Portrait Photography & Lighting Photo Critique with John Gress & Gary Hughes

To sign-up for access to my exclusive tutorials, please visit johngress.com/academy
This video is full of portrait and lighting tips and tricks!
After doing a critique for Gary's KZbin channel a few weeks ago, we decided to record one for mine, which I will post publicly next week.
Gary is a fantastic commercial portrait and headshot photographer so please check out his work!
Gary's Channel - / @garyhughesofficial
Music: Evolution by Bensound bensound.com/

[@GaryHughesOfficial]

Thanks for having me on your channel!

[@JohnGress]

Any time! Thank you!

[@Joeayresphotography]

Thanks for critiquing my images of the fabulously bearded Gary! Will keep the comments in kind for the next shoots I do with him! Great images from the rest of the submissions too!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much for participating! I really appreciate it!

[@lighthousephoto7143]

I really like you guys together. Very different personalities and the occasional awkward moment ends up being really funny. Great info too!

[@JohnGress]

Ha! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks!

[@peter_shadow7559]

Amazing professional critique. Elegant and informative. Thanks

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much! Glad it was helpful!

[@ajaxrodriguez8956]

Of all the photo critiques I’ve watched, this conversation was both informative and opened my mind to a different point of view. More conversations like this would be great!

[@JohnGress]

Great to hear!

[@michaell.2267]

My favorite kind of video. Having Gary was a great idea too. It's so interesting to hear different photographers comment on the same images and elaborate on what they would be looking for shooting or editing them. This is about skills, experience and taste. Real world photography. Great stuff, thanks for doing this. I hope you will make more videos like this in the future. Best regards and stay safe

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Michael! I will probably find a new partner next month!

[@buchanan0801]

This is a nice format for showing the work of photographers of various skill levels (not just the ultra-pros like yourselves) and offering many useful, every day suggestions and tips that can be applied to all of our work/play. Thanks!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much Jim! We can all work to improve our skills no matter how much experience we have 😁

[@darcybrown7369]

more of these please - very informative

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much!

[@mariamartinezrock]

Loved this video and conversation. Rather informative.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JakeHalfDone]

This is the video I've needed! So many tutorials tell you how to set up lighting to achieve a look. What is left out, is that the "look" is what the photographer wants at that moment and is not necessarily the look everyone needs to duplicate. Around the 13:30 mark, you teach that good photography is about intent and that, based on John's conversation with the "author", the intent is achieved with the hot rim light on the image you were critiquing at the time. I've caught myself several times becoming dissatisfied with one of my portraits after watching a tutorial on how I "should have" lit it. But when I lit it, I had an idea in mind and captured the mood I wanted at the time. I understand that there are certain standards when doing commercial/corporate work, but it is a nice reminder that those standards should not restrict all of our vision.

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Jake! Its nice to hear that it resonated with you. I was on the fence about whether or not I wanted to make another one of these videos, but now I am pretty sure I will.

[@mlmrv1060]

@@JohnGress please do John. I love it

[@marcjones7486]

I'm a bit late to the party, what a great video. There are lot of photographers on KZbin, but few professionals. Great stuff!

[@JohnGress]

Thanks Marc. I really appreciate it and welcome!

[@GobiLux]

That was a critique from another level that I am used to watch. Great next level insights!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much!!

[@monsterwerksvideo]

Fantastic video of critiques. I learned a lot of new things, and I really appreciate that the images weren't just young, beautiful models with perfect features. I learn more when the subjects are more everyday people because that's who I shoot. And the variety of images was good too. Thank you!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear it helped!

[@thebuzzmeade]

Love this video idea 👍🏽

[@JohnGress]

Glad you liked it!!

[@mattdavidphotography]

Just discovered your channel and work John, fantastic work, love your presentation style !

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much and welcome!

[@buckerooni]

great content, this is really helpful, keep up the good work!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you so much! I appreciate it!

[@Jwitherow1964]

Thanks

[@JohnGress]

No problem! Thank you!

[@karstenbursak8083]

definetly worth repeating ;-)

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! Maybe soon.

[@whiterock1865]

9:50 yeah, pretty much never go over f/11 because that is generally where diffraction sets in reducing the sharpness of the lens. In most cases f/8 is going to be the sharpest aperture.

[@bigwoofphotography]

Thanks guys! Do let us know if you would ever open up for submissions for you to critique in the future!

[@JohnGress]

Thank you! I think I will be doing more of them with other photographers, so please DM images to [e-mail]!

[@blackcameraphoto]

I know these videos are a few years old at this point but I appreciate the content and feedback that you guys gave for portraits that were submitted at the time. I found your co-hosts video 1st and then watched yours. I question though, if in your opinion that its possible to be so technically perfect that it kills the character of the photo? I have seen very technical "perfect " pictures that are just boring and then others that may not be lit or posed perfectly that are just striking . What matters more in the end?

[@JohnGress]

I don't recall what I said, but I would say that you have to have both to be truly great most of the time. You can't just ignore one side and expect to capture lightning in a bottle.

[@TheDesmejorado]

Grate video! are you going to do another critique video? and if so where can I submit one of my pictures...

[@JohnGress]

Thanks! I am pretty sure I will. Please send submissions to [e-mail] =)

[@peterthart531]

A good talk overall. I am surprised nobody asked the 2nd image-lady-to tilt a little more down. I think that would have helped with her face shape. Just my opinion and what I would have asked for on set.

[@JohnGress]

Thank you!