WEEK 8: PORTRAITSJoel Kinison

College of Southern MarylandMarch 2009

PORTRAIT BASICS• A portrait is defined as a likeness of a person • Reveals something of the person’s character• Good portraits contain something about the

person’s personality, attitude and mannerisms• Some people show character with immediate

transparency, while others may be more difficult to “read” at first

• This takes skill and an understanding of human nature

FORMAL PORTRAITS• Get to know your subject with small

talk or informal conversation. It’s important for people to feel comfortable– Plan a few shots to break the ice.– You and the subject will be nervous.

• Calming the subject– Relatively comfortable position– Subject will settle down during the

shoot• You must be in charge

– Competent and knowledgeable– Only then will your subject become

relaxed• Emphasize the person in a portrait - not

his or her surroundings.

PORTRAITS OUTDOORS• What background works best with the clothes your

subject is wearing? • Where is the sun? • Is there wind to mess up the hair?• Is the location private, or will you have to worry

about clutter or distractions in the background? • What is the weather like; is it sunny or overcast? An

overcast sky provides soft, diffused light, while a sunny sky provides bright, intense light. Overcast is preferable in most cases.

• What can you use in your surroundings to enhance the composition?

PORTRAITS INDOORS• Will you use a flash or the available natural light? • If you will use a flash, will you use the built-in flash

or a bounce flash ? If you use a bounce flash, how high is the ceiling and what color are the walls? Both will affect the outcome of the shot.

• If you are using the available light, how strong is the light coming in from windows or doors? If the light is not very strong, you may need a slower shutter speed, and possibly a tripod to avoid blur.

• Pay attention to the background tones and objects.

MORE ON BACKGROUNDSDistractions• Distracting focal point (silly face in the

background)• Protruding elements from subjects

heads• Competing lines (strong clashing lines)

Strategies• Check your background• Move your subject• Change your shooting angle• Use aperture or focal length to blue

backgrounds• Fill your frame• Post processing

Make your location work for you. Be aware of the background and the available light, but also the environment

Mojo from Flickrhttp://flickr.com/photos/mojo74/2428713524/

THE VACATION PORTRAIT• Family with nice background scene• Problem: too much background, but you can

barely tell who is in the photo• In portraits – the subject is the people• Too much background can cause conflict

DEPTH OF FIELD• Background can be too

distracting. Decrease the aperture setting on your camera to narrow the DOF.

• The same depth of field effect can be obtained by simply moving closer to the subject.

The closer the subject is to camera, the narrower the depth of field it

will appear in.

Rule of thirdsThis works under the concept that tension in the picture will bring more interest.

One way of enhancing the composition of your shots is to place your points of interest inn smart positions.

While the rule of thirds can be broken with great effect it’s a useful principle to keep in mind.

Digital Photography Schoolhttp://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

background

Rule of thirds

Break Rules

Get Closer• If you see something

interesting, don't be satisfied with just a wide shot.

• Think about the essence of what you are photographing and work closer and closer until you have isolated and captured it.

• Don't be shy. People are usually happy to show you what they do well.

Fill your frame

Get Closer

FRAMING• Photographs are two dimensional but it helps if they look and

feel three dimensional.

National GeographicPhotograph

FRAMINGIf you use objects other than your main subject in the foreground, be careful of placement. You don't want to obscure or detract from your subject.

Every time you hold your camera to your eye, look for leading lines, foreground elements, frames—anything you can use to lend dynamism to your image.

LINES

LINESIntersecting points - Lines

To really capture the mood avoid the stark and bright light of flash photography (or will want to at diffuse it) and so you’ll need to switch off your flash and do one (or all) of three things to some extent • Increase your ISO • Slow down shutter speed• Use a larger Aperture

Lighting to really capture the mood

Natural Light

SilhouettesDirect Light

Back Light

Foreground lighting

PERSPECTIVEOff center different perspective – Viewpoint and Framing

PERSPECTIVEOff center different perspective – Viewpoint and Framing

PERSPECTIVE

Make your images stand out by finding fresh perspectives to shoot from.

BALANCEAn internal, physical responseDoes the image feel balanced?

OR does it tilt or feel heavier in one part than another

REMEMBER• Always keep your end photo in mind when you

are searching out locations and taking pictures. • Evaluating your situations may not come as

second nature like it does for professional photographers, but, with practice, you can recognize a photo and to look for those photographic elements that can help or hurt your pictures.

Have fun with filters

WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENTPost a portrait photo on the group Flickr web site