A Thing Or Two About Portrait Photography

By John Miller

A portraiture, simply known as a portrait, is a photo centering a person or small group's facial expression while they are in a still position. The personality, moods & likeness of the person or persons come out. Aside from the face, portrait photography can also show the whole body and the background of the subject. When taking a portrait photograph the person or group is usually looking straight at the lens.

Non-professional models are used for portrait photography, unlike other styles of photography. Some examples of portrait photography are graduations, special events, & weddings & are usually displayed in private homes. Numerous are done on studio with several backgrounds to select from.

The History of Portrait Photography

People have been using portrait photography ever since the invention of the camera. Having your portrait painted was expensive and not as available. People would sit against a background and were lit with natural light from a window. Portrait photography can now be more creative with the way technology has evolve since they can adjust light & move around more.

Methods Of Light

A professional photographer has complete control over the lighting when taking portrait photographs in a studio. They can change the intensity & the direction. Different lighting terms include the main light, background lights, kicker lights and fill lights.

The most important source of light is obviously referred to the main light. The main light is generally positioned above or below the subject & at a 45-degree angle.The fill light is used to help eliminate shadows that are created by the main light. The kicker light is the light that brightens up the hair of a subject. This will help to add depth and to show the separation from the subject & the background. To add effects to the backdrops the background light is used to brighten up the background. - 30452

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