Pye Jirsa

How to Add Depth to Your Photos Using Mixed Light

March 28, 2025August 13, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Last week, we talked about Mixed Lighting and How to Fix It. However, it’s important to know when mixed light can drastically improve an image. When done right, mixed light can add a lot of depth and interest to the scene. In this video/article, I’ll be walking through various examples and I’ll discuss how to properly incorporate mixed light into each scene.

Before we dive in, be sure to visit AdoramaTV for more tutorials that cover all things photography-related. Don’t forget to subscribe and check out our playlist for the entire “Master Your Craft” series.

Video: How to Add Depth to Your Photos Using Mixed Light

Mixed Light Situations You Should Avoid

Last week, we talked about the not-so-ideal mixed light situations. In this example, the warm light clashes with the cool ambient light. The messy lighting is what we want to avoid altogether.

We turned our model to the window light. Notice how this cleaned up the lighting.

In this example, the window light was cooler than the ambient light in the room. To fix this, we turned out the lights. Then, we turned the model toward the dominant light source which was the window. The window light created an edge light while the warm fill provided the even warm tone in the image.

Example #1: Separate the Lights

I often find myself working in more plain rooms such as this. When I follow the same solution as above and turn off the lights, the colors appear a bit sterilized and uninteresting.

Instead, leave on some of your background lights. Leave the subject still lit by the neutral window light. The resulting images will have much more depth and color.

The key is to avoid mixed light over the face. Here are two tips to get a beautiful and balanced image.

Turn off any other light that crosses over to your subject. This keeps the subject separated from the background.
Keep background lights subtle. A lamp that’s too bright can pull the attention away.

Example #2: Leave On Background Lighting

I took a sample image with only the lights in the room. Everything was fully tungsten and the windows were fully drawn. What I got is a flat image that lacks depth, even after correction.

To remedy this, I opened the curtains to light the subject. Then, I turned off some of the ambient lights. I only left the lamp in the background.

See the comparison. The second image is more polished and visually dynamic. The key was light separation. Following the tips from the first example, we ended up with this great result.

Example #3: Turn Mixed Light into Rim Light

This image can work, but notice the tungsten on the male model’s face. While split lighting can work, the tungsten light works better as a rim light like on the female model.

To fix this, I shifted the angle. Here, the warm light becomes a rim light for both models and a highlight behind them. Edited with Visual Flow’s Pastel Presets, we get these bright and beautiful highlights on the skin.

Check out some other examples. I kept the models turned away so that the light creates a rim light that isn’t overwhelming. You can still see separation between the lights.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Mixed light, when used right, can add visual interest and depth to your photos. Knowing when and how to incorporate mixed light to your photos is crucial for any event and wedding photographer. For a full course on photographing weddings, check out the Complete Wedding Course from SLR Lounge Premium. In addition, be sure to check out Visual Flow‘s lighting based presets to get similar looks as the examples above.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Mixed Lighting Conditions in Photography and How to Fix It

August 7, 2021August 6, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

If you’re a wedding or event photographer, you’ve likely come across mixed light. Whether it be the venue or the time of day, bad lighting can make or break a photo. Being able to work with mixed lighting conditions in photography is a crucial skill for any photographer. In this video/article, we’ll be discussing various examples of mixed light and how to fix it in camera or in post production.

For more videos that cover all things photography-related, be sure to subscribe to AdoramaTV and watch the entire “Master Your Craft” series on our playlist.

Video: Mixed Lighting Conditions in Photography and How to Fix It

What Is Mixed Lighting?

Before we go into how to fix mixed lighting, let’s first talk about what it is. Mixed lighting is when two or more different colors light up the face of your subject. This can have an unflattering effect. It’s a common occurrence at outdoor or evening events as well as indoors where there are many types of lights.

In this example, the deep orange light clashes with the cool ambient light from the sky. If I try to correct for the skin tone, I end up turning most of the image blue. Not great.

Here’s another example. Here, the warm tungsten light is the dominant source. The window in the back provides neutral daylight. Even after slightly adjusting the white balance for the skin, the image still seems off.

Related Reading: What is Mixed Lighting?

Solution #1: Turn Out the Lights

In this scene, we have daylight coming through the windows and deep tungsten lighting the room. The result is a deep orange hue throughout the image. The solution is quite simple. Turn off the lights and angle your subject to the strongest or most consistent light source. In this room, the daylight is bouncing off the warm colored walls.

If we angle our model to the daylight, we get great highlights and the warm room fills in the shadow side. When we adjust for this in post, we get a much cleaner overall look. This is the easiest solution when you have a large room with a great fill of warm light like we had here.

Solution #2: Use a Gel

When turning out the lights isn’t an option, such as a reception hall, use a gel over your flash.

Most rooms are lit by tungsten or other warm lighting. This is a perfect place to use a CTO gel (Color Temperature – Orange). Then, the flash will balance with the existing light.

The Profoto A10 with the CTO matched the light on the subjects with the background.

In this example, you can see that the colors are all balanced.

It’s not uncommon to see various colored lights like magenta or blue in a reception hall. If that’s the case, leave your light un-gelled. Your daylight balanced light will be closer to those colors.

