Photography Portrait Tips
"Thank you so much for these photography portrait tips. These photography portrait tips address poses, backgrounds, indoor portraits, and outdoor portraits. The main thing to realize is that a studio setup is not always necessary, but they are handy for always producing consistent lighting arrangements. The problem with studio arrangements is that they are common and often end in a bland, or mass produced look. Portrait PosesThere are many different traditional poses for portraits. There are staircase arrangements for 4 or subjects. The V or inverted V is used for 3 subjects. Diagonal arrangements are commonly used for 2 subjects and sometimes for 3.No matter what pose is used, the main goal is to capture closeness and familiarity between the subjects. This can be done by having placements of hands on shoulders or laps or eye contact between subjects. Having one of the subjects look at the other in admiration while the other subject looks towards the camera can create a feeling of closeness and love. Capturing natural poses works well with children. This technique relies on the blissfulness of children playing. Let the child or children play and be ready to capture that blissful moment. Have the camera set for action photography. Keep in mind that head and shoulder shots usually work best for portraits. BackgroundsThe main goal is to have a background that flatters the photo and minimizes distractions. Another main point to keep in mind is not to have too much background in the photo.Some people may want a portrait taken to show an exotic location that they have visited. The problem is that many of these shots show more of the location than the person. Always remember that the subject of a portrait is the person and the subject of a landscape is the scenery. Allowing too much scenery into a portrait can cause many distractions. On the extreme side, the subject of the portrait may not even be recognized. Indoor PortraitsThe easiest portraits to arrange are indoors where the environment is completely controlled. Lighting can be optimized and kept constant for different shots. Flattering backgrounds can be created and easily reused.Artificial lighting is essential for indoor portraits. Try not to use straight on flash photography; it tends to flatten the facial characteristics of the subject. Use reflected lighting form the side or bounce a top mount flash off the ceiling to create a more natural lighting effect. For these photography portrait tips, the best backgrounds for indoor shots are plain. If a backdrop is used, keep it simple. Either use a single color or a circle to oval faded where it is darker on the edges and lighter towards the center. Be sure not to be near walls while shooting, unless angled lighting can be offers from both sides. Shadows that appear on walls caused by straight on or single source angled light can be very distracting. Bouncing light off the ceiling or using angled light from both sides will minimize this shadow effect. Outdoor PortraitsWith outdoor portraits the background is usually the available scenery. With this in mind, make sure the scenery is flattering. The easiest way to do this is to use nature as the background.Buildings, city lights and many other man made objects can easily cause distractions in the shot. I prefer either a nice mountainous and green background or a beach portrait. If anyone is in the background of the scene, wait until they have walked out of the shot before releasing the shutter. If background distractions are unavoidable, narrow the depth of field as much as possible to blur the background. For outdoor portraits, use natural lighting as much as possible. On clear days, the best lighting is in the morning or late afternoon. Direct mid-day light can get a bit harsh. A nice overcast can offer nice natural lighting all day long. I hope you have enjoyed this article on photography portrait tips. Return to the top of Photography Portrait Tips, Portrait Photography Tips, or Photography Tips
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