Having creative freedom when taking pictures is one of the many advantages of being a compositional photographer. Every kind of portrait can be captured using good compositional techniques. But all of this requires the use of a suitable lens. In most cases, professional photographers prefer an 85mm lens along with a suitable camera to use in their portrait photography. But why? We will reveal 85mm composition tips for portrait photography to answer this question.
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Quick Camera Settings for 85mm Composition
- Aperture – 1.4/1.8
- Shutter Speed – 1/100
- ISO – 200 – 800
- Focus – Manual (Preferred)
- Focal Length – 85mm
- White Balance – Auto
Best Portrait Composition Using 85mm Lens
If you cannot master the technique of taking portraits, you might need to follow some simple rules to achieve greatness. For this reason, here are the best compositional tips using an 85mm lens to get the best portraits.
Apply Rule of Thirds
One of the most fundamental principles of composition in photography is to use the Rule of Thirds. It allows you to get the best composition possible that you can think of. The fundamental standard is that the key areas should be on the vertical grid lines or where the horizontal and vertical lines meet. Create portraits using these lines. When making a portrait composition, make sure your model’s eyes are in the upper third of the picture.
If you follow that straightforward rule, you may choose from a variety of placement options to put your subject in the middle or on one of the edges. The simple placement of your subject in the center of the frame with a dominant eye is when your model is staring directly into the camera. The general rule is that you must allow some room for the model to look into if he is turning the head in that direction.
Focus on Eyes
In portrait composition, having clear, focused eyes in the image is unquestionably a vital photography technique to learn. Focusing on the eyes always helps you get the best shot. Most likely, you would be seeking “eye contact.” The focus point should first be confirmed to be in the eyes. It unintentionally occurs when you have settings like a bigger aperture with a shallow field depth.
With the proper camera settings, it can be prevented. Make sure you balance the portrait well and that your model portrays emotion in the frame. You will get a great composition by having the emotions mixed in a photo.
Use Shallow Depth of Field
Another compositional tip while using an 85mm lens is making more use of shallow depth of field in your portraits. You can use it to ignore any unnecessary components like individuals, structures, or anything else that draws attention. You may easily adapt it by changing the aperture on the camera. You can limit your focus on your subject and use a wide aperture (small f-stop value) when taking pictures.
Portrait photography aims at capturing the personality, character, and emotions. It can either be candid or artistic. Portrait photography requires more than just the ability to understand your camera settings, lighting, and composition.
You must also possess the ability to connect with your subjects and capture their unique qualities. So, it is a difficult but rewarding genre of photography.
Click Below to read a comprehensive guide to learning and mastering the art of portrait photography.
Follow Leading lines
You can get good compositions for your portraits by following the leading lines in your photography. You can use leading lines to highlight your model. This is a strong tip to apply because it will draw viewers’ attention to your focus point naturally. Next time you’re shooting, take a look around to see if any nearby items can serve as leading lines. Simple leading lines include a shade pointing toward the subject when they are standing in the center of any place, which shows leading lines.
Filling the Frame
Your entire frame must look naturally attractive. A beautiful portrait means you must capture the model in such a way that the frame feels complete. It just involves having your subject take up the entire frame. A photo taken from the shoulder to the top of the head is the most common portrait composition method. Traditional mug shots from the shoulders up to the top are used first, followed by up-close, detailed shots.
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A deeper inspection of your model reveals more features. You may depict emotions with a lot of texture by using lines and wrinkles, sweat, and the depth of the eyes. When taking headshots or portraits, the 85mm focal length is particularly preferred. However, you will need to pay attention to the cropping areas and the overhead space. And when cropping, aim for the area just below the shoulder. This prevents your subject from appearing like a floating head.
The Contrast of a Model and the Background
Playing with the lighting and various tones is a good approach to draw attention to the main subject. It is an effective compositional photography approach where you can get amazing results. Finding a location with a darker background and positioning your subject so that the foreground is a little bit lighter is one piece of advice. By doing that, you prevent a subject’s background from blending in.