Article by Sean Freeman
Photography is an enjoyable hobby but it can also be turned into a commercialventure by extending paid services to the public, be it family portraitphotography, outdoor portrait photograpy, baby portrait photography or weddingportrait photography.
Portrait photography is an easy way to interact with your subjects and photographingtheir priceless moments to be treasured in the years to come. However beforeyou proceed on your portrait photography journey, here are some 3 chiefportrait photography tips you need to know in order to succeed:
Tip 1) Preparation is Key
Scout for a location for your shoot, once chosen, you need to explore the areain order to familiarise yourself with the spot.
Pick out certain scenic spots in your location and take note of some areas whichwould provide a better backdrop for your subjects.
During the days approaching the shoot, check out the weekly weather forecast in yourlocal meteorological station in order to avoid scheduling your shoot on a rainyday. Do have a substitute indoor location in the eventof bad weather.
Tip 2) Types of Portrait Lenses
Aside from using lenses with zoom functions, use fixed focal length lenseswhich are much suited for portraits, such as a 50mm f/1.8 or a 85mm f/1.8.
Good prime lenses for portrait photography are lenses with wider apertures of atleast F/1.8, which allow the user to achieve very shallow depth of field, wherethe background is reduced to a smooth, dreamy blur whilst still having thesubject sharp and in focus. This gives a very nice pop to the image, at the sametime blurring away any distracting background.
The focal length for these lenses should be 50mm or longer, as mid telephoto ortelephoto would flatter the subject and isolate the subject from the background.While wide angle lenses (wider than 50mm) will tend to distort and widen yoursubject’s face than it really is, thus creating an unflattering image.
Tip 3) Lighting
Photography is essentially painting with light, where light is your paint, andthe camera your canvas. Therefore it is a crucial element for portraits as withthe right light, you can create dramatic portraits.
Try to shoot during the magic hours of the day, the first hour and last hourof day, usually around 8am-9am or 5pm-6pm. The quality of light in the goldenhours gives you warm, diffused light which flatter your subject by giving theirfaces a warm, healthy glow. The weather is also cooler and allows your subjectsto relax and be in a more comfortable mood.
Shooting portrait in the afternoon is often not ideal, as the qualityof light can be very harsh, leading to squinting eyes, blown out highlights andvery uncomfortable subjects.
About the Author
Sean Freeman is expert photographer specialising in portrait photography and has more than 15 years experience in portraiture photography. He runs a boutique portrait photography studio in Ohio, visit him here!
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
Sean Freeman is expert photographer specialising in portrait photography and has more than 15 years experience in portraiture photography. He runs a boutique portrait photography studio in Ohio, visit him here!
Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.