Solution #3: Editing in Lightroom

In this example, I lit the couple using the natural light from the large door. I left the background lit by the lights inside the chapel. When the colors clash like this, I prefer to ease the background color in post.

First, I set my white balance for the skin and I use HSL to ease up the intensity of the orange in the background. This is quite simple when there is clean separation from foreground and background. However, that’s not always the case.

In situations like this, the room was lit with tungsten but we also had blue lights shining on everybody. When I captured this, I used a CTO gel on my flash to evenly light the faces. Whoever wasn’t getting enough light ended up being blue.

In post, I added some basic settings to start the edit. At Visual Flow, we have a Tungsten Mix preset which corrects for strong blues in these specific situations. However, to do so manually, I pull down the blue saturation in HSL. Then, in luminance, I pull down the brightness. After, I shift the blue hues to complement the oranges in the photo.

In addition to a radial burn, I also added a burn gradient to create a vignette and darken the bottom of the image.

Check out before and after we get our blue tones under control.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this video/article. Mixed lighting conditions in photography can be easy to work around once you get the hang of these tricks. Even in unideal lighting conditions, you can still capture beautiful images. Next week, I discuss when and how to incorporate mixed lighting in your photos, so stay tuned. Be sure to check out Visual Flow‘s lighting based presets as well as SLR Lounge Premium for a full tutorial on weddings, events, and location lighting.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Become a Better Photographer With These Mobile Photography Tips and Techniques

February 21, 2024July 26, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll demonstrate mobile photography tips and techniques that can translate to your dedicated camera and improve your skills as a photographer.

Video: Become a Better Photographer With These Mobile Photography Tips and Techniques

Mobile phone technology has made leaps and bounds over the past several years. Nowadays, our phone cameras are comparable in quality to that of full size consumer cameras. I’ve long advocated for taking advantage of the minimalistic aspect of mobile photography. Without the hassle of excessive gear, mobile photography can be a great way to practice the fundamental techniques. In this article/video, I’ll be showing you how mobile photography can make you a better photographer. I’ll be walking through a scene on the phone and then translating the technique over to my main camera. My camera of choice today is the Canon EOS R5 with the 28-70mm f/2L lens.

For a full course dedicated entirely to mobile photography, check out Creative Photography 101 from SLR Lounge Premium. Let’s dive in.

Scene #1: Getting Close to Your Subject

Let’s begin with this flower bush. Our initial instinct may be to take a basic walk-up shot like this.

One of the biggest advantages of the phone is its size. Due to the small size, you can get much closer to your subject than you would with a full size camera. Therefore, I decided to get very close and focus on the bees as my subject. I zoomed in with the attached telephoto lens and got right up against the bush. Then, I filled the background with the flowers, waited for the perfect moment, and got this shot.

Even with the phone, I got a natural shallow depth of field without using portrait mode. This is due to how close we were to the subject as well as our telephoto lens.

Now, let’s switch over to the Canon EOS R5 with the 28-70mm f/2L. I’m using this camera set-up due to its versatility and range in focal length that mirrors what’s available on the phone. Here’s the walk-up shot with the R5 compared with the one taken with the phone.

mobile phone tips and techniques phone vs eosr — Left: iPhone; Right: Canon EOS-R

Following the same principles using the R5, I captured the close up images of the bees. When compared side by side, we can see how similar the images are. By getting close to our subject, we leveled up the images on both devices. The main difference will be the quality of the image files themselves. Let’s move on to our next scene.

Scene #2: Framing a Landscape

Unlike our first scene where we zoomed in close, our next scene is a large landscape. Large landscapes can be tricky to frame as our instinct is to try and capture the vastness of the scene. However, our eyes can be deceptive as they see the panorama differently than a lens. You can see that a simple wide angle shot with my phone is a bit lackluster. With the R5, it’s still lackluster, just higher in quality.

My first tip is to change our vantage point. My second tip is to find a more interesting point of focus. With vast landscapes, the key is to focus in on a specific section rather than the entire place. I decided to take a photo of this curving shoreline.

First, I got down low by rotating the phone in order to capture a bit of foreground. Then, I lowered the exposure to focus on the highlights in the water.

Switching over to the R5, we can capture the same image wide open with a fast shutter speed. However, I want to include more foreground in focus. To do this, I closed my aperture a bit to f/5.6.

Both images from the phone and camera are stunning in quality and are huge improvements from our first vantage point.

Scene #3: Selective Composition with Grids

The horizon line is placed in the middle of the frame.

When most of us walk up to a scene like this, we tend to capture this bullseye shot. We jump to the widest angle lens and center the horizon. The result is, like our previous image, a lackluster composition.

Grid settings on the native iPhone camera app, LR Mobile, and the Canon EOS-R (L to R)

First, turn on your grid. Your “Camera App” settings will have this option. You can also find various grid choices in Adobe Lightroom Mobile. You can find this setting on any DSLR or mirrorless camera as well.

Then, place the horizon line on either the top or bottom third line. You’ll end up with an image that focuses on the incredible landscape or the dramatic sky. Decide which element is most interesting and let that guide your composition.

