuinely elegant solution.