Taking Portrait Photographs
We all enjoy snapping away with our digital cameras and more often than not we will be taking portraits of friends and partners. Unfortunately, although portraits or head and shoulders photos sound easy enough to take, quite often the results are less than great.
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.
Don’t worry about ‘posing’ your portraits as off the cuff or spur of the moment photographs can be the best. If the subject suddenly moves out of range or you do not like the way the picture has worked out your digital camera allows you to erase it and you can try again. If that doesn't work out, you can erase the shot and try again.
One of the best tips in taking portrait photography, either posed or spontaneous shots, is to ensure that you fill the frame and use every available bit of space. It is important that photo fills the frame. That is important as it will add character to the picture.
A good basic of portrait photography to learn is lighting. Many people photograph outdoors so lighting is not such a big issue. But if you are taking your pictures at an indoor location, including your home, you need to consider lighting.
If there is natural light coming through a window it can be used to disseminate the shot by adding some nice gentle shadows. Make sure the shadows are not too strong especially if the light is very bright.
Finally, when taking portrait photography remember to focus on the eyes as they are a persons most important, and revealing, feature.
Related posts: