Thursday 26 January 2017

Tips on How to Take the Best Portrait Photographs

When people think of portrait photography, they most commonly think of the “head and shoulder” shot, although portrait photography can also include a “full body” shot or an “action” shot where the person is busy occupied in some sort of activity.

Using the right lens, aperture, and lighting is obviously important when it comes to taking the best portrait photographs.  But there are so many other things to take into consideration and little things that can go wrong that could spoil your pictures when it comes to photographing people.  Closed eyes, subject movement, awkward expressions and outside distractions are all things you have to contend with.  So just how do you capture a natural pose?


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Let’s take a look at some of the most important factors you need to take into consideration when photographing people and some helpful tips on how you can take the best portrait photographs:


Composure

Compose the photograph vertically rather than horizontally to avoid too much background space around your subject.


Lens & distance

Get as close to your subject as possible without being intrusive.

80mm and 105mm lenses are often referred to as portrait lenses because they allow you to fill the frame with a “head and shoulder” shot whilst standing at a comfortable distance from your subject.


Lighting

Soft or diffused light is best.  If you’re outdoors, early morning or afternoon is best.

Avoid bright sunshine (usually the middle of the day) as this will cast heavy shadows across your subject’s face and result in unflattering pictures.  Bright sunlight will also cause your subject’s eyes to squint.

Overcast days are actually better than sunny days, as the cloud helps to diffuse the sunlight.

If you are outdoors on a bright day, then it’s best to find a spot somewhere in the shade if you want to take a portrait photograph.  If there is no shade, then try using a flash to fill in the shadows on a bright day.

When photographing people in natural outdoor light, try using a cloudy or shady white balance option if you have it on your camera.  This option will add warmth to your portrait photographs.


Background

For portrait photographs, you want the focus on the person, not the background, so avoid backgrounds that are busy or brightly colored.


Focus

For portrait photography, always focus the camera on the subject’s eyes.  The eyes are the most important feature to get in focus when it comes to portrait photographs.

Normally, the subject’s eyes should be facing the camera for a portrait photography, unless you’re looking to do something creative.


Aperture

It’s best to use a wide aperture of f2-f5.6 for portrait photographs to help blur out the background, so that the focus is on the subject with no distractions.


Shutter Speed

Your shutter speed should be set to a minimum of 1/125 to help prevent any blur from movement.


Exposure

Set your exposure meter for your subject’s face.


Take several shots in succession

People may initially feel self-conscious and awkward when posing for photographs.  Once they think you’ve taken the photograph, they tend to relax, so taking several shots in succession may help to capture a more natural pose.


Camera Shy

If your subject is really camera shy, try photographing them in a different way, by giving them something to do or photographing them while at work for example.


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