[Home] [Sitemap] [RSS Feed] [Bookmark This Site] [Legal Notice]

Improve Your Portrait Photography in No Time

Written by Sam Zaydel

This article is intended for the casual shooter, who is just starting out, or has been shooting for a while, but has room for improvement. Capturing portraits, especially good portraits, is no easy task, but any stretch of the imagination. However, making very small changes to your shooting habits will create immediate improvements to portraits you capture. There are some very basic things that most people simply ignore when they shoot, and these very basic things make all the difference. First, let me say this: the difference between a photograph of a person and a portrait is the background. Main subject of every portrait is the face, and should be the element given most attention. I will explain what I mean in more detail, so read on.

Use Portrait Mode on your Camera

OK, I know I am not exactly discovering a new planet here, but if you are using a point-and-shoot camera, or are just starting out with a digital SLR camera, instead of using the Full Auto setting, switch over to Portrait mode. Why? Because the camera will adjust settings, mainly set the lens to widest aperture size, which is best when shooting portraits, because the background blur is increased. We always want our subject to stand out from the background, not blend in with it. Do not hesitate to switch your flash on, even in daytime in Portrait mode. Why? It will fill in shadows, and increase while softening details in your subject's face. Modern cameras are very smart, even the smallest point-and-shoots. Your camera will add just enough flash for correct exposure.

Get Closer!

While this may sound silly, this is one of the most important aspects of capturing a good portrait. There are several reasons for getting closer to your subject, no matter who you are shooting. Remember, because the face is of primary significance in your photograph, it will occupy most of the image frame. Getting close will let you fill the frame, even if you are shooting with a small point-and-shoot camera that does not offer a telephoto capable zoom. More importantly, when you come in close, instead of using a zoom, you decrease the Depth-of-Field, which in simple terms is the length between your focus point and some point in the distance that is in focus. What this means is that when you come in close, you capture the face in sharp focus, but the closer you get the shallower the Depth-of-Field (DOF) becomes. This in effect blurs out the background, and because our eyes always look for features that are in focus, the facial features immediately stand out, because the background is no longer distracting.

Choose a Better Background

This is a no-brainer, but how often do we see otherwise good portraits shot against distracting and at times garish backgrounds. Do not make that mistake. While you can blur out the background quite a bit by getting close to your subject, a background that is uncluttered, and does not appear distracting will offer a better portrait. Look for solid color backgrounds. Consider a background that is complementary to your subject's skin tone, or if you are shooting a full body shot, and a torso shoot, look for colors that complement your subject's clothing. Look for texture. Textures improve the image overall, and add a feel of dimensionality. Try to keep your subject far enough from the background to throw it sufficiently out of focus. Use the instant preview on your camera to see whether the background is too distracting. If it is in sharp focus, move your subject further away from it, if possible, or get closer yourself. Look for backgrounds that are not too dark, or bright. Too dark is always better than too bright, so if your choices are slim, opt for darker backgrounds.

In Conclusion

With these very simple tips you will no doubt improve your portraits quite a bit. It will take you no time to get used to. Remember, there are always more things that you can do to improve, so do not stop here. These are very simple solutions to help you address some common problems. In time, this will become second nature, and you will be looking for more advanced techniques.

Related Articles

• Infrared Photography


• Photography - Taking Photographs for Pleasure and Profit


• Basic Digital Photography Tips


• Travel Photography Starts At Home


• Photography Tip- Space Heads


• Use Stock Nature Photography in Your Advertising


• Using Design To Improve Your Digital Photography


• How To Improve Your Digital Photography Technique


• Travel Photography - Ten Steps to Heaven


• Digital Photography Mistakes - 5 Ways You Can Avoid Them


• How To Select The Right Photography School


• Digital Photography Tutorial - How to Take Stunning Landscapes Photos

© 2007 Leisure808.com All Rights Reserved