Dawn M. Wayand
Dawn M. Wayand has been capturing moments in time around the world since 2001, creating stunning headshots, portraits and fashion photos for individual and corporate clients, actors and models since 2012. She has served the NYC community as an educator since 2011 through her group NYC Digital Photography Workshops, while personally teaching various studio, field, and exhibitions education to private students through Dawn M. Wayand Photography.
Latest Posts
How Portfolio Critiques Can Make You A Better Photographer
We are very close the photographs we create. We know how much time, effort and cost went into...
Hands-On Review: Testing the Tether Tools Case Air Wireless Tethering System
Working in a studio for a few years now, I have sometimes found a regular tethering cable to...
Hands-On Review: Testing the Tether Tools TetherPro USB-C Cables
Tether Tools, a company well known for its tethering equipment, has recently released a new line of TetherPro...
How to Build and Write Your Photographer's Resume and Artist's Statement
As photographers, we express ourselves visually through our photographs and may shrivel up at the thought of expressing...
Weatherproofing Your Gear: What You Need to Know About Keeping Your Equipment Safe
For many photographers, the thought of going outdoors to shoot in the rain or snow can seem scary....
Backing Up Your Work: Everything You Need to Know About External Hard Drive and Cloud Storage Solutions
As photographers, we value the product of our hard work from photo shoots and photo outings: our images....
7 Common Mistakes Photographers Make (and How to Avoid Them!)
Photography is a wonderful journey and you will make many mistakes along the way. In life though, mistakes...
10 Ways to Incorporate Photography Into Your Everyday Life
Photography is a beautiful journey of the creation of recordings capturing moments in time. Between learning to shoot,...
11 Ways to Overcome Creative Blocks in Your Photography
Many artists sometimes face a lull in their production of new works or continuation of existing works due...
7 Mistakes To Avoid When Shooting A Portrait
You have a portrait shoot coming up. It’s possible you spent the last week preparing for the photo...
Social Media and Your Photography
Technology advances and new platform creations have brought photographers new ways of sharing their news and their work....
10 Tips for Relaxing Your Subject During a Photoshoot
One of the more difficult things photographers face when shooting a subject — be it a portrait client...
Capturing Magic: Finding Inspiration For Captivating Portraits
Portraiture has been around for many centuries. Before the digital age and even before the age of film,...
6 More Tips for Beginners Learning Photography
So you got a camera for your birthday, the holidays or you just decided to finally get one...
6 Tips for Beginners Learning Photography
Photography can be a very rewarding experience for many photographers. Not only do photographers create a permanent archive...
Building The Home Studio Part 5: Monolights & Power Pack Lights
Getting the light right is extremely vital in photography. It can make or break an image. Just as...
What Inspires Your Photography? 13 Photographers Share Their Inspirations...
As photographers, we can be inspired by many things before clicking the shutter on a scene or subject...
10 Tips for New Photography Students
Photography is a hobby for some, a part-time venture for many, and a career for others. There are...
Choosing the Right Studio Flash Lighting For You
There are many ways to light a subject when creating an image. You can choose daylight and a...
The Art of Portraiture Part 4: Gear and Equipment for Success
A portrait tells a story of someone’s essence – someone’s being. It takes great skill and technique to...
The Model Portfolio Part 4: After the Model Portfolio Shoot
Whew! Your actual photo shoot is over but your work is not complete just yet. You have your...
The Art of Portraiture Part 3: Your Subject
The most important element of a portrait is your subject. Yes, composition and depth of field adds to...
Where to Show and Sell Your Photography
Many photographers first think to themselves, “I want to show my work in a gallery.” However, galleries are...
The Art of Portraiture Part 2: Light
Light is a vital part of portraiture. Heck, it’s a vital part of photography period. The word “photography”...
The Art of Portraiture Part 1: Composition, Depth of Field & Background
Creating a portrait of a person isn’t always an easy task. A portrait should represent its subject, his...
Selling Your Photography
The goal of many photographers is to make money selling their photography. Doing so may come in the...
The Nikon Guide Mode: Guiding You Toward The Perfect Shot
Nikon goes above and beyond in assisting new photographers in creating better images and proper exposures with its...
Creativity & Awareness: Learning to See Before the Capture
“You don’t take a photograph – you make it” – Ansel Adams Seeing is the very essence of...
Spotlight on Art Start
In March 2016, I organized, hosted and curated a group exhibition for my photography group, NYC Digital Photography...
Shooting the Model Portfolio Part 2: The Shoot
Alright! Everyone has arrived. They have been briefed on the photo shoot ideas, goals and the wardrobe. The...
Understanding Exposure
One of the goals in photography is to obtain the correct exposure when capturing an image. Mastering this...
Practical Tools for the Portrait Photographer On The Go
Not everyone works in a studio, or even within four walls. While I work a lot in my...
Shooting the Model Portfolio: Part One
The day is finally here. For some of you, you’ve been planning this shoot for some time now....
Model Turned Photographer, Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner debuted as a fashion photographer last summer while shooting Kaia Gerber, the daughter of supermodel Cindy...
