Portrait Photography Basics
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.
Armed with a camera, most people take pictures that are too close, or too far way from their subject. Heads go missing and the whole thing is out of focus. 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. Make sure that everything you want to shoot is centred on your digital cameras LCD screen. Everything that appears on that screen will appear in your portrait photograph.
If you try and pose the person you are photographing, the picture will lose its spontaneity and the subject will look stiff and awkward. Just take the picture on the spur of the moment. 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. Just delete the picture and move on.
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. Everything in the frame of the photo should add something to the portrait.
A good basic of portrait photography to learn is 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 your pictures at an indoor location, including your home, you need to consider lighting.
When shooting inside light beaming through a window can be an interesting aid as it can create attractive 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.
