Portraits How to take a flattering and interesting portrait
#1) STRONG FOCAL POINT Make it clear and place it slightly off center #2) RULE OF THIRDS Do NOT place subject in the center #3) HORIZON LINE High is intimate, low is airy #4) LEADING LINES leads the eye across the photo #5) ANGLES Use interesting or unexpected angles #6) FILL THE LENS Move in close and fill your picture
#7) NATURAL FRAME Foreground object frames the subject #8) ODD NUMBERS are interesting #9) BACKGROUNDS Not cluttered, Out of focus, Add to the story #10) TRIANGLES Can negate the odd number rule and the Rule of Thirds because they keep the eye moving #11) Depth of Field Create a Zone of Sharpness
3 types of portraits There are three types of portraits: Head shot, or Bust shot (which is head and shoulders.) This type can be a close-up shot. Full-body or Half-body, which shows more than the Bust shot or Head shot. Environmental Portrait shows subject in their own environment can be Full-body or Halfbody, but not Head or Bust, and the environment must add to the story told by the photo.
Lighting Get the lighting right. In a photo studio you can precisely control the lighting, otherwise you must go out and find the right light. What you're looking for is consistent and diffused lighting. Avoid direct, harsh sunlight from any direction. Fill the shadows. Do NOT rely on your flash. Move the light source to just slightly away from the camera to add depth.
Subject A comfortable subject will feel happier, more relaxed and less "posed". This will make for much better shots. Make your subject comfortable with you having a camera. Factor your subject's feelings in with your lens, posing, and lighting choices. Give your subject something to put in their hands and play with. Move around your subject and shoot from an angle that is interesting.
Frame your shot Think about which one of the three primary ways you have to frame your portrait before you take the photo. Which you will choose for each subject is a matter of your artistic judgment. Don't forget that you can change it in PhotoShop while editing and cropping, if you want.
Be aware of your subject s body parts When a model turns into the camera, with the shoulders at slightly different heights, this makes them look both skinnier and more interesting. When the subject is wearing really bright and colorful clothing, it is going to distract the viewer. Make your subject brings their head forward slightly and then tilt their jaw down and out for double chin removal. Remove background clutter to keep the focus on the person. Watch the nose/cheek line - when the nose points out past the cheek it looks large and it ruins the flow of the face. Subjects with glasses: move YOURSELF so their frames and reflections off the lenses don t block their eyes.
Focus and take your pictures. The best place to focus your shot is on the person's eyes. You may have to manually focus the camera on them, as most autofocus systems will typically focus on the nose instead. Afterwards, use advanced photo editing software like Photoshop to correct the color balance, remove any haziness, sharpen features (like hair and clothing), smooth out lines and imperfections in faces, and brighten the eyes using the "Levels" tool.
Your assignment Take 10 photographs of EACH of the 3 types of portraits. You must place each edited photo in a slide presentation wherein the PhotoShop edited photo is next to the unedited original. All three categories must be clearly labeled in your presentation. Blurry does not count - throw it out. Write at least one paragraph for each of the 3 types in which you explain how you investigated it and your discoveries about it. Paragraphs should have an opening sentence, 3 sentences describing your three points, and a closing sentence stating your final conclusion. Use "because" to make your sentences more interesting and complex. 180 points