Specific composition techniques for portrait photography.

1. Close-up

A close-up of a portrait means that only the subject’s head (or most of the head including the eyes) is included in the picture to express the The facial features of the person are the main purpose. At this time, because the subject's facial image occupies the entire picture, the visual impression on the audience is particularly strong. The requirements for the selection of shooting angles, the use of light, the mastery of expressions, and the expression of texture are more stringent. Photographers should be especially careful. Study all artistic methods related to photographic modeling. Whether it is a 35mm camera or a 120mm camera, it is difficult and incorrect to take close-ups with a standard lens. Because when taking close-ups, the head must be very close to the subject. When taking portraits at a relatively close distance, the distance from the nose to the camera is closer than the distance from the forehead, chin, and ears to the camera. The nose appears large in the photo, and it is easy to distort the subject. The facial image of the photographer. At the same time, if the subject lowers his head slightly, his forehead will appear larger and his chin will appear shorter; if he raises his head slightly, his chin will appear longer and his forehead will appear smaller. Therefore, it is best to shoot with a medium to long focal length lens. That way, the distance between the camera and the subject can be slightly further to avoid perspective distortion.

2. Close-up shot

Close-up portrait includes the image of the head and chest of the person being rescued. It mainly shows the facial appearance of the person, and the background environment only accounts for a very small part of the picture. , only as a foil for the character. Close-up portraits can also make the subject's image give a stronger impression to the audience. At the same time, close-up portraits can also include a little background in the picture, which can often play a role in explaining the environment and beautifying the picture. Of course, it’s best to use a medium-to-long focal length lens to take close-up shots. When shooting close-up portraits, you must also carefully choose the shooting angle, "the direction of the light projection, the softness and hardness of the light, and pay attention to the subject's demeanor to grasp the appropriate shooting moment.

3. Half-length

Half-length portraits are often taken from the subject's head to the waist, or from the waist down to the knees. In addition to the facial features as the main expression, the half-length portraits often include hand movements than close-up or close-up portraits. There is more space in the picture, so more background environments can be expressed, and the composition can be more varied. At the same time, since the subject's hands are included in the picture, the hand movements can be used to help show it. The inner state of the subject. Experienced portrait photographers pay great attention to the posture and movements of the subject's hands. Because half-length portraits can capture the subject's waist or below, the changes in the subject's posture are much richer. , which brings great convenience to the composition of the picture, making it possible for us to shoot the subject more vividly.

4. Full body

The whole body portrait includes the whole body of the subject. The body shape and appearance of the person should be accommodated in a suitable environment, so that the image of the character and the characteristics of the background environment can be properly expressed. When shooting a full-body portrait, special attention should be paid to the combination of the character and the background, as well as the subject. Determining the format of the portrait: Another problem encountered when shooting portraits is what format to use. The most common formats for portrait photography are vertical rectangular and horizontal rectangular. Square, round, horizontally elongated, straight elongated, etc. Which format is better should be considered: 1. The frame format should be determined according to the subject's situation, posture and background environment. When taking a full-length portrait of a person, the vertical format is usually used in most cases; when taking a close-up shot of two people, a banner format is often used; and when taking a group portrait of many people, a banner composition is almost always used. This refers to the subject being photographed. In the case of people. At the same time, when determining the frame format, the posture of the subject should also be taken into consideration. If the subject is lying on the lawn or on the beach, the vertical frame may not be used. In addition, the background should also be considered, and the appropriate format should be selected based on the characteristics of the background. For example, for a bust portrait, a banner format is often used with the vast sea as the background, and with towering green pines as the background. It is obvious to choose vertical format. 2. Different formats can be appropriately selected according to the photographer's intention. For example, when shooting close-up and close-up portraits, banners can often be used according to the photographer's aesthetic point of view and subjective wishes. Or vertical composition. As mentioned before, the format of portrait photography is not only horizontal and vertical, but also can be square, circular, diamond, fan-shaped, etc. It is a rectangle, and the ratio of its long side to its short side can also have certain changes. These different formats, as long as they are used appropriately, will also bring various changes to the portrait. Edit this paragraph to choose the best shooting direction: Everyone. I have this life experience: if the same person observes from different angles, the visual impressions obtained are not exactly the same. Some angles appear more beautiful and charming. The same is true when taking portraits. We must strive to find the most beautiful and moving angle of the subject. A small change in the shooting angle can have a significant impact on the image of the person being assisted. The choice of shooting direction is a change in the left and right position of the camera with the subject as the center. The shooting directions are generally divided into frontal portraits, seven-side portraits, three-side portraits, and side portraits. Frontal portraits are suitable for those with regular facial features, well-proportioned and beautiful faces. If your face is too fat, too wide, or too thin.

