Practical skills of portrait photography

In outdoor portrait photography, light and framing are two major photography topics, and we must spend time trying to figure out and study them, to understand the change of light, to fill the light photography skills, to learn to observe the shooting scene, to conceive the picture and to choose the shooting background. These seemingly simple statements are difficult to practice! The following are the practical skills of portrait photography I brought to you. Welcome to reading.

Fuzzy background

Key points:

1. Select the bright part as the background, which is greatly blurred.

Choose the brighter part that the light can shine on as the background to avoid leaving a heavy impression on the picture. It should be noted that evergreen trees have strong colors, and even if they are blurred, they will not look too beautiful. The photographer's background is not necessarily a plant, but also a brightly colored wall.

2. Use backlight to make hair produce high-light effect.

When the photographer stands, he must carefully think about the position and choose the right position to make his hair stand out and look shiny. Once the hair looks shiny, the photographer's expression will give the viewer a special impression. If the hair looks dark, the whole picture will look dark, so the photographer needs to add highlights consciously.

3. Illuminate the dark face with a reflector.

Effective use of reflector can brighten the dull face caused by backlight and make the skin rich in texture. When shooting portraits, in principle, backlight or side light should be used, which is not suitable for front light and will make the face appear obvious shadow. Therefore, when shooting portraits outdoors, the reflector is an essential shooting tool.

4. You can cut off your arm when you make a composition.

Sometimes the posture of the subject will make his shoulder or wrist part exceed the composition range, which is not a problem at all. On the contrary, it can change the picture and give people a bold feeling, so don't hesitate to continue shooting. If you barely put all the subjects in the photo, the photo will look mediocre. Try to make a bold composition.

Everyone wants to try to take a portrait photo with blurred background. Here, first of all, I will introduce the reasons for the blurred background. The lens elements that cause blur are the size of the aperture and the length of the focal length. These two elements interact to produce a fuzzy effect. When the focal length of the lens is fixed, the larger the aperture, the more obvious the background blur effect. When the aperture value is fixed, the longer the focal length, the more obvious the background blur. To sum up, a telephoto lens with bright maximum aperture and long focal length can bring the most obvious blur.

This is a photography method that can highlight the subject and make the picture concise and clear. Can be used for portrait photography and other scenes. However, the blurred background means that the focus range (depth of field) is narrow, which may lead to focus failure for subtle reasons. Therefore, when using this technique to shoot portraits, we need to pay special attention to the out-of-focus phenomenon. Be sure to take multiple photos repeatedly when shooting with your hands instead of a tripod. To be prepared for inaccurate focusing, try to release the shutter in continuous shooting mode.

A wide-angle portrait that skillfully blends the background with the subject.

Key points:

1. shows a sense of spaciousness.

The perspective of the photo is very wide, even the zenith is included in the picture. When shooting with a wide-angle lens, the picture will also contain unexpected parts, so the composition must be carefully arranged. Photographers should be aware of the viewfinder rate of the camera for composition and consider how to use the space flexibly.

2. Flexible use of deformation around the picture

The picture taken by wide-angle lens is particularly rich in perspective, so it will be very interesting to use this feature consciously to shoot. In the above picture, the deformation of the photographer's foot is exaggerated, resulting in a unique visual effect.

3. Boldly enjoy a sense of perspective

If you shoot from the bottom up, then like this photo, the walls and iron gates in the background will have a strong sense of perspective. Flexible use of this perspective in the picture can make the whole composition look very novel. When using a wide-angle lens, boldly changing the shooting angle can bring unique visual effects.

4. Do not use the focus lock function to focus.

When shooting from bottom to top with a wide-angle lens, avoid using the mode of central focus+focus lock. Because it is too close to the focus subject, it is easy to lose focus, which is called cosine error. Focus should be selected in advance to avoid camera movement caused by focus locking, so as to focus accurately.

The key of wide-angle lens portrait photography is to consider the contrast between the subject and the background, so as to make the photo thematic. For example, when a photo contains seemingly contradictory elements such as novelty and antiquity, lightness and simplicity, the photo has a new meaning and a higher degree of perfection.

Wide-angle lens can also bring a sense of perspective and deformation with great visual impact, which is a unique and attractive effect that telephoto lens and standard lens do not have. If you can use this visual effect and the above contrast, you can make the photo more perfect. It doesn't sound easy to do, but the key point of shooting portraits with wide-angle lenses is that when using standard lenses and telephoto lenses, you can boldly try the unique effects brought by perspective and lens deformation without sticking to the routine.

