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Today’s post might be considered an unofficial part two of last Wednesday’s post Photography is What You Make of it because it’s all about making images using special effects and while I did play around with the colors in this photograph, all those streams of water you see were manipulated simply by using a fast shutter speed, so it was all done in camera.

Portrait posing is part art and part craft. How to pose portrait subjects is an art because it combines reality with what you and your model can accomplish on any given day. But posing a portrait subject against a solid color seamless paper background is the ultimate test of your ability to make something from nothing.

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: I have captured infrared images all over this country and even in Mexico but by far the best place I’ve found to make infrared images in the United States is Zion National Park.

One of my favorite lenses for portraiture is Canon’s EF 135mm f/2.8 SF that has, sadly, been discontinued but I’m sure they made many of them so if you’re interested you can pick a nice used one up.

Used books are a bargain, especially for the new collector because you can get hardback books for less than the cost of a paperback version of the book. Here’s a look at a few of them…

The term Lighting Ratio refers to the comparison of key or main light to the fill light. The higher the lighting ratio is in a portrait, the higher the contrast will be. Conversely, the lower the ratio, the lower the contrast. This is easier to control in the studio but can be more of a challenge when working outdoors with (mostly) available light.