Textbook-style photography handbook that covers all aspects of portraiture with images worthy of a coffee table book.

With detailed, informative instructions for capturing personable and memorable yearbook photos, this reference presents step-by-step demonstrations on advertising, talking to clients, producing outstanding images, and finalizing a sale. Noting the delicate balance of pleasing parents and teens alike, this resource illustrates how to marry the latest fashion-oriented photography trends with the needs of the family member who is paying for the session. A wealth of lighting and posing techniques combine with tips for analyzing the subject, choosing which features to accent and which to downplay, and creating alluring, fashionable looks that the whole family can appreciate. Emphasizing the value in allowing seniors to personalize their photos by bringing the shoot to their home or a more meaningful location, the guide also includes suggestions for incorporating additional visual elements such as pets, musical instruments, team uniforms, best friends, or significant others.

Of all the portrait specialities, photographing group portraits is particularly demanding. How do they pose? How can everyone be kept in sharp focus and create an interesting composition? Bill Hurter, editor of Rangefinder magazine, provides a detailed study of what makes group portraiture work. Illustrated with images from over 40 top portrait photographers, this book teaches the techniques anyone can rely on to yield top-quality results.

Master of portraiture Monte Zucker presents page after page of essential photographic lessons to enable photographers to achieve and exceed their financial and artistic goals. Providing instructions on how to conduct a well-crafted client consultation, readers will learn which angles of the face to photograph, how to pose the body, where to place the camera, and the proper positioning of lighting equipment in order to cultivate an emotional connection with clients to produce an ideal image. Chapters with expert advice on digital imaging cleanup and finishing techniques, clothing and makeup selection, and location and studio backdrop options to reinforce portrait concepts are also included.

On-location photographers are faced with ever-changing lighting conditions due to the time of day, the weather, or the surroundings, and this book explores how to evaluate, use, and shape the available light to get the best results in any situation. The book begins by showing photographers how to assess available light and exposure, providing information on the quality and characteristics of light and the necessary tools and techniques for measuring them. The guide then focuses on portable lighting solutions that a single photographer can useÑwith minimal or no assistanceÑto customize the given light, from on-camera flashes and monolights with battery packs to umbrellas, soft boxes, and LED video lights. Numerous examples of difficult lighting situations are offered, as well as the progression of different light sources usedÑboth correctly and incorrectlyÑto capture the final photograph.

Often overshadowed by complicated lighting techniques or advanced postproduction tips, this resource seeks to remind the professional photographer of the fundamental importance of a subject's pose. Conveniently designed in two-page spreads—a striking portrait on one side, a comprehensive how-to of the strategies used on the other—this reference includes countless techniques for studio sessions as well as outdoor and location shoots, with individuals or groups, male or female clients, and in sitting, standing, or lying poses. With advice from a well-known and respected professional, it covers all the basics, showing how to emphasize a client's assets and downplay perceived flaws, how to create a cohesive, engaging group photo, how to use natural elements on location to enhance an image, and how to ensure that the result flatters the subject and adds the essential professional polish to an image.

The Handbook of Photography Studies is a state-of-the-art overview of the field of photography studies, examining its thematic interests, dynamic research methodologies and multiple scholarly directions. It is a source of well-informed, analytical and reflective discussions of all the main subjects that photography scholars have been concerned with as well as a rigorous study of the field’s persistent expansion at a time when digital technology regularly boosts our exposure to new and historical photographs alike. Split into five core parts, the Handbook analyzes the field’s histories, theories and research strategies; discusses photography in academic disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts; draws out the main concerns of photographic scholarship; interrogates photography’s cultural and geopolitical influences; and examines photography’s multiple uses and continued changing faces. Each part begins with an introductory text, giving historical contextualization and scholarly orientation. Featuring the work of international experts, and offering diverse examples, insights and discussions of the field’s rich historiography, the Handbook provides critical guidance to the most recent research in photography studies. This pioneering and comprehensive volume presents a systematic synopsis of the subject that will be an invaluable resource for photography researchers and students from all disciplinary backgrounds in the arts, humanities and social sciences.