I found the texture in the rocks to be much more interesting and decided to make that the focus of the image. With the Ultra-Wide lens, I exaggerated the downward angle a touch to include more of the rocks.

mobile phone tips and techniques horizon line — The different horizon line positions.

Next, I switched over to the R5 and had the lens as wide as possible. I captured the trifecta of images: The bullseye, the sky, and the rocks. Compare all three above.

mobile phone tips and techniques phone vs eosr landscape — Left: iPhone; Right: Canon EOS-R

I closed down the aperture a touch to include more foreground and waited for the perfect wave. This is the final image. Compare this with the image taken with the phone.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. I encourage you to try photographing with your phone more often. Not only can you capture great images, it helps you focus on the most important elements of a photograph. Then, translate these mobile photography tips and techniques over to a dedicated camera and watch your photography game improve drastically. For a full course on mobile photography, be sure to check out Creative Photography 101 from SLR Lounge Premium. There, we teach the fundamentals and techniques behind mobile phone photography and the incredible images they’re capable of capturing.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Behind the Scenes: Urban Fitness Photoshoot Tips

April 6, 2023July 14, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

A good fitness portrait shows off form and figure. In this video/article, I’ll be walking through a fitness photography shoot in an urban setting.

Video: Behind the Scenes: Urban Fitness Photoshoot Tips

A fitness photoshoot highlights form and definition on the subject. Intentional composition and lighting can make all the difference in the world. For this tutorial, I’ll be photographing my friend, Derek. We’ll be capturing three unique fitness looks. I’ll be highlighting specific lighting techniques to sculpt out the muscles for dramatic effects. Let’s dive in.

Gear Used:

Scene #1: Using Bounce Light

The white car provides a clean and bright bounce light on Derek.

I set the scene by first placing Derek by this hedge that extends into the background. The first thing I’ll do is move Derek into better lighting. The sunlight bouncing off the car provides a great soft light source.

See the difference with and without the bounce.

Notice the shadows created on Derek’s muscles.

When Derek faces the car, the lighting fills in much of the shadow. This causes a flat appearance. To create form with the light, I had Derek turn away from the light. As Derek turns, notice the definition taking form.

Composition & Ambient Light

The image I had in mind was a straight forward power pose. Then, I used the volleyball to hide the junk in the background. This is my exposure with the settings above. I darkened the image to set the scene for our next step.

Modify / Add Light

My goal was to add a bit of a kick with the Profoto B10. To begin, I placed the flash to match the angle of the light bouncing off of the car. I also used a grid to focus the light in on Derek’s face. As always, be sure to weigh your stand with a sandbag so that your light won’t fall over. I set the light to power level 8, roughly 50-60 watt seconds, as well as high-speed sync. The result is a nice balance between the flash and the ambient light that looks natural.

Photograph

Be sure to exhale and flex before taking the shot.

A quick tip for your fitness photoshoot is to have your subject exhale and flex just before capturing the shot. When you take the picture on the inhale, you lose muscle definition. Check out the difference above.

fitness photoshoot scene 1 — VF Presets > Pastel Pack

Here are some of the final images from this static look.

A low angle helps the subject appear more dominant and powerful.

In order to capture action, I recommend getting a low angle. By lowering the camera, we give Derek the appearance of towering over us and intensifying the movement. Check out the comparison between the normal angle and the low angle.

Scene #2: Photographing in Direct Sunlight

I chose this spot because of the white wall and the angle of light. If I take a shot with the direction of the sun and against the wall, we end up with an image that is just okay. However, we lose the highlight and shadow definition on Derek.

fitness photoshoot sunlight — The perpendicular sunlight casts deep shadows that create depth and shape.

By simply shooting at an angle to the sunlight, we get great definition and contrast on Derek.

I instructed Derek to interact with the cord and keep it taught to prevent a strange dangly shadow. Here are the final images.

Don’t forget to capture some close up detail shots using the sun as an edge light for that dramatic look.

For my next shot, I took the images from behind the railing for a foreground.

I captured various images, from Derek sitting, to him taking off on a sprint for some epic action shots.

Scene #3: Sculpting Out Form With a Single Light

I started off with Derek in front of this white wall. First, I’ll show you how the image looks with natural light. Notice that with only the flat light, we don’t have a lot of definition on Derek.

Place the flash slightly in front of the subject.

Using my ISO, I darkened the image to set the scene. Then, I’ll add the hard flash from the same direction to emphasize that light as well as add to the dimension.

I placed the Profoto B10 at a slight forward angle, slightly in front of Derek. Without a grid, the light spills everywhere, and as a result, we lose that dramatic effect. To remedy this, I added a grid and fined tuned the position. What we get is a great highlight on Derek’s face. When you capture an image like this, I recommend using Highlight Alert. This will help guide your flash power to prevent any blown highlights.

