The digital camera has led to increasing numbers of people taking to photography. They love to be out there happily snapping away, and many of the pictures they take are of friends and family. Portraits, head and shoulders pictures, are some the most popular pictures these amateur snappers love to take. And while they may appear easy to take, many people make a thorough mess of them.
Too close, to far away or heads and other body parts mysteriously missing, let's face it we've all been there. To help avoid those problems lets look at some basic principles and tips for taking portrait photography.
With a digital camera the problem of missing heads shouldn't be too difficult to solve. Always use the LCD screen to help compose the shot. Ensure everything you want to capture is centred in the screen as the photo produced will be exactly as you see it in the LCD screen.
Professional photographers love to have a good background in their pictures. But for those of us amateur snappers that is not really necessary, unless you want the background to add interest to your photograph. A good background will enhance your portrait photograph, and if done skilfully will tell us something interesting about the subject of your picture.
Good portrait shots do not have to be posed. That will only make your subject look stiff and uncomfortable. One of the basics of portrait photography is to make the picture look natural and you can do that by being spontaneous, just taking the picture without waiting for your subject to adopt a pose. If that doesn't work out, you can erase the shot and try again.
Whether the picture is posed or taken off the cuff, it is important that photo fills the frame. That is important as it will add character to the picture.
Another basic factor to consider when taking your portraits is the lighting. Most of us will I suspect be taking the majority of our portraits outdoors in the daylight so lighting won't really be a consideration. But, if you are taking the photos indoors than there some things you need to think about.
If there is natural light coming through a window it can be used to disseminate the shot by adding some nice gentle shadows. Be careful though, if the light is too bright the shadows will too strong though, if the portrait is a posed one, you could use white card to reflect the shadows.
Finally, when taking a portrait remember to focus on the eyes as they are a persons most important, and revealing, feature.
Too close, to far away or heads and other body parts mysteriously missing, let's face it we've all been there. To help avoid those problems lets look at some basic principles and tips for taking portrait photography.
With a digital camera the problem of missing heads shouldn't be too difficult to solve. Always use the LCD screen to help compose the shot. Ensure everything you want to capture is centred in the screen as the photo produced will be exactly as you see it in the LCD screen.
Professional photographers love to have a good background in their pictures. But for those of us amateur snappers that is not really necessary, unless you want the background to add interest to your photograph. A good background will enhance your portrait photograph, and if done skilfully will tell us something interesting about the subject of your picture.
Good portrait shots do not have to be posed. That will only make your subject look stiff and uncomfortable. One of the basics of portrait photography is to make the picture look natural and you can do that by being spontaneous, just taking the picture without waiting for your subject to adopt a pose. If that doesn't work out, you can erase the shot and try again.
Whether the picture is posed or taken off the cuff, it is important that photo fills the frame. That is important as it will add character to the picture.
Another basic factor to consider when taking your portraits is the lighting. Most of us will I suspect be taking the majority of our portraits outdoors in the daylight so lighting won't really be a consideration. But, if you are taking the photos indoors than there some things you need to think about.
If there is natural light coming through a window it can be used to disseminate the shot by adding some nice gentle shadows. Be careful though, if the light is too bright the shadows will too strong though, if the portrait is a posed one, you could use white card to reflect the shadows.
Finally, when taking a portrait remember to focus on the eyes as they are a persons most important, and revealing, feature.
About the Author:
Insight Photographers are specialist Hull wedding photographers and portrait photographers Insight are based in HUll, East Yorkshire and provide a full range of services including weddings, publicity shots, portraits and corporate photography
Post a Comment