Skills and precautions of portrait photography

Lead: Portrait photography is different from shooting scenery, which requires higher skills and precautions in the shooting process. It can also be said that portrait photography is a relatively technical subject compared with other photography. Let's take a look!

Keep the background simple.

One of the most important elements in portrait shooting is the background. A good background will not interfere with the subject's appreciation, while too chaotic background will seriously interfere with the subject's appreciation. There are many ways to deal with the background. It's best to look through the viewing window before shooting. If the background is not good, change the place or angle to avoid the bad background. If the conditions do not allow, then it is best to open the aperture of the large lens to reduce the depth of field and blur the background. Finally, if conditions permit, you can also use artificial background, or use later software to replace the original background.

Background processing is very important. Before pressing the shutter, it is necessary to get into the habit of checking the image in the observation window. Because the background is messy, the shallow depth of field shooting method can effectively remove the background interference.

Eliminating background interference with shallow depth of field

In the following photo, the distance between the subject and the camera is too small to show the depth of field, so that the background behind it is too obvious.

Large depth of field leads to background confusion.

Pay attention to the posture of the subject.

The posture of the subject will affect the visual effect of the work. Standing stiffly in front of the camera to take a portrait is an unpleasant purpose, so photographers should try their best to guide the models, relax naturally in front of the camera, and let them pose in unusual positions when necessary, so that they can often get some unexpected and wonderful effects.

Normal standing posture

Capture the atmosphere at the moment

Many vivid pictures are unexpected moments, and only by paying attention at any time can these pictures be solidified. These interesting and vivid pictures, such as children playing and talking, are often obtained inadvertently. This requires the photographer to carefully observe the life around him, pay attention to all possible objects around him, and to maintain instant happiness, just press the shutter at the back.

Lively posture

The use of light

In the process of portrait shooting, the use of light is also very important. Strange light can make the picture vivid, and it can also add eyes and emotions to the characters. When natural light permits, make the best use of it when shooting; If the natural light is not ideal, you can use auxiliary tools such as flash or reflector to make the picture more vivid. As for the portrait in the picture below, it is difficult to show the level of portrait because the shooting time is noon and the sunshine is already very strong. However, because the shooting location is in the shade, the superposition of shadows and light can make people's images more full.

Portrait of children

With vivid eyes

The eyes are the windows of the soul, and people's inner activities and personal attitudes can be reflected from the eyes. Try to make the subject's eyes look directly at the lens, so that the photos taken are very personalized, and the viewer can also feel the characteristics and personality of the subject from such photos.

Tibetan elderly

Tibetan elderly

Change the composition

Most portraits are shot with vertical (square) composition, so you can try shooting with horizontal composition, which can make your shooting style diversified. If you are not familiar with horizontal composition, watch more movies and see how others compose in a fixed picture. The following two pictures adopt vertical (square) and horizontal composition respectively. Judging from the works, I feel that the horizontal composition can better show the relationship between the subject and the surrounding environment, while the vertical composition is more like a sketch of the subject.

Vertical (square) composition

Transverse composition

Use props

In the process of portrait shooting, adding some props to the picture at will can make the picture lively. This kind of shooting technique is necessary to take pictures of children, which can make the characters and pictures more harmonious.

Use props