Lastly, I used this small bush as a framing device to add a foreground to the scene.

fitness photoshoot sculpting with light — VF Presets > Pastel Pack

Here are some of the final images.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Lighting is a crucial part of a fitness photoshoot. By using proper techniques to bring out definition, you too can capture intense and epic photos for your clients and subjects. For a more thorough guide on flash photography, be sure to check out our Complete Lighting Course from our Premium Channel. In addition, be sure to check out Visual Flow for lighting based presets such as the Pastel Pack like we used here.

Thanks for watching and join us next time for more fun photography tips and tricks!

Dramatic Portraits With a Mural Using External Camera Flash

August 14, 2024July 9, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related, from lighting and posing to editing, to help you hone your skills and master your craft. Don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll be walking through the complete process of taking this urban portrait with a mural and external camera flash.

Video: Dramatic Portraits With a Mural Using External Camera Flash

Murals can make for great backgrounds and framing elements. They add a unique urban atmosphere to the scene that can enhance any basic portrait. With this mural, I’ll use an external camera flash to create a dramatic portrait of my friend Brandon. Then, I’ll walk through my editing process in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to get to our final image.

Before we begin, be sure to download the exercise file here and follow along as I edit.

Gear Used:

To get to our final image, I’ll be following the C.A.M.P. framework.

Composing the Shot

I placed Brandon in the eye of this mural and let the surrounding artwork frame him. Getting the exact composition is key here as I’ll be merging two images in post-production, but more on that later.

Dialing in the Ambient Light

My intention is to create a dramatic image using flash. I underexposed the image to get that dark look (see the image above on the right). Compare it to the shot on the left, in which I exposed for the skin tone. Notice that exposing for the skin causes the entire image and the mural to look washed out.

Adding/Modifying External Camera Flash

To get the look I’m after, I’ll need to add direct light to Brandon’s face. I added a grid to my Profoto A10 to prevent light spill and placed it right next to Brandon. However, High-Speed Sync severely limits the available power output. To make sure I can get the light bright enough, I have to keep the flash close to Brandon and in-frame.

Getting the Final Shots

Once I got the final look, this is where the fixed composition comes in play. I would advise you use a tripod for this process, but if you’re extremely careful, you can hand-hold your camera like I did here. Once you capture the shot, remove the flash from the frame and take another exposure with the same frame. Here are our two final images that we’ll be sending into post for editing.

Post-Production

The Preset Settings

The first step is to colorize the image and get as close to the final look as we can. I began with Visual Flow’s Crush Pack > Hard Light preset. This preset adds a vibrance to the entire image, particularly the blues. The tone curve adds the contrast we have in the image.

The HSL panel is set to pull the skin tones to a more natural range. The “dehaze” effect tends to create too much punch on the skin tones. The settings in HSL is designed to fix that. In the Color Grading panel, we have a touch of blue in the shadows and a bit of warmth in the highlights. The preset also adds a touch of sharpening and noise reduction, as well as color calibration to set the colors where we want them.

Lightroom Edits

Next, I added a radial burn from the Retouching Toolkit to the overall image. I shrunk the radial mask to just around Brandon. The resulting effect is a realistic look as though it was caused by the flash.

Then, I selected the Temperature Cool brush. With a large brush, I painted over the entire image. I then used a luminance mask to limit the blue hue to just the shadows and not the highlights.

You can see the huge difference here. Before we jump into Photoshop, be sure to copy over the settings to the second image by clicking “Previous” on the next image. Because the frame is nearly identical, the settings should carry over exactly as is. Then, “Open As Layers” in Photoshop.

Merging the Images in Photoshop

First, I’ll show you how you can manually align them. Place the image with the flash on top. Then, lower the opacity of that layer. Now, you should be able to see through the layer to the original shot. Carefully adjust the image until they’re perfectly aligned.

Then, bring the opacity back up and create a mask on the top layer. Use a black brush to paint out the flash, revealing the clean layer underneath. You’ll notice if there are parts that are slightly out of alignment. Use a small brush to blend in those areas until there’s no ghosting.

Auto-Align Method

Before we finish, I want to show you the easy way to align images is to stack them and select Edit > Auto-Align Layers. If the original images aren’t already in near perfect alignment, this will cause the edges to be cropped.

Follow the same instructions as before to mask out the flash. For the remaining bit on the bottom, merge all the layers using Alt/Opt. + Ctrl + Shift + E. Use the marquee tool to select the area you want to remove. Then, press Shift + Backspace/Del to fill and choose “Content Aware.” Lastly, I used the healing brush to polish up the image.

I added the final crop in Lightroom. Check out the before and after.

Conclusion

As you can see, the technique to getting this kind of image is quite simple and powerful. The result is an image that will be much different than what we’d see using only available light. Next time you see a mural, try out this technique with external camera flash and see what amazing results you end up with! For a full course on lighting, check out our Complete Lighting Course from our Premium Channel. In addition, check out Visual Flow for the Crush presets that we used in this tutorial as well as the Retouching Toolkit.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

How Wedding Detail Photos Are Your Secret to Marketing Your Studio

July 8, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

pasadena-langham-styled-wedding-details-shoot-0001

For wedding photographers operating in our world of social media likes, incredible images of the bride and groom typically get the most attention and engagement, making the other images from the day seem less important. However, an experienced wedding photographer knows that clients expect beautiful photos from every part of the day. One of these …

Location Tips: Parking Garage Portrait Challenge

February 21, 2024July 2, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Video: Location Tips: Parking Garage Portrait Challenge

When we train ourselves to think creatively, we can find great images out of unconventional locations. While having great locations is a great advantage, we may miss interesting compositions and angles in places we wouldn’t otherwise use as a location. Today, I’ll be looking for unique angles and backgrounds in this parking garage with my friend, Kiara. I’ll also be adding my own flash to create unique effects and enhance the portraits. Let’s jump in.

