Academy Access

The Academy with John Gress

Academy Access

THE LATEST

05/17/2023
Exclusive Training Videos

Member Exclusive: Vincent in B&W

Set A Light 3D Review: Can you learn lighting in a computer?
05/11/2023
Pre-Production

Set A Light 3D Review: Can you learn lighting in a computer?

How I provide video services to my clients.
05/02/2023
Business , Exclusive Training Videos

Commercial Photography 2: My business model for video services

04/30/2023
Post-Production

Can AI software really retouch your photos?

04/11/2023
Exclusive Training Videos

Member Exclusive: Casino Night Photoshoot

When you hear the word lighting, most photographers are going to think about adding one light to a scene. Some might even think about adding two or three lights. But most of us aren’t going to think about a key aspect of lighting, and that’s because for many of us this might not seem like lighting at all. That’s probably because when it’s there it might go unnoticed, and when it’s missing it might not be identifiable. And this missing element is what’s holding many photographers back from doing well in completions, enjoying the look of a print or feeling like there’s a level of refinement they can’t achieve. But for most of us, it’s hard to put a finger on it.
04/10/2023
Lighting Technique

Chasing Your Shadow: The Secret Sauce You’ve Been Missing

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EXCLUSIVE TRAINING VIDEOS

05/17/2023
Exclusive Training Videos

Member Exclusive: Vincent in B&W

How I provide video services to my clients.
05/02/2023
Business , Exclusive Training Videos

Commercial Photography 2: My business model for video services

04/11/2023
Exclusive Training Videos

Member Exclusive: Casino Night Photoshoot

Commercial Photography Business Model
04/10/2023
Business , Exclusive Training Videos

Commercial Photography 1: My business model for photography

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LIVE SESSIONS

We had a great discussion this week about cropping, fill, the rule of thirds.
02/05/2023
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique January 30, 2023

11/22/2022
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique November 20, 2022

In this video we go over strategies for shooting outside and masking in post.
08/10/2022
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique August 6, 2022

In this video we go over strategies for shooting outside and using short lighting to make your subjects look thinner.
07/10/2022
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique July 9, 2022

07/02/2022
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique June 24, 2022

This this critique video we go over refining portrait lighting and I also use the tail of a model air plane to represent a persons nose!
06/06/2022
Live

Live: Q&A and Critique June 4, 2022

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GEAR

Come along as I give a tour of my new studio! Including a lot of the gear I have in the space!
01/07/2023
Gear , Pre-Production

Studio Tour: John Gress’s Chicago Portrait Photography Studio

Come along as I give a tour of my new studio! Including a lot of the gear I have in the space!

in this head to head shootout I am going to test 6 different modifer options that you can use in your next beauty shoot. Please let us know in the comments below which one you prefer close up and at 1 meter.
10/13/2022
Gear , Lighting Technique

Beauty Dish vs. Softbox – which one is better for beauty photography?

in this head to head shootout I am going to test 6 different modifer options that you can use in your next beauty shoot....

In today's video I share the 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit besides lights and modifiers.
10/09/2022
Fundamentals , Gear , Video

The 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit!

In today's video I share the 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit besides lights and modifiers.

In countless videos and classes I have seen people misrepresent this key lighting concept. Negative fill doesn't suck light out of the shadows, it blocks light from entering. Watch as I prove it to you in three demonstrations.
10/03/2022
Gear , Lighting Technique

They have been lying to you about negative fill!

In countless videos and classes I have seen people misrepresent this key lighting concept. Negative fill doesn't suck light out of the shadows, it...

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FUNDAMENTALS

In today's video I share the 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit besides lights and modifiers.
11/07/2022
Fundamentals , Post-Production

The 4 secrets that every new photographer needs to know in order to become a successful professional

Learn why shutter speeds often don't have a lot of impact when you're shooting with flash in the studio. However, it's a whole different situation when you're on location.
11/01/2022
Fundamentals

Why shutter speeds don’t matter when you’re using flash

You could also think as this as a beginners guide or exposure for dummies! in this video today I’m going to explain exposure or what people have started to refer to as the exposure triangle. if you’e looked down at your camera and seen a bunch of numbers and didn’t really know what they were, then this video today will explain what how all of those numbers work together to create a photo that isn’t too bright or to dark and how each of them affect your photos.
10/17/2022
Fundamentals

Learn how to use the exposure triangle in under 15 minutes to master manual exposure settings

In today's video I share the 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit besides lights and modifiers.
10/09/2022
Fundamentals , Gear , Video

The 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit!

