Portrait and Candid Photography: Photo Workshop

by Erin Manning

The secret to taking great “people pictures” is to observe your subjects, connect with them, and use your camera to its best advantage. Here’s how to work with lighting, location, angle, composition, physical characteristics, environment, and countless other variables, including the unique challenges of photographing babies, group activities, and action. Learn to capture facial expressions, tell a story with a series of candids, add interest to large-group shots, and more. Apply these techniques and watch your subjects come to life.

Genres: Photography, Nonfiction, Reference

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Erin Manning is a professional photographer, teacher and television personality living in Los Angeles, California. Television viewers know Erin best as the digital photography expert and host of DIY Network’s Telly-award-winning TV series The Whole Picture. She has also appeared as the techno-lifestyle guru on Enable Your Home and is the author of Portrait and Candid Photography, and Make Money With Your Digital Photography, published by Wiley. She helps people understand photography and technology by translating technical mumbo-jumbo into everyday words and by facilitating their learning with a clear, friendly teaching style.

Erin first fell in love with photography at age seven when she discovered a book entitled The Family of Man. That early encounter with images of people from all over the world shaped the direction she was to take with her photography – capturing moments with and between people.

Whether in front of the camera or behind it, photography has always been a part of Erin’s life and synthesizes her experience and education in art, technology, and entertainment. She specializes in lifestyle imagery for clients such as AT&T, Bank of America, Disney, various lifestyle magazines, healthcare organizations and individuals. Erin spent several years honing her craft by working as a commercial, portrait, and stock photographer, as well as working for Getty Images, and completing a degree in Studio Art/Graphic Design from Loyola Marymount University.

Erin serves on the Board of Directors for the Digital Imaging Marketing Association and is a member of the American Photographic Artists, Women in Photography International and the Los Angeles Digital Imaging Group, whose purpose is dedicated to advancing the art and science of digital imaging.

Reviews

[Kory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overall photography book. It had a lot of helpful suggestions in terms of portrait taking. It was advanced enough to help someone who already sort of knows what they are doing, but not so advanced that you couldn't walk away and try everything they suggest right away. I enjoyed this book a lot. It seemed to be a quick read.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVE this! I will be coming back to this over and over as a reference book. LOVE Erin! I wish I could have had the book with me when I met her to get it signed! :)

[Celeste Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have turned to this book countless times and continue to learn new things from its pages.

[Khanafrozaalam]

this is my favorite book

[Caelie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great beginner photography book with exercises and an online component. I used it to brush up and it has great tips for people photography.

[Hayley]

(NB. Read to page 12.)

[Andy Beal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm more of a landscape/travel photographer, so this book was a perfect primer for taking portrait photos that didn't suck! Highly recommended!

[Abdul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erin Manning nails it in this book. It is full of useful tips for portrait photographers. I enjoyed reading and learning from it.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

tries to be everything. but, comes short.

[Ben Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too basic for me