Gear Used:

Scene #1:

The first thing I noted at this location was the light coming from the back. This will create a natural silhouette of Kiara.

I got low and angled up to frame out the ground. I also raised the ISO to blow out the background and framed Kiara center against the bright spot. I’ll add a light using the A10 to create more light direction on Kiara’s face.

I placed the A10 on Kiara’s left side to match some light already coming in from that direction. I powered the light just enough to add highlights to her face without overwhelming the shot.

Here is the before and after and the steps I took to get this final image.

parking garage portrait challenge location 1 — Edited with VF Presets > Modern Pack

Lower Angle
Brighten the Exposure
Lower Power Flash to Fill

Scene #2:

Looking into the rest of the parking garage, the light against the beams naturally graduate into the dark. I wanted to pose Kiara in front of this for an interesting look. For this image, I’ll be using the 70-200mm to compress the frame and focus in on the effect.

I wanted to emphasize the hairlight on Kiara. Notice that if I photograph low, we lose her hairlight against the brighter spot in the background. Instead, I framed her in front of the darker area to have the hairlight stand out. I also moved her more into the light. Notice the difference.

I added a light frame left to accent the highlight on Kiara’s right side.

At low power, this is the before and after.

parking garage portrait challenge location 2 image 2 — Both images edited with VF Presets > Modern Pack

Here are the final images we captured from this location.

Scene #3:

For the next look, I turned to the slanted pillars and wanted to capture the depth and patterns. I placed Kiara beside the light opening. I’ll only be using natural light for this image. The lights reflecting off the trees from behind also provide great warm highlights on the pillars.

I got down lower to get the highlights from below to reflect right beside Kiara’s face.

parking garage portrait challenge location 3 image 2 — Both images edited with VF Presets > Modern Pack

These are two of our final images.

Scene #4:

Before we left, I saw a set of columns that I thought would make a great composition. I placed Kiara behind them and shot through the thin opening. Then, I framed with the walls and incorporated the windows in the far back.

parking garage portrait challenge adding flash — Bouncing the flash off the ceiling creates a large fill of light.

I added the A10 behind Kiara to light up the white walls. I angled it at the ceiling and hid it behind Kiara. My intention is to flood the scene from behind like the sun.

Check out the before and after.

parking garage portrait challenge location 4 final — Edited with VF Presets > Modern Pack

Here is the final image.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. I wanted to photograph Kiara here to show you that even the most plain of locations can make for great images. By keeping your eye out for shapes and patterns, you can create unique compositions just about anywhere. For more tips on flash photography, be sure to check out our Complete Lighting Course from our Premium Subscription. Also, be sure to check out Visual Flow for our intuitive lighting based presets like we used here.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!

Back to the Basics: Mobile Phone Portrait Photography Tips

June 30, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Good photography techniques are crucial regardless of what camera you’re using. No amount of megapixels or color science will save a poorly captured image. In this video, I’ll show you how to take and edit great images on the go with these mobile phone portrait photography tips.

Video: Back to the Basics: Mobile Phone Portrait Photography Tips

I wanted to get back to the basics take another go at mobile phone portrait photography again. I love minimalistic challenges like this because it helps us break from our reliance on flashy and expensive gear. Keeping our gear minimal forces us to learn to work with what’s around us. I encourage you to try the same and focus on honing your technique. I’ll be photographing my friend Alyssa, and I’ll also be editing right in my phone using Adobe Lightroom Mobile. Let’s jump in.

Image #1: Dappled Light

Dappled light can provide great dramatic highlights and patterns in an image. Here, we have a location with dappled light shining through the trees behind me. I’ll begin by showing you dappled light done wrong with this plain walk-up shot.

Instead, I moved Alyssa to the stairs and positioned her face right in one of the sunbeams.

mobile phone portrait photography low angle — Flipping your phone upside down helps get a lower angle.

Rather than taking an image from my own height, I angled from below. I flipped my camera to get the lens closer to the ground.

Editing the Image

Lightroom Mobile isn’t the place to be editing an image from scratch. Rather, I recommend using presets to start and fine tune using the editing tools provided. If you install your presets on Lightroom CC Desktop, they’ll automatically sync with Lightroom Mobile. I selected Visual Flow’s Modern Pack > Hard Light. Then, I added a radial gradient and pulled the exposure down to create a vignette.

Here’s the final before and after.

Image #2: Flat Portrait Lighting

Notice the even and flat lighting falling on Alyssa.

The shade provided a lot of soft light and I wanted to use that for our next image. The flat lighting at this location was perfect for a simple portrait. The trick is to face the open sky while standing in the shade.

