Leave it to a grandmother to find a way to put your life into perspective. I had always collected antique tintypes and old photographic prints but it wasn't until my grandmother handed me a stack of photos of my own family that the importance of what I do for a living really sank in. What I do is just as much about time as it is about art and as I sat and looked at these photos, some 100 or more years old, I started asking myself questions about how present day portrait photographers handle their business, how they treat their clients and where their priorities lie.

Doing what you love is not easy, not that anyone said it would be. If you are one of the few artists of any discipline that are crazy enough to express yourself full time, then you understand. If you are crazy enough to want to make your own schedule and motivate yourself, you understand. If you have a passion about something that is so strong it will guide you towards it no matter the boundaries... you understand. I wanted to share some of my recent thoughts and a few new images with you. Setting up a new business seems to polarize problems within an industry. The photographic industry has had its share of problems for the last ten or so years and education is the only way to try to curb those things.

This is the second in a series of articles and accompanying videos about how to pose (or not pose) your models to create images full of life, energy and movement. These techniques are not just for models. They will dramatically improve your senior portraits, wedding photos and just about any set-up shot involving people.

I’m often asked how I achieve the emotion and bond between the children in my portraits. There is no simplistic answer, as all children are different,but there are some common traits. The following images will illustrate how I approach each session.

Rembrandt didn't have a softbox. Neither did Vermeer or Caravaggio. Yet the portraits created by these artists have been held up as examples of beautiful lighting for centuries. Borrow a page from the Old Masters: leave the lamps at home, and use the lovely light from a window to illuminate your next headshot. As an added bonus, you'll have almost no setup, and won't be dependent on electricity.

It can be as terrifying as public speaking. As nerve wracking as a call from the boss on the weekend. As absolutely mystifying as the popularity of Justin Bieber. But it is something we photographers have to get over in order to get assignments done, portraits made, and be more confident when photographing those subjects we actually know. Yes, I am talking about photographing total strangers.

The following article is an excerpt from Chris Grey's popular ProPhotoPublishing.com ebook "Guide to Posing and Lighting Successful Business Portraits"These are portraits with a different mindset. You will be photographing people who are used to (for the most part) being on camera or performing before a crowd. When photographing business people, your job is, sometimes, to take your impression of that person and manufacturer a persona that can be imaged. When shooting personalities, your job is to work with the persona they present to the public. You may find that some celebrity clients are actually quite shy in your presence. Thatʼs not unusual. What Iʼve always found interesting is how they change when theyʼre "on."

Just last month I sent a new book manuscript off to the publisher, Amherst Media. This one is a documentation and explanation of Classic lighting styles from 1910 – 1960, including those great Hollywood styles that have become revered and iconic. It should be ready for release toward the end of this year. One decade stood out in its singularity, the 1940s. If anything, we could call the '40s the Decade of Minimal Fill, for soft, flat light was almost abandoned in favor of images that were dark, dramatic and, in their own way, romantic.

The last workshop of the year is held on Anna Maria Island, Florida. It is below Tampa about an hour and is a quiet little beach community. Several beach communities to be exact. Seven miles of Island and three little towns with Anna Maria the farthest north, then Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach to the southern end.

Sometimes that what it feels like were doing. A lot of editorial assignments can be quick at best. There are plenty of times when a photo editor wants to see multiple looks from a shoot however time is limited because of the subjects schedule or because the location can only be held for a short period of time. Whatever the case being able to not only be extremely portable but also be prepared for differing lighting conditions is a must. In most cases these two things do not go together. Frequently to be prepared means having more gear than you will probably need and being mobile means only having the bare minimum. This is where knowing how to get the most out of your equipment is important.

An old customer of mine contacted me for portraits of their new staff. The photo assignment was to shoot four new employees to have their images presented on the company's website. The clients only requirement was that they were shot against a white background. The office to Leimdörfer is located in central Helsinki with bad parking facilities, with this in mind I opted to pack light.

Often times business portraits mean shooting in small conference rooms in an office building, inside of a factory or even on set during a film production. Because of this I always try to pack light expecting the worst but luckily it is easy to get great results with minimal equipment. In this article I want to break down how I work through these location portrait sessions. My go to set-up is one key light, a reflector for a bit of fill, background light and seamless paper (on occasion I will add a third light for a hair light or a rim light but not in this example).