Therefore, taking portraits with wide-angle lenses requires boldness and decisiveness. In addition, compared with telephoto portraits, the background of wide-angle portraits occupies a large proportion in the whole photo. If you accidentally find an interesting space in your daily life, you can think about how to configure the subject in this scene by yourself, so that the shooting level will be improved quickly.

Shoot a full-body street shot

Key points:

1. Blur the background as much as possible

When a telephoto lens takes a full-length portrait of the subject, it will greatly blur the background. If you only take close-ups of faces and portraits above the chest, you can also take photos with blurred background when the aperture is fully open with a short focal length lens. However, when shooting full-length portraits, it is necessary to use a lens with a focal length greater than 300mm to blur the background.

2. Consider the balance with the background color

The head of the subject is located in the bright part of the background as far as possible, so that the hair of the subject will not be mixed with the background. It should be noted that if there are striking patterns or repeated patterns in the background, the subject will lose attention and the background will dominate. Photographers also need to confirm whether there are dark parts or annoying billboards around the photographer's face, and then decide where the photographer is.

3. The photographer should have a good eye.

Even if the subject looks small in the whole composition, make sure that the face is illuminated by light. In particular, make sure that the eyes have obvious reflection (vision). If the eyes don't reflect light, they will appear dull and dull, and it is difficult to understand the facial expression of the subject. Taking a full-length portrait is as important as taking a close-up of a person.

4. Don't completely blur the background and show a certain sense of perspective.

It is difficult to show a sense of perspective after the background is completely blurred. In the above picture, the flowers on the sidewalk and the trees above the photographer are in the same focal plane with the photographer, thus emphasizing the contrast between the photographer and the background. A key point of full-length portrait shooting is to skillfully show the perspective relationship between the subject and the background by controlling the blurred part and the uncluttered part.

Full-length portrait is one of the techniques often used when shooting photo albums. Because they keep a certain distance from the subject and don't care much about the existence of the camera, it is easy to shoot natural expressions, which is a big advantage of full-length portraits. Many people think that the more close-ups you take when shooting portraits, the more you can show the personality of the subject, but this is not the case. For some subjects, it is better to show their charm without close-ups (such as taking pictures of the whole body).

If you shoot a full-length portrait with a telephoto lens, the shooting distance will make it almost impossible for the photographer and the subject to communicate through language. In this way, we can only communicate through gestures and body language, but the expression of the subject will be more vivid. In addition, if you shoot with a large aperture telephoto lens from the beginning, it will give the photographer unnecessary pressure. Shooting from a distance with a telephoto lens will make the subject more natural and expressive. At the beginning of shooting, using this technique skillfully can make the whole shooting process go smoothly.

Portrait of dark women

Key points:

1. Eyes and lips must be prominent.

When the whole portrait photo is dark, it is best to add light to the part that attracts visual attention. By adding highlights, the exposure can be darker, making the photos look more impactful. The key to taking dark portraits is not simply reducing exposure.

2. Consider the balance of background light

If the background (back) of the subject is illuminated by strong light, the whole picture will look clearer and become a vivid photo. If the background is normal, the photo will only look darker, but if there is strong light in the background, the dullness of the subject's face will naturally appear and the dark tone of the photo will be emphasized.

3. The best expression of the theme is the wild beauty of Leng Yan.

The overall feeling of dark portrait photos should be cool. Therefore, subjects should not have a smile on their faces. It is best to give the characteristics of the photo through a somewhat surprising cold expression. The posture of the subject must be in tune with the expression, not too energetic. In short, we should grasp the overall feeling when taking pictures.

Step 4 focus on your eyes accurately

A basic principle of portrait photography is to focus on the eyes. Especially when taking dark photos, the eyes determine the impression of the whole photo and need to focus accurately. Always pay attention to the focus position, don't relax after shooting, and carefully confirm the photo effect.

Dark-tone photos are not just underexposed dark photos. It is an advanced photography skill, which can reflect the photographer's inner world, consciously reduce exposure, strip information such as color and shape from photos, and emphasize the photographer's own existence. This is a common technique when shooting male portraits. Of course, it is no problem to use it when shooting female portraits. It is an effective means to reflect the beauty of female wildness, which can make the subject become cold and look completely different.

How to add the highlights mentioned in Tip 3 is the key to using this technique. If there is light shining in the eyes and lips, then the whole picture will be full of vitality and bright spots. In addition, when shooting, you should choose a simple background as much as possible, pay attention to composition, and let people naturally focus on the subject. Such dark-tone photos need precise planning when shooting, and every detail should be paid attention to carefully. Try to strip off redundant information through dark composition and walk into the photographer's inner world.

