SLR portrait photography skills

SLR portrait photography skills

Introduction: In recent years, portrait photography has become a popular theme in photography, and more and more young people are becoming keen on portrait photography. Therefore, photographers need to fully understand and master the techniques of SLR portrait photography when shooting. So how can we use SLR photography to have artistic beauty without losing cultural and artistic accomplishments? Let’s learn about the shooting techniques of SLR portrait photography together! SLR portrait photography skills

Choice of location for portrait photography:

Most of them choose hotels, but different indoor spaces will actually bring different visual effects. If you don’t want the film to look vulgar, try to choose a more elegant and clean room. If you want a strong feeling, you need a more fancy interior design.

Lens selection:

Large aperture lenses are more suitable for private photography, because the hazy feeling given by the blur effect can make the whole body softer, and when shooting close-up shots, other body parts The blur also allows the vision to focus on the focus. Another reason is that if you want to shoot in low light, a large aperture is more advantageous. Because the space is basically small when shooting indoors, it is recommended to use a 35mm or 50mm fixed focus lens. A longer focal length may only The remaining half of the body is ready to be photographed.

Aperture:

Use a wide aperture such as f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.8. The 50mm f/1.8 is only a few hundred bucks and is a great lens. On an APS-C format camera, the equivalent focal length of a 50mm lens is 80mm, which is very suitable for shooting portraits.

Shadows and uniform light:

Place the model in the shadow area, and the light shining on the model's face should be even. It is best to have the model stand in the shadows and face the light source.

Flash photography:

Flash photography can create a more fashionable feel, but pay attention to the angle of the light. If possible, try to use more than one light source so that you can take more three-dimensional and layered private photos.

Shooting lighting:

Soft-tone portrait lighting is a uniform lighting method in which the tone of the picture is a neutral color. The characteristic of soft-tone portraits is that the picture feels hazy and soft. , and most of them use medium light and dark tones to depict the image of the subject. At the same time, the colors of the components of the picture are also required to be mainly middle colors. The visual experience it gives people is relatively light and bright, with a light and pleasant feeling. Here is a brief introduction to several commonly used lighting methods: full surround, surround plus top light, semi-surround plus top light, semi-surround plus reflected light (light reflection), side backlight plus reflector, etc.

When shooting soft portraits with light, we can also use some lighting techniques, such as the use of backlighting and side backlighting. Backlighting and side backlighting can highlight the outline of a character, increase three-dimensional changes, and give the character a sense of transparency. And in terms of exposure, you can also use the technique of overexposing part of the picture to strengthen the soft tone effect and at the same time achieve the effect of strengthening parts of the background and the outline of the characters.

Focus on the eyes:

If you use a wide aperture lens, make sure the focus is on the eyes. Other areas of the face will be slightly out of focus with a shallow depth of field. To enhance this effect you need to shoot close to the model, preferably in a close-up.

Choose your aperture carefully:

If you want to take a full-body portrait, you need to choose your aperture carefully to ensure that all parts of the model's body are within the depth of field. If you also use a large aperture such as f/2.8, the depth of field will be too shallow. Shrink the aperture to f/5.6 and ensure that the shutter speed is no less than 1/125s. If necessary, increase the sensitivity or fill in the light. This combination is just a suggestion, you can try different combinations to find the best setting.

Manual mode:

Many articles recommend using aperture priority mode. This is no problem during your first month with a camera. But if you want to take better photos, you must learn to use manual mode.

Eye light:

Make sure there is some reflection in the model’s eyes.

You can do this even in shadow, just keep the model oriented to the light source.

Props:

Don’t leave your model empty-handed, give them something to hold. A commonly used prop is a bouquet, and even men can take photos with it.

Pay attention to the background:

Make the background light or in shadow. In short, keep it simple. The model is the main subject of the picture. When shooting outdoors, it's best to choose an open background rather than a patch of bushes or a wall.

Composition:

When shooting, composition is very important. Let me share some commonly used compositions for portraits in private rooms. If they are reasonable, they will be beautiful.

Of course, the model's posture is also very important in the entire shooting process. The basic principle is to avoid asking the model to pose in a pose that ordinary people would not pose at home or at any time.

Fill light:

Indoor shooting often requires fill light, but avoid using too strong fill light. This will cause the private photos to lose a sense of softness and a sense of hierarchy. Generally speaking, the flash is mainly filled in manually, but speaking from experience, using a reflector to fill in the light has a better and more natural effect. ;