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BEFORE THE SHOOT

Set A Light 3D Review: Can you learn lighting in a computer?
05/11/2023
Pre-Production

Set A Light 3D Review: Can you learn lighting in a computer?

Come along as I give a tour of my new studio! Including a lot of the gear I have in the space!
01/07/2023
Gear , Pre-Production

Studio Tour: John Gress’s Chicago Portrait Photography Studio

Learn how I built this set step-by-step and then watch as I use it for the very first time during a photoshoot.
12/02/2022
Lighting Technique , Pre-Production

How to build this set from scratch!

In today's video I wanted to give you three quick tips that will help you master set design the next time you are choosing props in the studio for a photoshoot.
09/26/2022
Pre-Production

3 Quick Tips To Help You Master Set Design!

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BUSINESS

How I provide video services to my clients.
05/02/2023
Business , Exclusive Training Videos

Commercial Photography 2: My business model for video services

Commercial Photography Business Model
04/10/2023
Business , Exclusive Training Videos

Commercial Photography 1: My business model for photography

6 Ways You Can Improve Your Business in Only 1 Hour
08/08/2022
Business

6 Ways You Can Improve Your Business in Only 1 Hour

Photographers love to tag their work before posting them online. However, they will come back to haunt you and bite you in the ass! Unless of course the watermark is on a proof.
01/17/2022
Business

Why watermarking your images for social media is a bad idea

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LIGHTING TECHNIQUES

When you hear the word lighting, most photographers are going to think about adding one light to a scene. Some might even think about adding two or three lights. But most of us aren’t going to think about a key aspect of lighting, and that’s because for many of us this might not seem like lighting at all. That’s probably because when it’s there it might go unnoticed, and when it’s missing it might not be identifiable. And this missing element is what’s holding many photographers back from doing well in completions, enjoying the look of a print or feeling like there’s a level of refinement they can’t achieve. But for most of us, it’s hard to put a finger on it.
04/10/2023
Lighting Technique

Chasing Your Shadow: The Secret Sauce You’ve Been Missing

In this video I go over the six seacrets to composing and lighting black and white portaits.
03/03/2023
Lighting Technique

The 6 Secrets to Black & White Portrait Photography

In today's video I breakdown a a one light setup that will help you get a perfect silhouette with only on light!
02/13/2023
Lighting Technique

Exploring Rim Light – Breaking down this one-light studio setup from my Lighting Handbook Vol. 2

In today's video I am going to discuss what a Fresnel is, and how it shapes light. Long a staple of the film industry, a Fresnel a great choice the next time you want to create hard light that resembles sunlight, yet is more forgiving – making it the perfect choice for a beauty photoshoot.
02/01/2023
Lighting Technique

Fresnel Portrait Lighting Tutorial featuring 3 B&W setups

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POSING & MORE

In today's video I set out to critique five portraits and headshots. After pointing out the positives I share my advice on how the images could be improved. So basically, this video is full of portrait and lighting tips and tricks!
03/28/2022
Exclusive Training Videos , Lighting Technique , Posing

Member Exclusive: Portrait Photography & Lighting Photo Critique

readylightmendia vs. johngressmedia photo critique studio lighting
09/23/2021
Exclusive Training Videos , Fundamentals , Lighting Technique , Posing

ReadyLightMedia va. JohnGressMedia Photo Critique: Fashion & portrait photography tips

There are two ways photographers can grow and improve -- practice and critique. But the feedback we get online is often all positive and unqualified or destructive and also unqualified. So in today's video, James Quantz Jr. and I will go over 6 images, submitted by their makers, and give suggestions on how the photos could be improved.
05/29/2021
Lighting Technique , Posing

Photo critique with James Quantz Jr.

photo critique with gary hughes
03/27/2021
Lighting Technique , Posing

Photo Critique with Gary Hughes

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AFTER THE SHOOT

04/30/2023
Post-Production

Can AI software really retouch your photos?

John Gress's new Lightroom Presets - Color & Black and White Film Emulation Presets
03/30/2023
Post-Production

New Lightroom Presets – Color & Black and White Film Emulation Presets

In today's video I share the 6 things every photographer needs in their lighting kit besides lights and modifiers.
11/07/2022
Fundamentals , Post-Production

The 4 secrets that every new photographer needs to know in order to become a successful professional

Infinite tools plugins skin retouch photoshop tutorial
07/23/2022
Post-Production

Beauty Retouching Tutorial With Infinite Skin & Infinite Retouch Photoshop Plugins

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