People are probably the most widely photographed subjects. However, people photography needs special treatment in terms of composition, lighting, depth of field and most importantly a ‘natural look’. It is a misconception that shooting people/portraits needs elaborate studio equipment. Contrary to the popular belief, people can be photographed successfully in natural light.
Shooting Portraits
- The aim of any portrait photographer is to capture the beauty, strength and character of the subject. The portrait Photographer must have this ability, so as to give a true portrayal of model’s personality.
- The model should be completely at ease, if the results are to appear natural. Interaction with the subject is vital in portrait photography.
- People can be photographed in a variety of ways i.e. full length, up to waistline, head & shoulder shots, or close up of the face.
- Directional light coming from the windows provides a good light source for natural looking portraits. A silver/white reflector can be used to provide fill-in light for shadow areas.
- Outdoors, make sure that the objects like trees or lampposts are not immediately behind the camera; otherwise they will appear as if they are growing from the head! The background should be sub-ordinate in interest, as compared to the subject.
Posing Your Subject
- Normally, everybody (expect the kids) is self conscious in front of the camera. So, it becomes the prime responsibility of the photographer to make the subject feel at ease. A good way to do this is to enter into some sort of conversation.
- The model directly facing or looking into camera makes a dull composition. (Leave this style for passport photographs only). Instead, ask the model to sit at an angle, and then turn his head slightly towards the camera.
- A tilting head is an absolute no, unless you are taking an extreme close-up of the face, that too for an artistic effect.
- Place the camera at slightly lower level then subject’s eyes. For shooting ‘models’, it is better to keep the camera at the naval-line to enhance the stature.
- The focus should be set at model’s eyes, and depth of field should be just enough to keep other parts of the face reasonably sharp. In side poses, the eye closer to the camera should always be in focus.
- The hands should be kept relaxed, and not stiff. The props used if any should be in harmony with the subject. Look at various portraits in magazines, and experiment. Your imagination is the only limit!
What tips would you add?
Paul Clifford says
I’d add that the chin is super-important (counter-intuitively). If someone has a double-chin, they won’t like a photograph as well as if you can have them move their head forward so they don’t.
Paul