Photographing people can be a tricky business. Unlike shooting a landscape, portrait photography demands that you be personable and amicable and a talented photographer. You need to be familiar with your equipment and use it correctly and quickly to avoid creating unnecessary and damaging lag time in the portrait session. However, there are some techniques you can use that will allow you to capture excellent portraits nearly every time.
Posing your subjects
Before you do anything, make your subject's comfortable. Make small talk with them and, if they are nervous about being photographed, reassure them. When they are comfortable, you can begin to pose them. Sit your subject down on a stool with their legs turned about 45 degrees away from the camera lens. Have them fold their hands in their lap and sit up as straight as they can. Their shoulders should be turned to face the camera lens squarely, and the subject should look directly into the lens. If you need to physically adjust your subject's pose, ask if you may touch them first, by saying something such as, "May I move your head?"
Lenses
The best lens to use for a portrait situation is a short telephoto lens, such as an 85mm prime or a zoom lens with a range between 50mm and 135mm. Fast lenses with wide maximum apertures, such as 1.8, are ideal because they blur the background in an aesthetically pleasing way, drawing the viewer's focus to the subject's face. The length of the lens is important because it allows you to make an image that is primarily of the subject's face without getting uncomfortably close to your subjects.
Lighting
If you are working with studio lighting, the best technique to use is soft, two-point or three-point lighting. To soften the light, use umbrellas or softboxes. This eliminates hard shadows on the subject's face which are distracting and look unpleasant. Position the lights about 30 to 45 degrees off the line created between your camera and the subject and about three feet above the subject's head, pointing downward. If you are using a three-point lighting setup, put the third light behind the subject, aiming it so the light glances off the top of the head, providing spot illumination on the hair.
Background
If you are working in a studio, use a seamless or muslin cloth backdrop when photographing your subjects. This provides a clean background for your portrait that is guaranteed to not distract the viewer's eye. If you are photographing outdoors, shoot at your lens's maximum aperture to blur the background. To do this, focus on your subject's eyes and zoom in. The longer the lens, the greater the blur, and focusing on your subject's eyes, which are the most important part of the portrait, guarantees that all of the their face, except perhaps for the tip of their nose, will be in focus.
Digital Photography Tips
digitalphotography.tipcentral.netDigital Photography Tips offers various tips and techniques on digital photography, both for the beginner getting into digital photography for the first time, as well ...
Photography Digital photography tips, techniques, methods ...
photography-business-tips.comProvides general digital photography tips and guides for the amateur to intermediate photographer. Many of the photography advice articles have instruction videos and ...
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS for beginners and beyond
www.howtophotography.orgPhotography Tips offer complete guide and photography tips for beginners, intermediate and advanced camera users. Our main focus is to provide useful
Photography Tips Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/LearnPhotographyPhotography Tips, Mumbai (Bombay), India. 372,354 likes 48,415 talking about this.
Photography Tips, Tricks and Techniques
www.photographytips.comFeatures information, tips and hints on all aspects of photography.
Family photography tips for taking perfect family photography
www.best-family-photography-tips.comLearn FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS the pros use. Includes killer advice on indoor, outdoor, night time & everywhere tips.
16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques - Epic Edits
blog.epicedits.com/...inspirational-portrait-photography-techniquesIm learning that portrait photography can be tough in more than one way thanks to my participation in the December Challenge. Im already getting bored with ...
Photography - National Geographic - Inspiring People to Care
photography.nationalgeographic.comWallpapers Landscapes Photo of The Day Animals See Today's PhotoNational Geographic is the source for pictures, photo tips, free desktop wallpapers of places, animals, nature, underwater, travel, and more, as well as photographer ...
Digital Photography Tips: Digital Photography School
digital-photography-school.comWelcome to Digital Photography School! Discover how to use your digital camera with our Digital Photography Tips. We are a community of photographers of all ...
Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials
digital-photography-school.com/tipWe all love a bargain! For us here at dPS HQ this was the reason we created SnapnDeals. But as much as wed like to think all the good deals for photographers
Photography Equipment - Photography Tips - Photography
www.outdoorphotographer.comWhen it comes to capturing nature's beauty at its best, you can't beat the photography tips from Outdoor Photographer. From reviews on photography equipment to the ...
Photography - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography
Photography (derived from the Greek photos- for "light" and -graphos for "drawing") is the art, science, and practice of creating durable images by
Photography Techniques
www.ephotozine.com/learnLearn Photography Techniques. Tips for your Camera, Software, Lenses, Subjects and Accessories.
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider Photoshop & Photography ...
scottkelby.comLast week on my Facebook and Twitter pages, I posted a link to a Great article on Annie Leibovitz on Getting the Shot, and the Future of Photography over at ...
Erin Manning's Top 5 Posing and Directing Photography Tips -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=o87FsA1Rfz4Erin Manning's Top 5 Posing and Directing Photo Tips Some people are really uncomfortable in front of the camerathey aren't sure what they're supposed ...
Wedding Photography Tips (for photographers) --- Information
www.christophermaxwell.com/wedding-photography-tips.htmIntroduction to Wedding Photography for amateurs from a professional; how to's and tips.
All Things Photography - Tips on Wedding or Child to Stock Photography
www.all-things-photography.comAll Things Photography is for beginners, amateurs or professionals! Tips on Photoshop, stock, child and wedding photography, lighting, digital and more.
Portrait Photography guide and tips from Photo.net - Page 2
photo.net Learn About PhotographyOur guide to portrait photography contains tips, equipment suggestions, and ideas at Photo.net.
Expert photography blogs, tips, techniques, camera reviews ...
www.adorama.com/alcAdorama Learning Center How-to tips, buying guides, tutorials from AdoramaTV, product reviews for better photography, video, and more!
Digital camera reviews, photography techniques, photography ...
www.ephotozine.comDaily photography news, digital camera reviews and photography techniques, plus a community photography gallery and photography forums, photo competitions, photo ...
Photography Tips from the Top Floor TFTTF the free show ...
www.tipsfromthetopfloor.comPhotography Tips from the Top Floor TFTTF the free show about all things photography with Chris Marquardt
10 tips for better mobile photography: Connect
connect.dpreview.com/.../10-tips-for-better-mobile-photographyLike many stock photography services, iStockphoto has realized it can no longer ignore mobile photography. The service officially began allowing smartphone images ...
Rick Sammon's Top Ten Digital Photography Tips - YouTube
www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1Unv6DPJiUShot on location in the Desert of Fire, NV. ... Sign in with your Google Account (YouTube, Google+, Gmail, Orkut, Picasa, or Chrome) to add pixelmagic 's ...
Photography Tips and Tricks
www.photography-tips-and-tricks.netA source of useful photography tips and tricks for beginners and advanced photographers alike.
0 comments:
Post a Comment