For our composition, I had Alyssa sit on the windowsill. The window creates a natural frame for our image.

mobile phone portrait photography adobe lightroom mobile — You can adjust the f-stop even after taking the photo.

To demonstrate portrait mode, I had Alyssa stand in front of the wall and took some images. With portrait mode, you can adjust the f-stop by clicking the “f” in the corner after taking the image. Since the bokeh is artificially generated, you have a lot of flexibility as to how you want the final image to look.

I applied the same technique to the composition against the windowsill. I flipped the camera again in order to get a low angle. Before jumping into Lightroom, I set the f-stop on the image to f/1.4, as you won’t be able to change that after importing.

Editing the Image

I selected the Modern Pack > Soft Light to start. I lowered the exposure and added the vignette using the radial gradient.

Here’s the final image.

Image #3: HDR Portrait

For my next image, I chose a location with a high dynamic range. I also wanted to use the ultra-wide angle lens. I had Alyssa sit on the stairs with the sun behind her.

Notice the visible hairlight on the right image. On the left, the highlights blend in to the bright background.

However, if I just take a simple picture, I could lose the hairlight if her head is in front of a bright area. Instead, I angled so her head is in front of a dark part of the building to let the hairlight stand out. Notice the difference.

Here’s the final composition.

Editing the Image

I began with Modern Pack > HDR Natural. I adjusted the exposure and created a slight vignette.

For this image, I bumped up the clarity and de-haze for the extra pop for this final image.

Conclusion

The phone is a powerful tool. We captured and edited all of these images in a very short time span. By limiting my gear to just the phone, I was able to focus on taking compelling images rather than worrying about gear. I highly encourage you to try the same challenge and put your creativity to the test. For a complete course on mobile phone photography, check out Creative Photography 101 from our Premium Channel. Also, be sure to check out Visual Flow for intuitive lighting-based presets like we used here.

I hope you enjoyed this article/video and stay tuned for more photography tips, tricks, and challenges!

Dramatic Portrait Lighting Setup Made Simple

March 27, 2024June 28, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

We’ve teamed up with Adorama to bring you a series of photography tutorials called “Master Your Craft” to be featured on their Youtube Channel. Subscribe to see more of our videos on their channel that covers all things photography-related from lighting and posing to editing to help you hone your skills and master your craft and don’t forget to check out our playlist to watch the entire series! In this video, I’ll be walking through a simple dramatic portrait lighting setup you can use to take great images anywhere!

Case Study 1

Street portraiture provides the opportunity to capture so much of the urban textures and patterns that give a city its look. The brick walls provide great leading lines as well as murals and large wall art that set a dramatic tone to any image. I wanted to take a portrait of my friend, Brandon, in a way that captures the urban atmosphere here in Santa Ana. However, I wanted to use flash in a way that isn’t so obvious that we used any external lighting. I’ll be demonstrating just how simply you can create dramatic lighting for your own street portraits. Let’s jump in.

Gear Used

The Initial Composition

The type of composition I’m looking for is simple. I left the scene quite dark since I’m aiming for a moody look. Let’s start building our dramatic portrait lighting setup.

We’re in the mid-day shade so I only needed the Profoto A10 with a basic shoot-thru umbrella. Be aware when using lightweight stands with modifiers as any wind can knock it down. As a precaution, weigh it down with a backpack or sandbag to prevent any accidents.

Our goal is to remove the shadow created by the light.

I set the A10 to full power with High-Speed Sync in order to have a fast shutter speed and shallow depth of field. Notice the shadow behind Brandon produced by the direct light. Let’s try to remove this shadow.

Cleaning Up the Composition

dramatic portrait lighting setup lighting position — Placing the model in the recess in the wall eliminates the shadow on the wall.

My trick to avoid that shadow is to place Brandon in a recess in the wall like we have here. I placed the light as close to Brandon as I could without getting the light in the frame. Doing so produces a not only a softer light, but brighter as well.

Moving closer to the wall conceals the door visible in the left image.

I stood close to the wall as I took the photo in order to hide the doorway in the wall. Compare that image with one I took further away. From here, we’ll be following the standard C.A.M.P. framework.

Setting the Ambient Light

dramatic portrait lighting setup ambient light comparison — The dark ambient exposure allows us to shape the image with external lighting.

After moving Brandon more into the recess to capture the detail on the wall, I landed on my final ambient light settings: 1/500sec, f/2.8, ISO 50. I set the settings dark to capture that dramatic tone. Compare it to a brighter exposure which negates the need for external flash altogether.

Modifying/Adding Light

I made sure the light was slightly in front of Brandon and turned his head toward the light. In order to get more power from the light, I brought the light even closer.

Notice the difference in light quality and brightness when it’s closer vs. further away.

Photographing the Final Images

Now it’s time to shoot away! Move your model around to get different light shapes on his/her face. I wanted to get more light on Brandon’s far cheek so I moved him back. Then, I captured this series of images.

Check out the final images, edited using Visual Flow’s Modern Preset Pack.

