Olivier Ciappa
Portrait and documentary picture-making
Patient light, and the people standing in it
Guides on lighting, editing and gear for photographs of people — written for portrait and documentary shooters, and for anyone who likes looking at a picture closely.
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Latest guides
How to Design a Photo Book Layout Easily (October 2026)
Learn how to design a photo book layout that keeps attention on your images, builds a clear visual rhythm, and stays polished…
How to Hang a Photo Show on a Budget: Simple Guide 2026
Learn how to hang a photo show on a budget with affordable printing, flexible installation methods, simple lighting, and practical promotion tips.
How to Make a Photo Zine at Home: Step-by-Step (2026)
Learn how to make a photo zine at home in with a low-cost workflow for selecting, sequencing, designing, printing and binding a…
Why Do My Prints Look Darker Than My Screen? Causes (2026)
Why do my prints look darker than my screen? Learn how monitor brightness, room light, paper white, ICC profiles and ink limits…
How to Calibrate a Monitor for Photo Editing (2026)
How to calibrate a monitor for photo editing in : warm the display, set D65 and gamma 2.2, run a colorimeter, then…
How to Prepare Photos for Large Format Printing in 2026
How to prepare photos for large format printing without surprises: pixel math, media profiles, output sharpening and 16-bit TIFF export. Updated for…
How to Frame Photos for an Exhibition: Simple Display Guide 2026
Learn how to frame photos for an exhibition, choose the right mats, arrange a sequence, and protect the work for a polished,…
How to Write an Artist Statement for a Photo Series (2026)
Learn how to write an artist statement for a photo series: define the central idea, describe your method, edit for clarity, and…
How to Write Captions for Documentary Photos (2026)
How to write captions for documentary photos with clear context, ethical detail, and worked examples that survive an editor's fact-check. Updated for…
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Before the shutter opens
Consent, light and honest editing
The sitter is a collaborator
Every guide here assumes the person in the frame knows what the picture is for and can say no to it.
Light you can actually find
Setups are described with windows, one lamp and a bounce card first, so the method survives a room without a studio in it.
Editing that keeps the face
Retouching advice stops where a likeness starts to change, because a smoother picture is not a truer one.
About
What this site is for
This is a reading room for people-focused photography: lighting, editing, gear and project notes, written plainly and starting with portrait and documentary work. It is meant to be useful on a shoot day, which is why the guides stay specific and the pictures stay the point.