5 Things EVERY Portrait Photographer Should Own! 

What are some of your favorite accessories for portrait photography? Also, don't forget to check out PPA.com and sign up via this link to get $25 off www.ppa.com/join/miguel-quiles

An 18% Kodak gray card. They are 8 x 10 inches in size and cost about 10 bucks. I cut them into four 4 x 5 pieces. Put one in your pocket, another in your glove box and store the other two in the studio for when the first one gets wet or lost. This thing is essential if you are shooting outdoors, especially when in the shade. You WILL get perfect white balance every time if you shoot the card first. Then when you load your RAW images into Photoshop, you click on the Eyedropper labeled White Balance and every shot you took with that gray card reading will have perfect white balance. I've seen 4000 degrees K difference and only moved 10 feet (in the shade.)

Quick release plates for tripods were a game changer for me.

Great insight on those products, Miguel. I’m thankful to say I’ve got 2 of the five things so far! 😁

Love the Eye Cup! Never seen one before! Dope idea. Thanks for the video!

I think a necessary thing is a polarizing filter. Helps with outdoor shoots with cutting down glares and to help the sky to be bluer. And it's also a weak ND-filter to help with having a wider aperture. Another I'd say is a good long camera strap. The kind you can distribute the weight better rather than just all on your neck.

I have to say with all the years I have been doing photography I never knew about the extended eyecup!? What a game changer for me! I got one for my Z5 and Z50... so silly, but what a great suggestion!!! Thanks! I enjoy your videos...

Great video, so helpful, subscribed because of this!

L bracket and Eye cups....I got to know about two important things from your video. 👍👍 Your videos are always informative. Pls keep it up, educate us 😀 🙏🙏🙏🙏

Love you videos man. lot to learn for me.

Excellent presentation, thank you !

Bought the eye cup, thanks for that tip! I cover my eye all the time at shoots

Great video , very informative

Nice video. I also like having a grey/neutral backdrop.

As always great video. You are the reason I started liking portrait photography so much that I am working on learning as much as possible by practicing as much as possible. However, out of your list, I think there are a few things that can be replaced. Like instead of a battery grip - one should work towards getting a C-Stand or a reflector holding stand. The idea here is to control light as much as possible. We often don't think about controlling light we as beginners work on using light as it is. One of the great examples: Making a model face the sun instead of against it and then using alternate light or some other way to light the face. And instead of L bracket: I find a second flash much useful or a light stand. As a beginner portrait photographer now I have with my very little mind and almost no experience has started learning the benefit of GOBOs and how to use them creatively. I have recently created a few Vflat kind of boards to block and reflect the light. So they are white on one side and black on another. Now working on creating some interesting GOBOs as well. My all-time favorite video of yours is about how to direct the face of a model. The chin moving technique. Nothing is better than that.

Thank you for this knowledge

That eye cup looks very useable. I could never find one with a soft end. Also it looks like they make one for the a6600. Hopefully it fits the a7C. Would use that for walk around stuff.

Battery grip is the biggest one for me… But also I think every portrait photographer needs at least one solid, super good quality ND FILTER. I have a Breakthrough X4 77mm 3-stop ND filter for my 24-105 and 70-200, and while I don't use it super often, it's crucial in the event you want to use strobes during broad daylight so you don't need HSS. I honestly want to get a 6-stop for certain conditions but haven't had a huge need yet.

LOVE THAT SHIRT! Instant street credit!

First video of you and iam in you kept it to the basics and explained why so I believe iam definitely subscribed

Ayyy! My names Miguel too! Nice video!

Kool T-shirt 👌.

This is my first time in your channel, I subscribed in the first 15second itself. Fastest subscribe of my life. Lol

Cool video thanks for sharing

king !!

Thank you for your video. For a portable off camera flash option, I find that a cable, $15 to $20, is a must have. Not everyone has an A10 with a TTL/HSS remote.

Next on my list is the battery grip for my EOS R.

Yup all essential, especially a reflecto and eye cup. A tripod and lens hood would have completed this.

The eye cup a great idea but what about us that wear glasses lol

Thank you

Good info.

