10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

7/29/2019 10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

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10 Ways to10 Ways to10 Ways to10 Ways to

PortraitsPortraitsPortraitsPortraits


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1 . A l t e r Y o u r P e r s p e c t i v e

2 . P l a y w i t h E y e C o n t a c t

3 . B r e a k t h e R u l e s o f C o m p o s i t i o n

4 . E x p e r i m e n t w i t h L i g h t i n g5 . M o v e Y o u r S u b j e c t O u t o f t h e i r C o m f o r t Z o n e

6 . S h o o t C a n d i d l y

7 . I n t r o d u c e a P r o p

8 . F o c u s U p o n O n e B o d y P a r t G e t C l o s e U p

TIPS

.

1 0 . T a k e a S e r i e s o f S h o t s

1 1 . F r a m e Y o u r S u b j e c t

1 2 . G o w i t h a W i d e A n g l e

1 3 . P l a y W i t h B a c k g r o u n d s

1 4 . C h a n g e t h e F o r m a t F r a m i n g

1 5 . H o l d Y o u r C a m e r a o n a n A n g l e1 6 . T a k e U n f o c u s e d S h o t s

1 7 . I n t r o d u c e M o v e m e n t

1 8 . E x p e r i m e n t w i t h S u b j e c t E x p r e s s i o n s

1 9 . F i l l t h e F r a m e

2 0 . F i n d a n I n t e r e s t i n g S u b j e c t


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1 . A l t e r Y o u r P e r s p e c t i v e

Most portraits are taken with

the camera at (or around) the

eye level of the subject. While

this is good common sense

completely changing the angle

that you shoot from can give

your portrait a real WOW

actor.

Get up high and shoot down on your

subject or get as close to the ground as

you can and shoot up. Either way

youll be seeing your subject from an

angle that is bound to create interest.


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2 . P l a y w i t h E y e C o n t a c tIt is amazing how much the direction of your subjects eyes can impact an image.

Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens something that can create areal sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But there

are a couple of other things to try:

A.A.A.A. Looking off cameraLooking off cameraLooking off cameraLooking off cameraB. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frame


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A. Looking off cameraA. Looking off cameraA. Looking off cameraA. Looking off camera have your subject focus their attention onsomething unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. Thiscan create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue andinterest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at.

This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showingsome kind of emotion (ie whats making them laugh? or what ismaking them look surprised?). Just be aware that when you have asubject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the

viewer of the shot to the edge of the image also taking them away

from the point of interest in your shot the subject.


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B. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frameB. Looking within the frame alternatively you could have yoursubject looking at something (or someone) within the frame.A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, a

man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta. When you giveyour subject something to look at that is inside the frame youcreate a second point of interest and a relationship between itand your primary subject. It also helps create story within

the image.


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There are a lot of rules out there when it comes to composition and Ive

always had a love hate relationship with them. My theory is that while theyare useful to know and employ that they are also useful to know so you canpurposely break them as this can lead to eye catching results.

The Rule of Thirds is one that can be effective to break placing yoursubject either dead centre can sometimes create a powerful image or even

creative placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot cansometimes create interesting images.

3 . B r e a k t h e R u l e s o f C o m p o s i t i o n


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4 . E x p e r i m e n t w i t h L i g h t i n g

Another element ofrandomness that you can

introduce to your

you light them. There arealmost unlimitedpossibilities when it

comes to using light inportraits.

Sidelighting can createmood, backlighting andsilhouetting your subjectto hide their features can

be powerful.


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I

n

t

r

a

Add a prop of somekind into your shots

and you createanother point ofinterest that canenhance your shot.

Yes you might runthe risk of taking toomuch focus awayfrom your mainsubject but you could

. od

uc

e

r

o

p

a so rea y a a sense of story andplace to the imagethat takes it in a newdirection and givesthe person yourephotographing anextra layer of depththat they wouldnthave had without theprop.


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8 . F o c u s U p o n O n e B o d y P a r t G e t

C l o s e U p

Get a lens with a long focal length attached to your camera or get right inclose so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographinga persons hands, eyes, mouth or even just their lower body can leave a

lot to the imagination of the viewer of an image.

Sometimes its what is left out of an image that says more than what is

included.


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9 . O b s c u r e P a r t o f y o u r S u b j e c t

A variation on the idea of zooming in on one part of the body is to obscureparts of your portrait subjects face or body. You can do this with clothing,

objects, their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image.

Doing this means that you leave a little to the imagination of the imagesviewer but also focus their attention on parts of your subject that you want

them to be focused upon.


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1 1 . F r a m e Y o u r S u b j e c t Framing is a technique where by you draw attention to one element

of an image by framing it with another element of the image.

Framing gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.

You could do it by placing your subject in a window or doorway, have them look through a small

gap or even use their hands around their face


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1 2 . G o w i t h a W i d e A n g l e Shooting with a wide angle lens attached to your camera can help create somememorable shots when youre doing portrait photography.

At very wide focal lengths you can create some wonderful distortion. It might not

be the type of shot you take of your wife or girlfriend (unless shes in a playfulmood) but using these focal lengths will enlarge parts of the face or body that areon the edge of the frame more than what is in the centre.

It can also give a wide open and dramatic impact when your subject is in anim ressive settin .


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1 3 . P l a y W i t h B a c k g r o u n d sThe person in your portrait is the mainpoint of interest however sometimeswhen you place them into differentcontexts with different backgrounds youcan dramatically alter the mood in a shot.

Sometimes you want your background tobe as minimalistic as possible.

While other times a dramatic or

colorful background can help your

subject really stand out.

th e key is to exper iment.


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1 4 . C h a n g e t h e F o r m a t F r a m i n g Many photographers getstuck in a rut of only evershooting either inlandscape (when the

camera is heldhorizontally) or portrait(when the camera is heldvertically) modes. Lookback through your imagesan see c one you

use predominantly.Just because a verticalframing is called portraitmode doesnt mean youalways need to use it when shooting portraits.Mix your framing up ineach shoot that you doand youll add variety tothe type of shots you take.


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1 5 . H o l d Y o u r C a m e r a o n a n A n g l e

Horizontal and Vertical framings are not the only options when it comesto shooting portraits. While getting your images straight can be importantin when shooting in these formats holding your camera on a morediagonal angle can also inject a little fun into your images.

This type of framing can add a sense of fun and energy into your shots.Just dont slightly do it or youll have people asking themselves if youmight have mistakenly held your camera crooked.

10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

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