I’ve retired my #thursdaythoughts theme for 2025. While searching for a new one to replace it. the current theme is going to be (and may end up as) Anything Can Happen Day. This was what Thursdays were called on the Mickey Mouse Club where I stole the idea!
Today’s Post by Joe Farace
If you’re interested in trying portrait and glamour photography but think it’s difficult and requires lots of expensive equipment and don’t know where to start? Well, I’ve got good news…The truth is that portrait photography is not difficult. All you need is a camera, some light(s) and a subject.
These days, most of my studio photography is done using mirrorless cameras. Some people, like my friend Jack, think the term “mirrorless camera” is synonymous with the Micro Four-thirds system but that’s obviously not true with professional mirrorless cameras now available from Canon, Leica, Nikon, Panasonic and Sony. Some mirrorless cameras have full-frame sensors, while others use APS-C formats like the 22.3 x 14.9mm sensor found in my Canon EOS M6 Mark II.
Trivia: The term APS refers to the Advanced Photo System, a film-based product that Kodak launched in 1996. The system used multi-format capture, including APS-C or 25.1×16.7 mm, which is not quite the same as what digital camera makers call this same format
During a portrait session you’ll quickly discover that the real advantage of using a mirrorless camera is their electronic viewfinders. When you click the shutter, the image you just captured is immediately visible in the viewfinder. You don’t have to remove the camera from your eye and chimp to see the image you just made. You will see that exact photograph right away, which not only means you can check to see if the subject blinked but can also quickly make slight refinements to their pose, lightning or the image’s exposure. All of which makes the shoot go smoother and produces better looking images.
How I made this photograph: I made this portrait of Anastasia in my 11×15-foot home studio. Lighting was from a Purple Haze 320 Ws Alien Bee B800 monolight with a 60-inch parabolic umbrella placed in shoot-through mode and located at camera right. A 30-inch Westcott Basic 5-in-1 Sunlight reflector was at camera left. Exposure was 1/100 sec at f/11 and ISO 200. T he backdrop was a Lastolite Distressed Paper/Graffiti Art collapsible background that was placed in front of another background hanging from my JTL background stands. A Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN lens turned out to be a perfect compliment to the 12-megapixel Panasonic Lumix G2 that I used to capture the image .
Keeping Your Viewfinder Clean
MicroPro from LensPen is a indispensable photography tool for owners of mirrorless cameras and even DSLRs.
MicroPro has a specially designed tip that can clean dust and fingerprints on viewfinders, including EVF and also works great for ultra compact lenses, such as the Olympus 9mm f/8 fish eye. The MicroPro has a built-in and retractable natural brush which should be the first step you use to remove dust from any optical surface. The next step is to use the tip that’s on the opposite end to finish the cleaning process on the viewfinder or lens. It has a special non-liquid cleaning element and is designed to never dry out
- MicroPro measures 3.7-inches (9.5cm) long and has a round cleaning tip that measures 0.15-inches (4mm) in diameter
- It has the company’s smallest cleaning tip
- The tip is covered with a special Invisible carbon compound that’s found in all LensPen products and has been specially formulated to eliminate fingerprint oils and smudges that find their way onto your eyepieces and lenses.
- It is environment friendly and non-toxic
Best of all, a MicroPro only costs $12.95, so you can afford to keep one in each of your camera bags. It also makes the perfect gift for your favorite photographer—or yourself!
LensPen is a long-time sponsor of my sites and blogs but I began using their products long before I even had a blog. My wife bought me my first LensPen in 1994 just after I acquired a Nikon N90s film-based SLR! I would like to thank LensPen for their continued support.