@circalifeimages. This was great info. Will be checking out an L-bracket. Thanks.

I just became a member of the PPA

b.mor.focus.photography Always enjoy your videos. You’re a very warm ant down to earth guy. Not only on your videos but also in person. I met you during a photo plus convention in NYC. I actually won the grand prize in the Sony’s raffle... the A7ii my favorite accessories are the battery grip and eye cup..

Tip if you wear glasses. Purchase the large oval/teardrop eyecup. It has better coverage. There's some tilt-screen interference, but you likely won't use the screen when outside anyway.

@lomerphotography is my Instagram and i am going to look into the extended eye cup. never knew that existed! Thank you for sharing that suggestion.

My light meter is 100% my most useful portrait tool.

On to the next video. Miguel question about flash. I already bought a sunpak de4000u and I don’t understand why the sync speed doesn’t match up all the time. Sync speed? It says 2.9 seconds. It damn I can’t wait 10 seconds and have a black vertical line in my pictures

Great video Miguel. One question, can you put an L-bracket on a battery grip? I tried and it looked super ugly E209 style. It's like I have to decide which one to use and bot both unless I'm missing something. Also is on-camera flash/speed light taboo as it could give an amateurish look ala ”Deer in headlights” Good vibes Henry

I have that shirt..I subscribed..just because of it.. :)

@12West good work

Nice Kakashi T-shirt!

This is only the Hors D'ouvres lol. There is always a shopping list😁 ...Good vid. @davec28

Hi Miguel, I'm @ba55ey on IG. Into food photography but got into portraits during the lockdown. Will soon start posting for that when I'm ready. Thanks Meanwhile, your list is slightly uncommon but listening to your explanations, seem inevitable for portrait photographers. My favorite is the reflector. It's likee the cheapest that makes your shot look 'expensive'.

JJC rotating eye cup is even better, especially if you shoot in portrait orientation.

Nice T-shirt

@davidmegyeriphotography I been shooting for a year now and just bought my first ocf last week . Hope it will take my photography to the next level . Once I feel comfortable using ocf I will buy my dream camera the sony a7 iii ( i have a canom 4000d)

Hi Miguel I am a glasses wearer would the eye cup work for me?

Agree with most of this, but I hate battery grips. I have no problem shooting portrait orientation without one and I gladly carry extra batteries in my bag to switch out when needed to get rid of the extra weight from the grip. One of the benefits of mirrorless is supposed to be the lower weight, but then people go and slap grips on them that make them as big and heavy as any DSLR. Also, a ball head on a tripod alleviates the need for an l-bracket.

Kakashi t-shirt 😍😍

Excellent presentation, clear, concise and relaxed. Thank you. photo_stuart

There’s nothing wrong with the list. All great suggestions. But it’s entirely focused on capturing the images. If you’re a portrait photographer, that’s just the beginning. So in that sense it’s myopic gear lust rather than the things required to find actual success. But I guess you can’t put an affiliate link for, “be on time every time, always.”

Great video.....now I have to spend more money...haha

Some photographers choose to shoot using only natural light as you know, hence no flash is needed. The other things are "nice-to-haves" but not having them certainly isn't something that would greatly hinder anyone.

@AlexJMWalter Mostly landscape and car stuff now, will be doing more portraits and product photography later.

you wear a kakashi shirt i see you are a man of culture

I’m looking for a Tripod what’s your recommendation?

I love this tutorial!! @IsThatGatsby

That Kikashi t shirt though.

What lens did you use for this video? 55 or 35mm 1.8 or 85 1.4?

What every portrait photographer should own is a large format camera or at least a 6x7cm medium format camera :P

Great tips! I love your work and I have learned a lot from your videos. Also love to watch Manny Ortiz. Keep them coming, hope I get featured on your next video! @Heavenlyphotos315

Yeah...great video, but where did you get the shirt?!?

My buddy Kenny has that shirt

How can you use L bracket and battery grip?