Generally speaking, people whose sides are uneven, or whose eyes are different in size, or whose nose or mouth are shaped incorrectly, should not be photographed from the front. Seven-part portrait: A seven-part portrait means that the subject's face is slightly turned to one side, but most of the front of the subject's face can still be seen from the direction of the camera. If divided according to the proportion of the front and side of the subject's face, the front of the face should account for most of the face, while the side only accounts for a small part. This kind of seven-part portrait not only still shows the front appearance of the subject, but also appears flexible and changeable, and is easy to achieve better results. There is another characteristic of choosing seven-pointed face photography: it is not like the contour lines on both sides of the subject's face in the frontal portrait, which are equally prominent. Instead, the contour lines of the narrower side are the most distinct, and the contour lines of the wider side are the clearest. The outlines of the lines take a back seat and don't appear so prominent. During the shooting, if the contour lines on both sides of the face of some subjects are not very symmetrical, we can turn their face to the side with the better-looking contours, so that the slightly defective side is in a less prominent part, and try to express as much as possible. Good appearance of the subject. However, for people with too high cheekbones, it is not suitable to use the three-quarter plane shooting, because it will make the too high cheekbones more exposed. Three-point portrait: A three-point portrait means that the subject is turned a little more sideways than the seven-point shooting angle. Although the front of the subject's face can still be seen from the direction of the camera, the proportion of the front is not as large as that of the side. Compared with seven-faceted portraits, in three-faceted portraits, the contours of the narrower side of the face are more distinct and important; moreover, the height of the bridge of the nose is more obvious, and the contours of the wider side of the face are visually more prominent. It seems less prominent. Therefore, if the contour lines on both sides of the face of some subjects are not very symmetrical, we can turn them to the side with better-looking contours when shooting, so that the slightly defective side is in a less prominent part. For people whose cheekbones are too high, it is not suitable to use the three-quarter plane to shoot, because it, like the seven-quarter plane, will make the too-high cheekbones more exposed. When taking a three-dimensional portrait, the tip of the subject's nose should not touch or exceed the outline of the face. If the tip of the nose touches or exceeds the outline of the face, it is basically considered a profile portrait. Side portrait: A side portrait refers to a portrait taken with the subject facing the camera at an angle of approximately 90 degrees to the optical axis of the camera lens. When photographed from this direction, its shape is characterized by focusing on the side image of the subject, especially the side profile of the subject. The contour features of the subject's face when viewed from the side, including the side contours of the forehead, nose, mouth, and chin. Of course, if you take a half-length or full-length portrait, include the side profile of the body. However, when shooting from the side, the subject's body does not necessarily have to form a 90-degree angle with the optical axis of the camera lens. Instead, the face can be facing the side, but the body can be facing diagonally sideways or frontally. This is still a profile portrait. Since the subject's facial profile is very distinct in side portraits, only people with very good-looking facial profile are suitable for this kind of shooting. If the subject's forehead is too big or too low, or the bridge of the nose is too high or too concave, the mouth shape is incorrect, or the chin is too pointed or too short, it is not suitable to shoot from the side. Be sure to pay special attention to this point when choosing a shooting angle. Edit this paragraph to choose the shooting height: If the camera shoots upward from a lower position, the subject's image will appear more majestic; if the subject's head is shot upward, the chin and cheeks will appear larger and wider. , the character appears fatter, and the forehead becomes narrower and smaller. If the camera shoots downward from a position higher than the subject's eyes, the subject's stature will appear shorter; if the head portrait is shot downward, the forehead will be exaggerated and the chin will appear narrower and shorter. Under normal circumstances, when taking portraits, the position of the camera should not be too high or too low, because when the camera lens is taken from a higher or lower angle, the perspective distortion caused by the optical lens is more severe than when we look up or down. Looking down from above creates a much stronger effect, which is where seeing with the human eye and shooting with a lens are at odds. Therefore, when taking portraits, you should pay special attention to the choice of high and low angles. In general, when taking half-length portraits, the camera should be at the same height as the subject's chest; when taking full-length portraits, the camera should be at the same height as the subject's waist. In this way, the image of the person being assisted appears relatively normal. Special attention should be paid to the fact that when shooting close-up portraits or head portraits, the camera is generally suitable for the height of the subject's eyes, so that the effect is more natural and there is no obvious perspective distortion. Of course, you can also use a slightly higher or lower shooting angle to achieve different modeling effects, but you must have the proper sense of proportion to avoid distorting the image of the character. In individual cases, you can also use the choice of shooting height to slightly modify the subject's image. For example, a person with slender legs can use a slightly upward shooting angle to make him look a little fatter; a person with fat cheeks can use a slightly lower shooting angle to make him look a little thinner. However, this correction is limited.