What is portrait photography?
Portrait photography depicts the subjects’ story and personality through a combination of light, shadow, and pose. The eyes are the windows to one’s soul, is the saying. And, mainly, portrait photography is the art of capturing just that: the soul. The truth is, every good photographer knows how to, and when to take a portrait. But what is portraiture, exactly? Can a group picture be considered a portrait? Can a full-body angle be a portrait?
Even professional portraits? You might ask, and I say: yes! Every image should have different intensities and personalities. So, school portraits, corporative, pet portraits. If it has eyes, it has an essence, and you can capture it. This article will teach you how.
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What are the different types of portrait photography?
There are many types of portrait photography and genres, styles, techniques and endless debates on which should be considered portrait and which shouldn’t. Well, it all narrows down to three kinds that you will use or might even want to specialize in. They are:
Standard or traditional portraits
The whole trick with this type of portrait is intent. Both photographer and subject have intention on composition, environment, and pose to create an image that conveys emotion.
It can be both in the studio and outdoors. On the latter, however, you will have to use tighter angle lenses, also known as portrait lenses, to isolate your subject —like the 50mm and the 85mm. That will completely blur out the background nicely and draw attention to the subject.
This type of portrait photography encompasses Professional, family, wedding, engagement, boudoir, and others.
Incognito portraiture
Unlike the previous one, the subject is unaware of their surroundings in this portrait style. It may be of a person crafting wood, a musician, or anyone performing a task where the photographer can capture a unique pose. The intention here is for the image to be as natural as it possibly can.
This art style encompasses candid shots, pet portraits, environmental portraits, and more.
To take an excellent incognito portrait, you must first move swiftly and don’t draw attention to yourself. Don’t rush, don’t suggest poses, just let them act natural. If you are in a photoshoot, ask your subject to walk towards you and talk to each other (when shooting couples). Make them feel comfortable and let them know they are doing great.
You will also use a 50mm lens, 85mm, or even a 100mm macro lens for this style.
Artistic or Experimental
Last but not least, it is one of my favorite styles. The rule here is to break all previous rules. You want something new, conceptual, and artistic. Focus on finding new poses, new lighting, and shadows, as well as new angles and focal lengths.
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.
Feel free to use new lenses such as the 35mm, the 14mm, or any other you might want.
This focal length produces a unique look to your portraits as a 35mm will distort the image and create a new feeling.
You can go crazy with post-production edits and create a surrealistic image. You can use props, lights, anything to communicate your artistic style.
Take a portrait that is out of focus? Yes, if it fits your artistic language.
What are ‘broad’ and ‘short’ lighting in portrait photography?
Understanding light and shadow
Light and shadow are the heart and soul of your photography. Bear that in mind. Why? Because without it, your image will look flat and lifeless. Light and shadow add depth and contrast, making your portraits look professional. Therefore, the earlier you learn it, the better. Soon as you start implementing technics taught in this article, I guarantee your portrait game will look 80% more professional, which means better-paying jobs.
When lighting a face for a portrait, you will have to understand one fundamental that will change how you take a picture.
Broad lighting
In portrait photography, broad light is when you capture the side of the face lit entirely by your strobe light, while the other side is in shadow. This look will create the effect of friendliness and an engaging image.
Short lighting
Going in the opposite direction of broad lighting, you photograph the side of the face in shadow in short lighting. This technique produces a dramatic and climatic photo.
The usage of each of those techniques depends on the photographer’s intention. If you want to convey friendliness, you want the lit part of the face towards the camera—the same works on the opposite. You can also combine both to create the Rembrandt Light.
A simple guide to broad and short lighting
Broad lighting
To reproduce a broad lighting effect, you will position your source of light (strobe, led light, key light) 45 degrees from your subject. Then set your subject in a way where they have 50% of the face lit. As seen below:
However, it would help if you had in mind that this specific lighting scenario will widen the face. So, if your subject already has a broad face, don’t use it.
Short lighting
How can you, then, recreate the short lighting technique? Here’s how:
As your subject is facing straight at you, with the light in the position as before (45 degrees), ask your subject to turn their face 45 degrees towards the light. This lighting scenario will make the side of the face in shadow be the center of the piece, creating a dramatic shot.
You must have in mind, on the other hand, that this lighting effect does the exact opposite of the first one: it tends to narrow the face. So, use it carefully when capturing a subject with a narrow look because that will exaggerate that feature.
