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Shade vs Backlight: How to Use Natural Light for Beautiful Portraits

May 20, 2025 By Morgan

Comparison of portrait lighting: shade versus backlight on a smiling woman.

(If you want to watch the video go to The Slanted Lens on YouTube!) Backlight versus shade. We’re going to take a look at which one of those makes the best portrait. I’ve got Abigail here with me today. So let’s look at backlight versus shade here on The Slanted Lens. So I’m going to […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Camera Settings, Lighting Tutorials, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

Make It or Buy It Photography Reflector Challenge

February 5, 2025 By Morgan

Side-by-side portraits of a woman with the text 'Reflector Challenge' below.

  (If you want to watch the video go to The Slanted Lens on YouTube!) Make it or Buy it! This 5-in-1 pop-up reflector from Westcott cost me $37.50. My homemade 2-in-1 reflector cost me $10.50. So the question is, can I match the light quality of a pop-up reflector with a homemade reflector?This is […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, DIY, Equipment, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

6 Stunning Portrait Techniques Using The Handheld SmokeNINJA Pro

January 21, 2025 By Morgan

A woman poses with smoke in the background, captioned 'Portraits With Smoke.'

(If you want to watch the tutorial go to The Slanted Lens on YouTube!) Handheld smoke machines like the SmokeNINJA Pro have revolutionized smoke on set. You know, they’re small enough you can get a little steam in a cup of coffee but powerful enough you can haze this entire room and give you great […]

Filed Under: Advanced Lighting Tutorials, Intermediate Lighting Tutorials, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits, Product Review, Special Effects for Photo and Video

Outdoor Portrait Reflector vs Strobe Challenge

January 8, 2025 By Morgan

Side-by-side comparison of portrait lighting using reflector and strobe techniques.

(If you want to watch the video tutorial go to The Slanted Lens on YouTube!) We’re going to compare a $26 reflector with an $800 soft box and strobe combination. Which one do you think is going to look better? I was pretty surprised. Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on the Slanted Lens […]

Filed Under: Camera Settings, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

3 Retro Portrait Lighting Setups Featuring The Tamron 90mm Macro Lens

November 6, 2024 By Morgan

Portrait of a woman in vintage black hat and veil with red lipstick.

(If you want to watch the video to to The Slanted Lens on YouTube!) Does a 90 mm lens make a great portrait lens? I think it makes an incredible portrait lens. We’re going to look at that new lens from Tamron. It’s a 90mm macro. It’s made both for Nikon and for Sony, F/2.8. […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Intermediate Lighting Tutorials, Lens Review, Lighting Tutorials, Photography Tutorial, Portraits, Product Review

8 Easy Outdoor Portrait Set-ups Using The Sun & Shade

May 7, 2024 By Morgan

Smiling woman with red hair in an easy outdoor portrait.

(If you want to watch the video go here!) Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens we’re out here in Hollywood at a very unassuming little place. I’ve got Genevieve here with me. “Hello.” We’re going to show you how to shoot in direct sun using my mantra, “Find shade, create […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Lighting Tutorials, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

Camera Settings & Lens Choice For A Studio Portrait

March 20, 2023 By Morgan

(If you want to watch the video go here!) Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. In this video we’re going to teach you the camera settings and the lens choice for creating an interesting studio portrait. People ask me all the time, “What camera settings should I use?” We’re going to talk about those camera […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Camera Settings, Camera Settings & Lens Choice, Intermediate Lighting Tutorials, lighting diagram, Lighting Tutorials, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits, Working with Talent

DIY RGB Portraits On A Budget

October 3, 2022 By Morgan

 Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens we’re going to take a look at DIY RGB lights. Not that these are lights you can change them from red, green and blue. But at Home Depot I noticed they’ve got these lights. They’re LED bulbs. They’re like nine bucks. And I […]

Filed Under: Advanced Lighting Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, DIY, Intermediate Lighting Tutorials, Laws of Light, Lighting Tutorials, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

Portraits on Location with Portable Backdrops

August 15, 2022 By Morgan

 Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens we are traveling through small little towns way off from the beaten path going through Utah into Arizona and then Nevada. And our goal is just to find interesting people to photograph. We’re going to stop and ask at a restaurant or a […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Equipment, Intermediate Lighting Tutorials, Laws of Light, Lighting Tutorials, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial, Portraits

Natural Light Portraits Made Easy With The Sun and Umbrella

August 8, 2022 By Morgan

 Hi, this is Jay P. Morgan. Today on The Slanted Lens I’m going to show you something that I do often when I’m shooting outside in direct sun and I don’t want to have to use my strobe, my FJ400, or I don’t have my FJ400. Then I go directly to a shoot through […]

Filed Under: Beginning Lighting Tutorials, Behind the Scenes, Laws of Light, lighting diagram, Lighting Tutorials, Photography & Video Lighting Articles, Photography Tutorial

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