Portrait Photography Shack Guide
Portrait Photography And The Best Concepts For Better Images
By Jane Lovell
Portrait photography is a professional service from
photographers specializing in images of people, models
and animals. A portrait is where the model dominates
the photograph. The image may be of a head shot, a waist
up shot or a full body.
Portrait photography covers a range of fields, including
fashion, model portfolio, corporate and commercial,
school and college photography. It may also include
an image of your favorite pet. If there is a requirement
for a quality portrait image to be placed on a wall
for all to see, then you need to hire the services of
a professional portrait photographer.
Basic Techniques Of Portrait Photography
Portrait photography does not rely so much on the most
advanced photographic equipment as much as it does on
basic techniques that capture the physical appearance
and internal character of a human being.
If you are meeting a subject for portrait photography
for the first time, then you may need to take some time
to get that person to warm up and be comfortable with
you.
You can try talking to that person in the course of
the portrait photography session, allowing some of their
personality to shine through. Although most portrait
photography styles involve the subject in a pose, you
can also take pictures during their unguarded moments,
which are often more revealing.
Indoor Portrait Photography
In terms of lighting, soft and off-camera works best
for indoor portrait photography, while overcast skies
bring about more flattering photos when outdoors. A
reflector can be your best friend when taking photographs
in bright sunlight, since you do not want to cast attention
on the shadows underneath a subject’s eyes.
If you want to draw attention to certain features,
then lighting should come from the top or the side of
the face of the subject.
In portrait photography, you also do not want to emphasize
someone’s nose, which means that you will need to take
the photograph from a distance, as much as ten to fifteen
feet away.
Use A Telephoto Lens For Portraiture
In this case, you will need to have a telephoto lens
to compensate for the distance. When taking group photos,
it is a general rule to have everyone move as close
to each other as possible to convey warmth and
camaraderie.
There are different kinds of shots under portrait photography
with close-up photos being the most common. Usually,
close-ups include the subject’s face taken from the
neck up. Upper body shots allow more of the background
to be seen in the photo and let the subject relax a
bit.
Environmental Portraits
Portrait photography also includes environmental portraits,
which show the surroundings or activities that the subject
usually engages in. Photojournalists prefer this type
of portrait photography best since you get an interesting
peek into the life of a person.
You may be taking the portrait of a successful businessman
and you want to give an indication to the viewer of
the image, tell the story of the man in the image. For
example, if he runs a clothing manufacturing plant,
you may show some of the clothing he manufactures in
the background. As it is his portrait, the businessman
dominates the image, the eye sees him first and then
looks around to see the clothes he manufactures.
Meeting Customer Requirements
As a professional portrait photographer, you need to
discuss with your subject, the requirements of the project,
your ideas. This is to ensure the customer is satisfied
with your end product and you will not have to do a
re-shoot at your expense, just because you did not meet
the customer requirements.
I always write down in the contract what I will do
in this project, so the customer can see it all in writing.
I have never had any problem, but I know of other photographers
who have not proceeded in this written fashion and have
come to a sticky end including legal proceedings against
the photographer, claiming a refund plus compensation.
So it is always best to have everything in writing,
and the customer signs off on the contract and knows
what to expect in portrait photography.
About the Author:
Jane Lovell has written a number of articles on digital
photography including Best
Digital Cameras, Mini
Digital Camera, Photographer
School, Baby
Photography, Still
Photography, Boudoir
Photography, Art
Of Photography, Amateur
Photography, Photography
Backdrop, Photography
Tips, Digital
Photography Tips, Photography
Studio.
Lookout for more articles from this author on this website.
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