Case Study 2

View this post on Instagram

In our first episode of Slice of Pye we’ll teach you how to create dramatic portraits with a single speedlight and modifiers.

A post shared by Profoto USA ?? (@profotousa) on Apr 10, 2019 at 2:25pm PDT

Gear used in this tutorial:

1. Set Up your Light at an Angle to the Subject

To bring the drama we need to create a strong direction of light. The more the shadows, the better. We started off with the A1 to camera right with no modifiers just to set up our light. From this test shot, we can see that the light is spilling onto the background and a bit onto the subject’s body.

2. Add A Grid to Control the Light

To learn more about 5 key light patterns, click here.

To control that spill we added a grid to pin the light onto our subject’s face. This means that you’ll likely need to bump up your flash power in order to compensate for the light you are losing by placing a grid on your flash.

3. Balance the Color in the Scene with a Colored Gel

We then added a full CTO (color temperature orange) gel to the A1 and shifted our in-camera white balance to Tungsten. This step will differ depending on your background and ambient light. And that’s about it!

4. Bonus Tip: Try Creating an In-Camera Double Exposure

For a little added flare we decided to take a wider portrait incorporating more negative space and use the in-camera double exposure feature to add in leading lines.

Tune in for our next episode April 24th at 2PM PST!

Conclusion

I hope you all enjoyed this article/video. Capturing a great image can be simple with this dramatic portrait lighting setup. With a great model and knowing what to look for in your location, you too can capture stunning portraits. For a complete course on flash photography, check out our Lighting Series from our Premium Channel. Also, be sure to check out Visual Flow for lighting-based Lightroom presets like we used here.

Newborn Photography Gear and Accessory Guide

August 17, 2024June 24, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

Newborn photography is a fun and rewarding field of photography that also does not require a lot of photographic gear. Generally, you just need a decent camera, a couple of prime lenses, and beautiful window light. The real challenge you’ll likely face is posing the newborn and keeping the mess to a minimum. Your experience and …

Depth Comparison: Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 vs RF 70-200mm f/2.8

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

In the past, I’ve always been able to tell the difference between the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 and the EF 70-200mm f/2.8. However, when I got ahold of the new RF 70-200mm f/2.8, I was blown away. The image quality and performance of this lens were beyond any zoom lens in its class. The characteristics mimicked that of a prime lens and I knew I had to test it against the new RF 85mm f/1.2 in a prime vs zoom comparison.

Video: Prime vs Zoom: Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 vs RF 70-200mm f/2.8

In this video/article, I’ll be comparing the RF 85mm f/1.2 with the RF 70-200mm f/2.8. I’ll be discussing the differences in price, versatility, weight, and the overall characteristics of the lenses. Let’s dive in.

Price Comparison
Versatility
Weight Differences
Comparing Bokeh
Low Light Capabilities

Price Comparison

The prices of the lenses are exactly the same, excluding the DS (Defocus Smoothing) version. Let’s break them down.

Prime vs Zoom Versatility

The RF 70-200 f/2.8 wins hands down. The range in focal length paired with the autofocus speed gives this lens the edge over its competition. Whether it be portraits, weddings, documentary, or sports, this lens provides it all.

Weight Differences

I normally expect the zoom lenses to be substantially heavier than their prime counterparts. Surprisingly, this was not the case between these two lenses. The RF 70-200 f/2.8 clocks in at 2.35lbs while the RF 85mm f/1.2 weighs in at a slightly higher 2.63lbs. The subtle differences in weight makes a big difference when traveling with gear or working extended periods of time.

Comparing Bokeh Between Prime vs Zoom

When you think of prime lenses, you’re likely thinking about the bokeh usually associated with their low apertures. Let’s first compare the images from each lens shot wide open.

1. RF 70-200mm f/2.8

prime vs zoom 200mm bokeh — Captured @ 200mm f/2.8

Left: 200mm @ f/2.8; Right: 158mm @ f/2.8

prime vs zoom 100mm — Captured @ 100mm f/2.8

I captured these images at varying focal lengths. You can see the incredible depth provided from 100mm all the way to 200mm.

2. RF 85mm f/1.2

I captured these images on the RF 85mm f/1.2. While the bokeh was unsurprisingly good, I wondered if it was that much better than the 70-200. The main difference is that with the 85mm, I can capture this depth at a closer distance. With the 70-200, I’d have to be further away and more zoomed in.

Side-by-Side

I noticed that when placed side by side, you couldn’t tell which image was taken by which lens. The depth provided by the 70-200mm was comparable to that of the 85mm. This means that the versatility of the 70-200mm gives me the most for the price paid.

That being said, the 85mm can be the right choice for many photographers. This can be due to style, shooting preference at certain distances. Like stated before, the 70-200mm requires you to be further away to achieve the same bokeh characteristics.

Low Light Capabilities

This is where the 85mm has the edge. The autofocus speed paired with the f/1.2 aperture provides two whole stops of additional light over the 70-200mm. In the past, the autofocus of the EF counterpart would be too slow or there wouldn’t be a need use this lens in low light conditions. The new RF version provides great autofocus speeds and the additional stops of light can make this lens a great low-light lens.

