Have you ever seen any of those TV shows that reveal the tricks of the great wizards?Is today’s article a style? The difference is that what I’m going to reveal here are some tips and methods that great portrait photographers use to get stunning photographs of their models. The typical portrait we’ve always looked at with admiration and never knew what “was” that made it so spectacular.
In today’s article I will introduce you a series of tricks and tips, specifically 26, very easy to apply, that will help you to improve your portrait technique tremendously, these are tips that you can practice in different situations and contexts and that will help you We guarantee you original and very professional portraits.
- I think it will be a long and complete theme.
- So I recommend you enjoy it with a good cup of coffee.
- Tea.
- A beer or your favorite drink.
Here we go!
1- Contextualize: this is one of those tips that makes us love a portrait without knowing exactly why. It simply consists of putting the person in their most usual environment, looking for the most typical situation possible. If you want to represent the grandfather let him be on his usual sofa, if it is the grandmother let him be with his skein of yarn and knitting needles. Sometimes we like the typical. 2- Before the little ones, always kneel: if you are going to represent children or babies, always do it at the same height. 3- Apply the rule of thirds: This rule, applied to portraits, consists of placing the subject on one side of the frame instead of being in the center of the image. 4- Give the subject space: Combined with the rule of thirds, this trick consists of placing the subject on one side, and making him slightly tilt his head and look to the other side where we have some space left. 5- Take advantage of the light from the window: If you do not have the expensive lighting equipment of a professional studio, you can make a fuss with the natural light that enters through the window. Just position your subject in front of the window and get closer. Above all, never shoot against the light of a window (unless you are looking to take a silhouette photograph).
6- Use the largest possible aperture: Shoot using the largest possible apertures (low f / value). This will allow plenty of light to enter first and second so that the subject is well defined and in focus, with a completely blurred background. You can achieve this very easily by choosing your camera’s semi-manual mode called “Aperture Priority” (on Canon it has the letter Av, on Nikon the letter A). 7- Above, humility; from below, power: portraits taken from above take away the strength of the person, make them appear small, weak, humble and docile. On the contrary, the portraits taken from below convey strength, power and virility. For an advertising photo of a sports brand, the athlete will surely be photographed from below. 8- Unusual profiles: There is no rule that requires you to always take front-on portraits. Why not try some unusual profiles such as the representation of the subject from the back, or in profile . . ? 9- Unusual perspectives: It is not necessary to photograph standing, at the same height as the subject or with the camera at the height of the head. There are other perspectives that will offer you unusual and very original photos, live them.
10- Better in the morning or in the afternoon: The sunlight at sunrise and sunset is unique and has no equivalent. If you want to impress your model with a good portrait session, offer to meet her early in the morning or in the afternoon. 11- Avoid taking pictures at noon: Whenever possible, avoid taking portraits between 11 am and 3 pm. This is a time when the sun hits hard and its rays will leave an unpleasant contrast of light and shadow on the subject’s face. If it is essential to do the session at noon, at least try to find an area with a less aggressive light level. 12- First image, then focus: I know, some basic tips, but it is a common mistake. If you use manual focus, you must first frame the shot and then focus. If you change the frame or composition, you must necessarily refocus. 13- Reassure your topic: Being a model is not an easy task, sometimes the model can feel uncomfortable, nervous, especially if it is the first time. Those nerves will translate into the worst portraits you’ll ever take. If you notice that your model spends regular time, give her something to entertain herself: a book to browse, a mobile, a drink, a toy, anything. You may need to resort to this trick only at the beginning and once your model goes into dynamics remove the support element. 14- Beware of the wide angle lens: this lens usually has a very short focal length (10-14mm) and its use in portraits is extremely risky unless you know how to control it. In case you didn’t know, this lens causes large distortions on the subject’s face and body, making them appear large or gigantic. If you want to use it, please do so, but very carefully. 15- Tilt the camera: Normally in landscape photography we are obsessed with keeping the photo completely horizontal to the horizon, which deserves redundancy. But in portrait photography, since the point of interest is not the horizon or the landscape itself, but the person depicted, tilting the camera towards a tilted horizon can often result in a fun and original portrait. 16- Representing emotions: The portrait must convey a contagious emotion: joy, sadness, doubt, fear, laughter, emotion is what gives life to the portrait. The beauty of the model is not an emotion, remember that.
17- Group portraits: There is nothing more annoying than a photo of a group of people standing next to each other, good advice would be to distribute to the people of the group at different heights, for example a seat on the sofa, another half sitting on the armrest, one or two standing and a seat on the floor For example. 18- Obtain a transfer of rights: If you plan to market the photo or sell it later, ask your model to sign a document through which to transfer the image rights so that it can sell the photo freely. If the person has not given you their image rights in writing and you are trying to sell the photo as your own production, you may have problems. quite the opposite: you can get very original portraits if you turn the subject into a secondary element and make one of its accessories the protagonist of the photo.
20- Focus the eyes: If you are looking for a reference point to focus on the subject, always do it according to their eyes. 21- Outdoor portrait with flash: Although it may seem illogical, portraits outdoors in daylight look much better with flash. Try it and you will see. 22- Print your portraits, live them: what’s the use of saving hundreds or even thousands of portraits on your computer’s hard drive? I’m not saying you have to print them all, but from time to time bring some of your portraits to life, let’s say the ones you consider the best. Use them to decorate your office, workplace, living room furniture or print on canvas and hang on the wall. In this way, you will put them to a much more useful use and you will feel more motivated to continue progressing as a photographer. 23- With the smallest . . burst mode: The movement pattern of a creature under 10 years old is unpredictable, that’s why I recommend that you arm yourself with the famous burst mode, so even if some photos are shaking you will have a better chance of some they are decent. 24- Use the king of lenses: If you want to get serious about portrait photography and you don’t have one yet, maybe now is the time to seriously consider it: you need a 50mm f / lens. 1. 4. I call it “The King of Glasses” and I explain why in the following article: the 50mm f / 1. 4 lens, the king of glasses. 25- Soften the flash light: The flash light is sometimes too powerful and causes excessive and aggressive light on the subject’s face. To remedy this, I suggest you use a diffusing flash screen. This will soften the way the light from the flash hits the subject. 26- Look for silhouettes: Silhouettes are another way to obtain very original portraits with a certain “magical” touch. The best time to take these types of portraits is at sunset when the sun is about to disappear behind the horizon.
By now, you know 26 of the most effective methods and tips for portrait photography. I hope you took note of them and applied them. As soon as you start practicing them, you’ll notice the difference yourself.
Good photography, and as always, if you liked to read this article or find it unpayable, recommend it. Thank you?