Overview of Portrait Photography
Contrary to popular belief, portrait photography does not necessarily need talent, but skills. Picking up a camera for the first time, aiming and shooting it at your subject may take some getting used to, you need to warm up to the idea and task before the results become noticeably better.
Sometimes, your motivation to acquire the said skill isn’t enough in the world of portrait photography. Interest also plays an important role. If you have the interest in your subject, the task you’re doing might not seem like a burden at all. Also bear in mind that connection is the key. You have to connect to your subject as your subject connects to your camera emotionally. Your viewer’s eyes go directly to the most important detail of your portrait–your subject’s face. The eyes play an important part because they show the true emotions of the whole photograph.
Having a quality camera gives you an idea on here to start, especially if you know how to tinker with the shutter speed, to expose the image properly, and aperture, to choose the iso and sharpness of the background.
There are two elements you must never forget when it comes to proper portrait photography: controlled background and controlled lighting. The main focus is the subject, and it should stay that way. Avoid distracting elements that might take the attention away from the subject. The lens you’re using might also do the trick by sharpening the subject and blurring everything in the backdrop.
The lighting, whether natural or artificial, must strike the subject in the most complimenting way with regards to sharpness and subtlety. Shooting in a studio gives you the perfect control over the light and shadows. You can use flash kits and diffusers to scatter the light evenly on your subject and adjust the harshness of the shadow. When shooting outdoors, it is best to have the subject face the light source. Time of the day can help too; the golden hour, an hour before sunset, possibly gives the best quality light a photographer can use.
Portrait photography can be dealt with as an equation of proper technical skills, subject expression, choice of camera and complimentary light and colors. If majority of the above pointers are followed, the end results are guaranteed to keep people in awe, in a portrait-perfect kind of way.
