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.
Many of us do not know the basics of portrait photography, so our pictures appear with head shots cropped and the photo centring on an elbow. All of this can be avoided if we take a little time to learn some of the basics.
Cropped head shots can be avoided by using your digital cameras LCD screen. Everything that appears in on that screen will also appear in your picture. So use it to centre the picture and take your photograph.
Unless you are trying to take a professional style close up portrait don't worry about the background. In fact you should use the background to produce a really interesting shot. Now, I'm sure the person whose portrait you are taking is very interesting in their own right, but by allowing the background to add context to the shot the photograph will be enhanced and will really tell a tale about that person and their environment.
Don't worry about 'posing' your portraits as off the cuff or spur of the moment photographs can be the best. Of course, if it doesn't work out and you find the subject had already wandered out of shot when you pressed the shutter button then don't worry. Just delete the picture and move on.
One of the best tips in taking portraits, 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 to of portrait photography to learn is lighting. If your pictures are being taken outside in natural light, lighting may not be a problem. But indoors the correct lighting is crucial.
If there is natural light coming through a window it can be used to disseminate the shot by adding some nice gentle shadows. Be careful though, if the light is too bright the shadows will too strong though, if the portrait is a posed one, you could use white card to reflect the shadows.
Finally, when taking a portrait remember to focus on the eyes as they are a persons most important, and revealing, feature. - 30452
Many of us do not know the basics of portrait photography, so our pictures appear with head shots cropped and the photo centring on an elbow. All of this can be avoided if we take a little time to learn some of the basics.
Cropped head shots can be avoided by using your digital cameras LCD screen. Everything that appears in on that screen will also appear in your picture. So use it to centre the picture and take your photograph.
Unless you are trying to take a professional style close up portrait don't worry about the background. In fact you should use the background to produce a really interesting shot. Now, I'm sure the person whose portrait you are taking is very interesting in their own right, but by allowing the background to add context to the shot the photograph will be enhanced and will really tell a tale about that person and their environment.
Don't worry about 'posing' your portraits as off the cuff or spur of the moment photographs can be the best. Of course, if it doesn't work out and you find the subject had already wandered out of shot when you pressed the shutter button then don't worry. Just delete the picture and move on.
One of the best tips in taking portraits, 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 to of portrait photography to learn is lighting. If your pictures are being taken outside in natural light, lighting may not be a problem. But indoors the correct lighting is crucial.
If there is natural light coming through a window it can be used to disseminate the shot by adding some nice gentle shadows. Be careful though, if the light is too bright the shadows will too strong though, if the portrait is a posed one, you could use white card to reflect the shadows.
Finally, when taking a portrait remember to focus on the eyes as they are a persons most important, and revealing, feature. - 30452
About the Author:
Insight Photographers are expert Hull wedding photographers and portrait photographers Insight are located in HUll, East Yorkshire and provide a full portfolio of services including weddings, publicity shots, portraits and corporate photography
