1. Week 8: Portraits Joel Kinison College of Southern Maryland Check out more of Hákon’s work atPhotoQuotes.com and www.Imageree.com. “ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. –Anonymous
2. Portrait Basics A portrait is defined as a likeness of a person Reveals something of the person’s character Good portraits contain something about the person’s personality, attitude and mannerisms
3. Formal Portraits Get to know your subject with small talk or informal conversation. It’s important for people to feel comfortable Plan a few shots to break the ice. You and the subject will be nervous. Calming the subject Relatively comfortable position Subject will settle down during the shoot You must be in charge Competent and knowledgeable Only then will your subject become relaxed Emphasize the person in a portrait - not his or her surroundings.
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5. Contrast and Tone –High contrastMojo from Flickrhttp://flickr.com/photos/mojo74/1182205597/
6. Portraits outdoors What background works best with the clothes your subject is wearing? Where is the sun? Is there wind to mess up the hair? Is the location private, or will you have to worry about clutter or distractions in the background? What is the weather like; is it sunny or overcast? An overcast sky provides soft, diffused light, while a sunny sky provides bright, intense light. Overcast is preferable in most cases. What can you use in your surroundings to enhance the composition?
7. Portraits indoors Will you use a flash or the available natural light? If you will use a flash, will you use the built-in flash or a bounce flash ? If you use a bounce flash, how high is the ceiling and what color are the walls? Both will affect the outcome of the shot. If you are using the available light, how strong is the light coming in from windows or doors? If the light is not very strong, you may need a slower shutter speed, and possibly a tripod to avoid blur. Pay attention to the background tones and objects.
8. More on backgrounds Distractions Distracting focal point (silly face in the background) Protruding elements from subjects heads Competing lines (strong clashing lines) Strategies Check your background Move your subject Change your shooting angle Use aperture or focal length to blue backgrounds Fill your frame Post processing
9. Make your location work for you. Be aware of the background and the available light, but also the environment
11. Life – Digital Photography School contest results http://digital-photography-school.com/life-winners-announced Photo bybigmakoy
12. The Vacation Portrait Family with nice background scene Problem: too much background, but you can barely tell who is in the photo In portraits – the subject is the people Too much background can cause conflict
13. Depth of field Background can be too distracting. Decrease the aperture setting on your camera to narrow the DOF. The same depth of field effect can be obtained by simply moving closer to the subject. The closer the subject is to camera, the narrower the depth of field it will appear in.
14. Rule of thirds This works under the concept that tension in the picture will bring more interest. One way of enhancing the composition of your shots is to place your points of interest inn smart positions. While the rule of thirds can be broken with great effect it’s a useful principle to keep in mind. Digital Photography School http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds
18. Think about the essence of what you are photographing and work closer and closer until you have isolated and captured it.
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21. Lines Every time you hold your camera to your eye, look for leading lines, foreground elements, frames—anything you can use to lend dynamism to your image.
32. Kids Good Luck Perspective – their level Put hands on face Lay on floor propping up head Lots of photos
33. Young family portraits Interact with the children and make them comfortable Don’t try formal poses Take a lot of photos Be prepared try different perspectives
35. remember Always keep your end photo in mind when you are searching out locations and taking pictures. Evaluating your situations may not come as second nature like it does for professional photographers, but, with practice, you can recognize a photo and to look for those photographic elements that can help or hurt your pictures.
37. Week 8 Assignment Post a portrait photo on the group Flickr web site
Editor's Notes
Sometimes it is interesting to hear the story behind the photo and you see the photo in a new light. But in most cases a photo shouldn’t need a story to back it up. It has to speak for itself.
don’t be afraid to zoom in close!
You can also capture “tight”, close up shots of your subject
Use framing to concentrate all attention on your subject
Keep in mind that any “line” used in a portrait is strongest when it comes outside the frame and leads to the subject.
