If you’re looking to enhance your portrait photography skills, these free guides can be incredibly rewarding and offer many expert tips and insights.

From mastering software integrations to manipulating lighting for dramatic effects, these resources cover a broad spectrum of techniques that will elevate your portrait photography to new heights.

1) How and When to Use PortraitPro with Lightroom

First up – this guide by Tobie Schalkwyk is pretty insightful, especially if you’re into refining portraits but find Lightroom’s tools a bit limited. The guide details how to use PortraitPro alongside Lightroom to enhance facial features more effectively than Lightroom alone. It’s great for anyone wanting to manage all their images in one place while still tapping into specialised facial editing tools. Schalkwyk also warns about overdoing adjustments, which can make your subjects look unreal—a common pitfall when the tools are so powerful. Read here→

2) My Five Favorite Post-Processing Treatments for Portraits

This one is for anyone who wants to make their portraits pop! It dives into the ethical and artistic sides of photo editing, ensuring you enhance rather than alter the real beauty in your shots. Ĺudmila shares her top five post-processing moves: from using Lightroom for bulk color editing to advanced Photoshop techniques like frequency separation for skin, dodge and burn for depth, curves for tonal contrast, and adding sharpness with a high pass filter. Each technique is geared towards making portraits look natural yet striking. Read here→

3) Seven Tips to Make Stunning Black and White Portraits

Kent DuFault’s key tips help you really focus on the essentials like composition, lighting, focus, and using contrasts to dial up the drama in your shots. He talks about how crucial lighting is, showing how playing with shadows and light direction can turn a flat image into something truly compelling. He also digs into how focusing on the eyes can add emotional depth, and how the right use of shadows and textures can set the mood of the portrait. This guide isn’t just instructional— it will help you see black and white photography as an art form full of emotion and expression. Read here→

4) Creating a Sense of Depth and Dimension in Your Portraits With Flash

This eBook by Kevin Landwer-Johan is a fantastic resource that delves into the nuances of using flash to add depth, making your portraits pop off the page. Kevin explains how flat lighting can make your photos look dull and how introducing a secondary light source can infuse life into your shots. The guide covers various techniques like controlling flash output, creating contrast between the foreground and background, and using directional light to enhance depth. It’s packed with practical tips that show you how to use composition and lighting creatively to transform your portraits from flat to fabulous. Read here→

Each of these guides offers unique perspectives and specialised techniques to help you master the art of portrait photography. Whether you’re experimenting with black and white aesthetics, refining your use of flash, or integrating advanced editing software, there’s a wealth of knowledge here waiting to be explored. We hope these resources help you discover new methods that will not only challenge your skills but also enhance your creative expression behind the lens.

Additional Resources – The Art of Portrait Photography

Begin creating portraits that genuinely connect. In this comprehensive 214-page eBook, experienced photographer Kent DuFault distills years of professional insight into straightforward lessons, detailed illustrations, and practical assignments. Prepare to elevate your portrait photography skills and infuse your images with deep emotion and significance! Get it here.