Portraits

This month, we're asking you share your favorite spontaneous portrait shot with us for a chance to win $100 and a spot in the pages of Popular Photography. It can be a street photography snap or a perfectly captured moment of your kids or loved ones around your home. The important part is to be creative.

Not everyone can be lucky enough to go to photography school, but that doesn't mean we can't collectively participate in some exercises to help hone our skills. To kick things off, we're doing one of the most valuable exercises we can think of. This week, you're tasked with going out and taking a photo of a person whom you've never met before. Head to an event, have your friends introduce you to someone new or just go out on the street. Be friendly and respectful and you'll probably come away with a great image you would've missed if you were shy.  

Creating a strong portrait of an executive is a daunting task. Business magazine photographers often have only a few minutes with their subjects, so most shots are scouted and planned in advance. And when a portrait needs to convey authority and power, funky poses won’t do. Yet despite these limitations, magazine photographer Brad Trent finds a little spontaneity and adds a dash of drama by pulling back the curtain, and the camera, to reveal the wizardry of his set, including his lighting tools.

What’s your typical day? It’s tough to say. Tomorrow I’m photographing hippos in Animal Kingdom, because we have a new Experience there. Normally I’d be doing a studio job—we try not to have our photo shoots overlap when guests are in the park. What’s best about the job? The diversity. Disney is a huge company, with theme parks, resorts, a travel business, TV networks, retail stores. I could be going to Germany to shoot for a cruise ship or to the new resort in Hawaii. How did you start there?