Lino Manfrotto: A Legacy of Support to Photographers Around the Globe
On Sunday, February 5, 2017, we lost a “pillar” in the photography world: Lino Manfrotto – a man...
How To Plan a Model Portfolio Shoot
Part 1 of a 3 part series on planning, shooting and post-production of a model portfolio shoot.
Transforming Light Into Art: 9 Modifiers For Diffusing & Shaping Light
So you’ve just picked up a monolight or strobe for your studio setup, or maybe you already have...
Getting More Creative With Professional Self-Portraits (Not a "Selfie") - Part II
Using some of the ideas and tools outlined in this article, you can come up with an endless...
4 Lighting Techniques for Moody Beauty Portraits
In this article, we will provide you with diagrams and examples of lighting techniques to help you create...
Hands-On Review: The Flashpoint Rapid 600 HSS Monolight
Adorama’s own brand, Flashpoint, has set the bar by creating a line of lighting gear that can all...
19 Tips for Better Fall Photography
Fall is upon us! The colors are so gorgeous- the deeply saturated hues of gold, orange, red and...
High Key Lighting vs Low Key Lighting for Photography
How you light a portrait can make or break the image, so it’s important not only to do...
Hands-On Review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500
Following last week’s hot releases from Panasonic, another new camera announced was the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ2500 digital...
Hands-On Review: Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 Digital Camera
Panasonic introduced a new camera to the block this week, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 digital camera: a perfect-sized...
3 Essential Lighting Styles for Better Portraiture
Here are three tried-and-true lighting styles with some variations to get you started on creating better portraits.
Hands-On Review: Sigma sd Quatrro
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest one of all? We all expect high performance and excellent...
4 Creative Ways to Use Plexiglas on Your Next Photo Shoot
As photographers, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to get inspired to create creative images...
Guide to Lighting Ratios: How to Use Them in Studio Portraiture
In portraiture, we aim to produce beautiful, realistic, three-dimensional images of our subjects. It can be very easy...
Key Lights, Fill Lights, Hair Lights and More: Types of Photography Lighting Strobes
There are many different ways to light a subject and you'll find that many different lighting uses for...
Building the Home Studio Part 04: Essential Studio Tools, Props and Odds & Ends
You are starting to build your arsenal of gear and have possibly photographed a few subjects in your...
The Benefits of Working in a Home Studio & Organization Tips
Commercial studio space or home studio space? I’ve worked in both and while it’s nice to have a...
Preview While You Shoot: The What, Why, When, Who and How on Tethered Shooting
A photo shoot can sometimes be a chaotic environment. Technology has made it much easier to get results...
Bags, Cases & Pouches: Picking A Means For Carrying and Storing Your Gear
Photography can be an expensive hobby or job. It can get even more expensive if you throw caution...
Softboxes: Containing, Directing and Diffusing Light
Photographing a subject with straight artificial light can make for a very harsh result. It will often show...
4 Ways to Create a Professional Self-Portrait (Not a "Selfie"!) Part 1
For many centuries, we’ve captured ourselves in some form of a self-portrait. During Antiquity, several artists of the...
Backgrounds: Choosing the Right Backdrop for Portraits
You have a subject. You’ve selected the wardrobe. You have a hairstylist and makeup artist on board for...
Tripods: Choosing the Right Support for Your Investment
You just poured a ton of money into a new DSLR camera…and a new lens: equipment you plan...
Building the Home Studio Part 2: Continuous Lights and Light Stands
All images by Dawn M. Wayand unless otherwise noted. On our last segment of this series, I provided...
Photography Workflow and Digital Asset Management (D.A.M.)
As you begin or continue to build a growing portfolio of images, it’s important to have an organized...
Building the Home Studio Part 1: Space and Essential Shooting Gear
In this monthly series, we'll guide you through the steps and essential gear for building a profressional photo studio...
Hands-On Review: Canon 50mm F/1.4 Lens
The 50mm lens is typically an excellent lens for portraits and landscapes, and at wider apertures - it’s...
Adorama Tests the Nikon D7100 Camera
I recently had the chance to try out the Nikon D7100 camera body with a few Zeiss lenses as well as...
Hands-On Review: Zeiss 100mm F/2 MAKRO Planar T ZE Manual Focus Macro Lens
While I have been privileged to have had the chance to use a few Zeiss camera lenses in the last...
Hands-On Review: Zeiss Planar T* 85mm F/1.4 ZF Lens
All images by Dawn M. Wayand unless otherwise noted. Most of us have heard of the name Zeiss....
Test and Review: Zeiss 50mm T1.4 Planar ZF.2 Lens
The Zeiss 50mm T1.4 Planar ZF.2 Lens is available at Adorama for $625. What benefits would I have in this...
Hands-On Review: Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens
Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor Lens In 1995, Nikon released the fastest prime lenses on its lineup, the...
Rokinon 135mm f/2.0, Manual Focus Lens - Product Review
Korean lens manufacturer, Rokinon, released yet another prime lens earlier this year: the Rokinon 135mm f/2.0 - a...
Rokinon 50mm f/1.4, Manual Focus Lens - Product Review
Earlier this year, Korean optics company Rokinon released its 50mm f/1.4 lens, and it was met with high...
