How to Get the Most Out of Your Portrait Photography
Posted on May 29, 2009
Filed Under Digital Camera Features, Good Digital Cameras |
Portraiture can be very rewarding. It is an opportunity to display someone’s best side (literally), to create an image that says something.
The first rule of good portrait photography is LOOK at your subject.
This sounds obvious but take a browse through all the shots you have of your family and friends and see if they don’t have a sameness about them. Head and shoulders, passport photos, awkward poses, uncomfortable expressions, blank looks, embarrassed smiles…?
Everyone has some individual feature that should be photographed. This doesn’t mean it has to be a $2000 nose job, pouty lips, bedroom eyes or perfect skin. There should be some aspect or quality to the person that conveys his or her individuality best.
Sound challenging? It isn’t if you follow some basics.
Do Not Use a Flash Directly at the Subject.
Flash light is light in it’s most boring incarnation. On rare occasions it can really lift a shot into dazzling life, but most of the time using available light is better. Flash has the tendency to make the image seem bland and breaks any mood or sense of trust you have created with your subject.
Use a Telephoto Lens. 105-135mm is usually best.
Wide angle is a big no-no.
Use Vertical Compostion.
Rotate the camera to its side. A portrait usually includes the head and upper torso and sometimes the hands. These work best in a vertical format. Horizontal framing leaves you with wide open spaces either side of the subject that can detract from the feel of the shot.
Get Your Subject Dressed Up if That’s at all Possible.
If this is a semi-formal portrait you can have some say in the clothes. Solid, dark or light colors work best. Stripes, checks, swirls, and patterns confuse the viewer’s eye. Strong colors can can overwhelm the skin tones. A scoop or vee cut is usually better than a round cut. For older women or men, cover up the shoulders, for young women leave them exposed.
Try to use the available light to good effect.
Position the person where the light is soft and coming mainly from one direction. This can give a moody feel and usually gets the eyes more attention. You can use a reflector on the shadowed side to ‘bounce the light’ if the contrast between highlight and shadow is too strong. You can make a simple reflector using aluminum foil on a sheet of cardboard.
Pick the Person’s ‘best side’.
Everyone really does have one. Have one shoulder slightly turned towards the camera favoring one side. Try that particular pose another way and work out which one is best.
Let Your Subject be Seated.
This helps them to relax and helps you to be able to direct them more easily. Direct your subject.
In a portrait photo, you’re dealing with minor movements and shifts of position and angle. Try to get the shot from slightly above the subject to open up the eyes. Lower the shoulder closest to the camera, get the head straight or at an engaging angle. Take the chin down a little.
Some people look best when they smile and some don’t. Often you achieve far more interesting nuance and expression with no smile. Ask your subject to think about something they like. This will bring up subtle lights in the eyes and shifts in the mouth lines.
If the hands are in the shot, take a good look at them. Hands can look ugly or awkward. A fist that is lightly closed is usually neutral. Place the hands in the lap on resting on a knee and see how it looks. Cut them off later if they don’t work.
If you’re shooting candid portraits the same tips apply but in these shots you have to move around to get the best angle.
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