How do I get better at portrait photography?
I wish I could develop some new, innovative way to get better at portrait photography. You have friends and family; those are your first models, and they will always be ready to help. But in some things, the good ol’ way is the best: practice, practice, practice. Go out, get some portraits while doing street photography. Too shy for that?
Don’t have anyone willing to pose for you? No problem. Take self-portraits.
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How to take self-portraits?
This is the simplest way into portrait photography. It would be good to have a tripod, but don’t go reaching into your pockets just yet. If you have a sturdy surface to put your camera on, it will work just fine.
Set your camera to automatic, or, if your camera has it, select your eye-track functionality. This will vary depending on your brand and model. If you want to go manual mode, a good rule of thumb to nail the shutter speed is 1/[focal length]. That means, if you’re shooting with a 100mm lens, your shutter speed will be 1/100. You can crank that number if you want, but I recommend you go lower.
Tip: if you have a DSLR with a crop factor, multiply by that crop factor number. Let’s say you have a crop factor of 1.8. Then when shooting with a 100mm lens, you will get 1/180.
Now that your camera settings are in place, position your camera and have fun. Remember to explore the possibilities here. Use household objects as frames for your portrait photos. Use paintings, water, bubble wrap. Anything works! You don’t have to worry about losing clients or worrying about opinions. Be artistic.
Which is the better location for portrait photography? Outdoor or indoor?
That might be a question that pops in your mind when exploring the world of portrait photography. Maybe that’s the reason you haven’t got that old raggedy camera sitting in your closet and going out taking pictures: You think it only works in the studio.
No. You can work both indoors and outdoors. The only difference between the two is that indoors, you have complete control of the environment around you: the backdrop, the light source, the rhythm of the session. And it is great to have experience in both if you want to be professional.
Outdoors, on the other hand, you have no control of the weather, for example. But there are ways to overcome these problems, like constantly looking at the weather forecast before going out. When taking photographs outside, with no gear, it’s good to take pictures when it’s cloudy. Clouds are natural light diffusers that will cast a very soft light on your subject.
What are the best outdoor portrait photography techniques?
When shooting outside, don’t just tell your subject to do a pose. Try to find a spot with lots of leading lines. That will probably confuse them, get them nervous.
What are the leading lines? In photo composition, leading lines appear naturally in any space that the photographer can use to frame the image and draw the viewer’s eyes to it. A great example of leading lines is the train track. Framing the train track in the center of the image will instantaneously grab the viewer’s eyes to it. Here are some examples of leading lines you can look for in your next shoot:
What is the most important thing to know about portrait photography?
Have fun doing it. Seriously, it sounds cheesy, but it’s the truth. Enjoying it will make it easier for you to shoot more, learn more and create unique work.
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What are the best backdrops for portrait photography?
If you are thinking about starting portrait photography indoors, you are trying to achieve something at a professional level. For that, you will need backdrops to help you create the correct ambiance for your photos. Here are a few of the best backdrops:
Black backdrop
The black backdrop is the best for a few reasons. For once, the color absorbs light, creating reflex-free images. The color black is also iconic, very traditional. You can’t skip this tool if you want to take professional headshots, family portraits, so forth.
The black backdrop from Issuntex, great quality muslin fabric, no corrugation (which means your material won’t look all wrinkled), and is easy to store. The measurement for this piece is 6″x9″.
Vinyl Backdrop
However, if you want to shoot outdoors but still want to use a great backdrop, I recommend the Huayi vinyl backdrop. Measuring at 5″ x7″, it creates a lot of room for you to do senior portraits, engagements, or even stock images. It has a textured background and is great for those who don’t want to waste a lot of time scouting for a location. In the end, to safely store this backdrop, roll it up, and you are good to go.
White Backdrop
This list wouldn’t be complete without a white backdrop. They are as important as black backdrops but bear in mind that white reacts differently to light, so be aware of your camera settings, flash settings (if using it).
I recommend the Neewer Polyester Photo Studio. It is easy to clean, easy to iron. Measuring 6″x9″ will allow you freedom in your creation process, leaving lots of room for new angles, framing, and the number of subjects you can photograph. It is lightweight and won’t take up a lot of space when folded. The material in this sheet is polyester, wrinkle-resistant fabric.