John Gress Photography

Directions Website Contact the business

John Gress Photography Chicago Photographer & Director

Five years ago, I compared my Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 to the RF 70-200mm f/4, and at the time I said you’d probably see me u...
10/19/2026

Five years ago, I compared my Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 to the RF 70-200mm f/4, and at the time I said you’d probably see me using the 85mm more often.

Over the years, something changed. I gradually started reaching for the 70-200mm more often, particularly when I needed flexibility or didn’t know how much working distance I was going to have.

In my new video, I revisit these two lenses after years of actually using them for portrait photography and explain where each one fits into my work today.

Why I Choose a 70-200mm f/4 Over an 85mm f/1.2

https://youtu.be/TZEBBdX_o9o

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œWORKSHOP” and I’ll DM you a link to enter to win a free admission!βͺ BTS & EXIF of ππˆπŠπŽπ‹π€π’ ✯ πŠπŽπ‹π€π’πˆππ’πŠπˆ from ...
10/16/2026

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œWORKSHOP” and I’ll DM you a link to enter to win a free admission!
βͺ BTS & EXIF

of ππˆπŠπŽπ‹π€π’ ✯ πŠπŽπ‹π€π’πˆππ’πŠπˆ from my lighting workshop at Orlando Portrait Photographer |Yuliya Panchenko’s studio in Orlando.

This two-light Elinchrom setup uses a strip softbox as the main light on one side of the set and an octabox on the other. Looking at the BTS, it appears we were feathering the strip softbox upwards and downwards to adjust the amount of light hitting his sweater.

The video in the carousel shows how I transitioned from a headshot on a white background to this portrait on a black background. By rotating 90 degrees and adding a flag, we created two very different looks in just a few moments.

You can also see me moving between the two setups using my STUDIO TITAN AMERICA camera stand.

πŸ“ Upcoming Lighting Workshops (2026)

Sacramento β€” Intermediate β€” Oct 22
Chicago β€” Advanced β€” Nov 7–8
Chicago β€” Foundations β€” Nov 12–15

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œVIDEO” to get the full behind-the-scenes breakdown in your inbox!βͺ Swipe for more, BTS & EXIF. of Jaxson Dar...
10/12/2026

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œVIDEO” to get the full behind-the-scenes breakdown in your inbox!

βͺ Swipe for more, BTS & EXIF.

of Jaxson Dart from my NFL Rookie Premiere series.

This setup used five Elinchrom lights, with a paper background and LEE Filters diffusion material with a light positioned behind it to create the flare in the middle of the frame.

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œVIDEO” and I’ll DM you the full tutorial!Sometimes the hardest part of a portrait shoot is admitting that you...
10/10/2026

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œVIDEO” and I’ll DM you the full tutorial!

Sometimes the hardest part of a portrait shoot is admitting that your original idea just isn’t working.

I teamed up with Barber Instructor / Nieves Almaraz for this creative collaboration featuring Christopher Helm . We tried reflections, plexiglass, Mylar, and different compositions, but none of it was doing the most important thing: showing off the haircut.

So I scrapped the original concept and rebuilt the shoot around what the client actually needed.

The final setup used six Elinchrom lights and reflectors, with my camera stand and boom from STUDIO TITAN AMERICA.

A cool idea is only useful if it solves the problem.

βͺ More, BTS & EXIFπŸ’¬ Comment β€œWORKSHOP” and I’ll DM you the details about my upcoming lighting workshops and how to enter...
10/08/2026

βͺ More, BTS & EXIF
πŸ’¬ Comment β€œWORKSHOP” and I’ll DM you the details about my upcoming lighting workshops and how to enter to win free admission!

featuring ππˆπŠπŽπ‹π€π’ ✯ πŠπŽπ‹π€π’πˆππ’πŠπˆ from my lighting workshop in Orlando, hosted by my friend Orlando Portrait Photographer |Yuliya Panchenko. πŸ™πŸΌπŸ™πŸΌπŸ™πŸΌ

Lit with two Elinchrom lights against a red backdrop.

πŸ“ Upcoming Lighting Workshops (2026)

Chicago β€” Intermediate Bilingual πŸ‡ͺπŸ‡ΈπŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ β€” Oct 17–18
Oakland β€” Intermediate β€” Oct 24
Chicago β€” Advanced β€” Nov 7–8
Chicago β€” Foundations β€” Nov 12–15

10/05/2026

πŸ’¬ Comment β€œVIDEO” and I’ll DM you the full tutorial!

Sometimes the hardest part of a portrait shoot is admitting that your original idea just isn’t working.

I teamed up with for this creative collaboration featuring Cameron. We tried reflections, plexiglass, Mylar and different compositions, but none of it was doing the most important thing: showing off the haircut.

So I scrapped the original concept and rebuilt the shoot around what the client actually needed.

The final setup used six lights and reflectors, with my camera stand and boom from .

A cool idea is only useful if it solves the problem.

10/05/2026

I went into this shoot with a concept I thought was going to work. Once we got Cameron on set, it became pretty clear that it wasn’t.

The reflections weren’t working, the competition crop created another problem, and eventually we realized the original idea wasn’t doing the one thing the photograph actually needed to do: show off the haircut.

In my new video, you’ll see how we abandoned the original direction, rebuilt the lighting, and figured out how to save the shoot.

My Portrait Idea Failed. Here’s How I Saved the Shoot

Address

5339 W Lake Street , Suite 427
Chicago, IL
60644

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when John Gress Photography posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to John Gress Photography:

Shortcuts

Share