The flash is a must, and the reflector is useful if you use natural light for outdoor shooting. @Mrjokesalot

All the must haves are spot on. They make your work a little easier. The only one I don't have is the L bracket. Thanks Miguel @philander_eargle_photography

Umbrella soft box

Love your work, #bgmfotos2

Awesome stuff as always Miguel! My most used accessories for portrait photography is hands down a portable bluetooth speaker, usually I shoot with new people or models that are not runway proffesionals - and having the ability to put some tunes on puts the model at more ease and make her/his posing more fluid. I personally always carry a JBL clip 3 in my camera bag, battery life is awesome and I can clip it onto pretty much whatever. I'm a swedish hobbyist portrait photographer with the Instagram @davidgeborek --> instagram.com/davidgeborek Keep up the awesome work :D!

Would that flash work with a Sony A7RIII?

Thank you so much if I am Africa can I join ppa

A tripod or monopod should be on the list.

The L bracket was such a helpful tip! And one that I think most people wouldn’t really consider. I have been struggling with that tripod for too long, gonna get one soon. Thanks for the video! @austenhunter.photography

The Eye cup is a Sony A7 user struggle, the Canon eos R is deeper

Thanks for the info. My top gear picks would be definitely the battery grip, reflector and lighting. @robertgordonphoto

IG: @rickierecardophotography Miguel Quiles I would definitely appreciate you stopping by and giving me some great advise on how to improve my photography.

A gray backdrop for studio portraits. Can make it look white/black/different looks of gray. @ludivog

L bracket and Battery Grip ?? can be connected

I have the Kakashi shirt

Battery Grip, here i come. 😅 @gpogi

Thank you for the eye cup suggestion. I just ordered one and am looking forward to it. Thank you for your years of advice. @jerrigrahamphotography

Definitely getting a large eyecup now _creativeehotz_photography

MQ be like: "#1, get an 85 1.4 so you can shoot it at f4! You'll thank me later"

@FROZEN_VISUALZ - GREAT VIDEO AS ALWAYS

very informative. Thanks man @bantu_visuals

Great Tips my favorite accessory is music when possible helps everyone relax and can set the mood of the shoot. Insta is @corrymainsphoto

What’s up brother great video... Having the proper fiber cloth to clean your lens has been essential for me, especially being in the outdoors. I appreciate what you bring to the community!! IG: JMitch.portraits JMitch.wildlife

Every photographer/beginner should have 50mm 1.8 since they are cheap and deliver great results. Also ND and UV filters to keep those lenses safe. PS. You should totally do a Dragon Ball Z Cosplay shoot! instagram.com/PinksPhotos

Great video Miguel. I love how you explain all of these products in depth, the cost, it’s features and functions. Starting out as a photographer can be overwhelming especially if you’re on a budget. I’ve learned so much simply by following your channel, thank you. P.S. my Instagram handle @spitting_images 👍🏽

Dude, I really thought the model at 7:25 was Gal Gadot ! Great tips, as always. I really need that flash. My IG : @grim_shutter Peace.

A most useful accessory is "cable release" for use with a tripod.

Always love your vids. Saw you in Nashville about a year ago, you were so engrossed in a conversation, that I missed my chance to meet you. "Bubbajbrutus" on instagram

Great Vid! Good tips...The only thing I would add is a 12$ shoot through umbrella...simple and useful. Hope all is well Miguel! @RichardJPhotog (IG)

Nice video, but I have to say that I have NEVER had problems with my eye-cups - Nikon D90, D7200 and now - D750 ... I wonder if your problem is really with the Sony eyecups, because I too experienced it with the A6000 ... So ... don't be so general with the conclusions please !!!

Really like your videos! They are not to long and easy to understand and I just like your positive charisma 😀 👍 Would love to hear your thoughts about my Instagram #phothomagraphy although it's pretty landscape oriented 🙃

Love the videos. I would recommend a variable nd filter or polarizer. Just starting out but my ig is @Gr845photography

Thumbs up for the shirt the rest is not important :D

Great video. I may get the grip and reflectors. I have only done a few photoshoots for friends or family, but am hoping to get into some professional shoots. @gabbard92

@PicsByNiNi