Feminine Beauty in the Black and White World

Key points:

1. The blurred background makes the graininess more obvious.

Using noise generated at high ISO sensitivity will make the photo rough. In order to make this graininess more obvious, we can blur the background by choosing the appropriate aperture and lens. If you can use the noise in the middle part of the picture, the effect of graininess will be more obvious, so the background should not be too dark.

2. If necessary, there is no harm in highlighting overflow.

Overflow of highlights is generally a phenomenon that needs to be avoided when shooting. But when taking monochrome photos, the overflow of highlights can make the photos more impressive. Of course, it is not good for the main body to overflow with highlights as a whole, but it is completely irrelevant for a small part to appear this phenomenon. In the above picture, the photographer deliberately let the highlights overflow on the subject's face and become the highlight of the photo.

3. Choose a shooting location that conforms to the monochrome photo atmosphere.

It is not always good to take monochrome photos anywhere. Photographers should choose places that can render the atmosphere of monochrome photos. Compared with outdoor shooting during the day, shooting in a slightly dark room will make the graininess more obvious and better reflect the unique atmosphere of monochrome photos.

4. Consider the color matching of the photographer's clothes

Monochrome style will greatly change the atmosphere and impression of photos. Monochrome photos are more than just taking all the objects in black and white. Some colors will stand out when taking monochrome photos. Shooting should be done before the official shooting, and clothes of different colors can be changed if necessary. If the photographer can realize the different effects when different colors become monochrome, then the technology of taking monochrome photos will be obviously improved.

When using monochrome photo style to shoot portraits, those black and white silver salt films and developed photos should be models for photographers to learn. How to reproduce that unique style on digital cameras is the key to success. Therefore, we should choose high ISO sensitivity (this legend was shot by ISO 3200), and the brightness noise in the image looks like silver salt particles on the film, which has a natural sense of roughness. Black-and-white photos will look unnatural if they have no graininess at all. Photographers should skillfully use high ISO sensitivity to shoot film sense.

In addition, black-and-white photos show all colors that transition from white to black. Visual changes are limited to gray tones, so the effect of light is very important. When determining the subject position, we should not only consider the highlights and shadows, but also pay attention to the tonal changes of the details. The legend uses direct light from the left. Use a silver reflector to reflect the light to the right side as close as possible to the subject, and illuminate his right cheek to balance the light. Boldly try to use different sensitivities, adjust the light, and challenge the black and white photos in the digital age.

Use wireless flash

Key points:

The main flash should shine from the side.

When using multiple flashlights for lighting, it is necessary to distinguish the purpose of each flashlight. In the above picture, the main light source (main flash) that directly illuminates the subject is illuminated from the right side, and the auxiliary flash emits light from the back of the subject. The flash illuminates the subject and gives the photo a three-dimensional effect.

The function of the secondary flash should be clarified.

The second flash is set behind the photographer (see the photo in Tip 3), which creates a sense of depth, separates people from the background and makes the photographer's legs a bright spot. In fact, the amount of light emitted by the sub-flash is higher than that of the main flash, and part of the photo is deliberately overexposed, which is the key to shooting the legend.

Make full use of the props at hand

The cloth on the desk where the photographer sits is a curtain. The table itself is made by splicing two tables. Pulling the curtains makes people unable to see the traces of splicing, which looks luxurious and unrealistic.

Determine the shape of the main body according to the situation.

When the scenery is unreal, the photographer can boldly pose a more unique shape. Clothing that can emphasize the figure curve will also have a good effect. The successful shooting of this kind of photos requires not the photographer's natural actions, but the clothing and modeling that pay attention to the performance of the photos.

Portrait photography using multiple flashlights can make the subject feel more stereoscopic through multiple light sources. The flash signal transmitter "ST-E2" can simply control the flash of each original flash wirelessly. Starting from the wireless flash of a single flash, after observing the shadow change caused by the different positions of the main flash, a second flash is added. As long as the functions of different flashlights are clear, it is not difficult to shoot with multiple flashlights.

When the photographer can control the light according to his own intention, he can understand the true essence of using flash to shoot portraits. In addition, the wireless flash system composed of the original flash can not only exert its power when shooting indoors, but also allow users to take impressive portrait photos in more shooting occasions. Because it doesn't need an external socket power supply like the big flash that professional photographers often use, it can simply take flash photography outdoors.