If you’re new to portrait photography and looking to up your game, the quick tutorial below will put you on the road to success. In just four minutes you’re learn five simple tips that will make you and your subjects proud.

One of the basic tenets of landscape photography is to “be at the right place at the right time,” which is why many of us prefer to shoot at blue hour—just before sunrise or after sunset. But what if you stumble upon a beautiful scene earlier in the day when the light isn’t quite right?

It’s almost impossible to pick one favorite lens for portrait photography, which is why pro photographer Julia Trotti has narrowed it down to two primes as her top choice(s): 35mm and 85mm. Why does she pick these two focal lengths, in particular, for shooting portraits?

Have you ever captured a photo, looked at it on your camera’s LCD, and said to yourself, “Wow! This looks perfect,” only to view the image closely on the computer and find a bunch of distracting imperfections? If that’s a familiar scenario, this tutorial is for you.