Prime Vs Zoom: The Verdict

If given a choice between the two, I’d opt for the 70-200mm. The comparable bokeh quality with the versatility of a zoom makes this an easy choice for me. In addition, the abilities of newer camera bodies to shoot at high ISO speeds negates the need for an f/1.2 when I can have an f/2.8. With the small advantage over weight, the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 takes my pick over the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2.

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this article/video. Each lens provides unique advantages and based on your own preferences, one can be a better solution than the other. For more gear reviews, comparisons, tips, and tutorials, be sure to check out the SLR Lounge Youtube channel and stay tuned for more upcoming videos!

My Favorite Minimal Camera Setup: Canon RF 28-70 F2 and EOS R5

November 7, 2024June 21, 2021 by Pye Jirsa

With all the gear that’s been being released in recent years, it’s hard to get excited about new cameras and lenses. However, I finally came across a camera + lens setup that I can get excited to use every time. It’s the Canon RF 28 70 F2 with the Canon EOS R5. This is a simple and minimal camera setup I can confidently take to any photoshoot. The versatility and quality this combo provides make it the perfect to-go setup for nearly any type of photograph.

Video: My Favorite Minimal Camera Setup: Canon RF 28 70 F2 and EOS R5

In this video, I’ll be talking about why the Canon RF 28 70 F2 paired with the EOS R5 is my new favorite minimal camera setup.

Recently, I’ve been using this setup for the vast majority of my photoshoots, due to how much the quality mimics that of a prime lens, despite it being a zoom. The low light capabilities and the high-resolution sensor of the R5 make this easily my favorite camera setup. I’ll elaborate on the following reasons why I love this camera so much:

Aesthetics
Prime vs. Zoom Comparison
High-Resolution Sensor
Convenience

The Aesthetics of the Canon RF 28 70 F2

The fact that the quality of this zoom lens is comparable to that of a prime lens is absolutely mind-blowing. Although the lens comes with a high price tag, the image quality it provides is well worth the investment. If I haven’t said it enough already, I’ll say it again. I take this camera with me everywhere.

The Bokeh

Prime lenses are known for the bokeh, AKA, the blur created by the shallow depth of field.

canon rf 28 70 f2 like 35mm — The Canon RF 28 70 F2 closely resembles the look of a 35 F1.4 prime.

I was blown away when I first photographed with the Canon RF 28 70 F2. With a stunning f/2 aperture, it mimics the aesthetics of a 35mm f/1.4, even with the distance from my subjects.

Prime vs. Zoom Comparison

I teach a framework called “Wide, Medium, Tight.” The idea is to capture a full story of the scene from up close to out far. In the past, I’d have to switch between lenses such as a 24mm to 50mm or a 35mm to 85mm. Now, it’s no longer the case. I can do everything with just the Canon RF 28 70 F2.

I can photograph entire sessions while carrying less gear and get all the shots that I need to get. The versatility and range of this lens are absolutely incredible.

canon rf 28 70 f2 landscape collage — The various levels of depth tell a piece of a cohesive story.

You can also apply this technique to landscapes when there isn’t a single grand image for the scene. With this lens, you can capture a collage of images that tells a story with a variety of images and depths. Photographing this way takes the pressure off of any single image and allows each image to carry the story evenly.

High-Resolution Sensor of the EOS R5

A unique characteristic of this combination is the ability to further than 70mm without needing a different lens. This is thanks to the high-resolution sensor of the Canon EOS R5.

canon rf 28 70 f2 crop image — Significantly cropped in, you can still end up with a printable image.

At 45 megapixels, the image size is massive. If I ever need to crop in an image for a tighter frame, I can do so without losing much quality if at all. See the difference above.

The ability to crop in without loss in quality essentially gives us a telephoto lens without a telephoto lens. We can reframe and create a whole image by shooting at 70mm and just cropping out what we need in post.

This isn’t to say that this can or should replace the telephoto lens entirely. It’s not good practice to crop every image down just because the ability to do so is there. Telephoto lenses such as the 70-200mm serve a very specific purpose and I only use them for a small percentage of my images. When I need telephoto images for clients, I’ll most certainly bring the telephoto with me.

The Canon RF 28 70 F2 with the high-resolution body provides an alternative for when I’m on the go. It’s incredibly versatile for when I’m traveling with my family or out with my kids. Without the extra gear, I can quickly and easily get all the images I want. All of this brings me to one final point.

Convenience of the Canon RF 28 70 F2

Let’s face it. We live in the age of convenience. The EOS R5 paired with the Canon RF 28 70 F2 is all about convenience while still retaining quality. Having a setup as versatile as this makes my workflow much easier. I can take less equipment and still get to the vision I had in mind. From engagements to editorials to landscapes, this setup does the job.

Conclusion

I hope you all enjoyed this article/video. With our own distinct styles, we all have our own go-to setups we carry with us everywhere. I encourage you to look for a combination that is efficient while still capable of capturing your vision. With the aesthetics of a prime and function of a zoom, the Canon RF 28 70 F2 with the Canon EOS R5 is that perfect combination in my view. Be sure to give the gear a try and see what your best combination is!

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!