How to shoot a good-looking portrait?

Portrait photography is nothing complicated, is it? If your relatives and friends ask you to take pictures of them. Some people have digital cameras, which can finish shooting quickly, but friends and relatives or you are not satisfied with the shooting results, and I don't know why. Setting focus and exposure correctly when shooting, and then shooting a good portrait is not just shooting skills, so what is the reason?

What are the characteristics of high-quality portrait photography?

This requires considering the background of photography from the beginning. Background should not distract people from the theme. The appropriate solution is a simple background, without obvious lines and patterns, such as plain walls or dark green leaves. Branches or columns with prominent backgrounds in portraits will destroy photos.

D800, AF-S Nikkor 24- 120mm f/4G ED VR lens, 1/250 s, f/6.3, ISO 100, shutter priority, matrix photometry, supplementary flash.

In the image, a road sign can be seen from behind the head of the portrait.

D800, AF-S Nikkor 24- 120mm f/4G ED VR lens, 1/250 s, f/4, ISO 100, shutter priority, matrix photometry, supplementary flash.

For this photo, we moved it to one side slightly, so that the pillar wouldn't catch the main body of the picture, so the photo taken was much better.

Background selection attention

If you take pictures on a bright background, you can only see the outline of the portrait in the end. This is because the brightness of the background will lead to underexposure of the object, and the photo looks very dark. To avoid this, please use the built-in flash of Nikon digital SLR camera or turn on the corresponding function of COOLPIX or Nikon 1 digital camera. Although the brightness of the face can be reduced, the bright background will still have an adverse effect on the photo.

D800, AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens, 1/250 s, f/2.8, ISO 100, aperture priority, matrix metering, built-in flash.

The layout of the portrait cannot be called interesting. The object leans against the brick wall and is located in the center of the frame. There are many blank spaces around the object that cannot be preserved.

D800, AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II,1125s, f/5, ISO 100, aperture priority, matrix photometry, built-in flash.

In this photo, the subject touches the wall and moves his head towards the camera. You can also crop the image vertically to make it look more interesting. Brick walls have become a dynamic element in composition.

Every Nikon and COOLPIX SLR digital camera has exposure compensation function. An overexposed image will stop once or twice at the aperture or shutter speed to compensate for the brightness of the background. If you are still not satisfied with the results, please use a different background. It's better to be darker than the main body.

Remember, the center of the photo should be the theme. Don't capture everything around him in the frame. Take a few steps forward, or zoom in with a telephoto lens or zoom lens. Highlight objects with the selected normal background. Since a person's head is upright, it is best to hold the camera accordingly. A portrait in a horizontal direction may not produce a suitable impression.

Portrait style

The next important detail is the theme clothes. Casual clothes are best for taking portraits because they don't distract the subject. Bright patterns make photo viewers pay too much attention to clothes rather than the portrait itself.

D300, AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF lens, 1/30 s, f/3.5, ISO 200, aperture priority, matrix photometry, built-in flash.

In this image, the subject is not only wearing a patterned shirt, but also sitting between the shelf (left) filled with many items and the vertical shutter (right).

D300, AF-S Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4D IF lens, 1/30 s, f/3.8, ISO 200, aperture priority, matrix photometry, SB-900 flash lamp reflects from the ceiling and is equipped with a mirror to guide light to the object.

In this photo, we asked the object to move aside so that the vertical blinds appeared in the background. Subjects can wear ordinary T-shirts. We eliminated unnecessary items by cropping the image. Due to the light reflected from the ceiling, the lighting becomes softer.

Good shooting angle

Finally, portrait photography needs some more interesting shooting angles. Ask the subject to adjust the angle slightly (for example, at a 45-degree angle with the portrait), but look at the camera. This is a more favorable posture and makes the subject look slimmer.

D800, AF-S Nikkor 24- 120mm f/4G ED VR lens, 1/60 s, f/4, ISO 400, aperture priority, matrix photometry, SB-900 flash, flash lighting.

This painting has several shortcomings. First of all, the shadow of the object can be clearly seen in the background because of the direct flash. Secondly, you can see the photo frame on the side, the ceiling above and the sofa below. Thirdly, I chose an unsuccessful shooting position.

D800, AF-S Nichol24-120mm f/4g EDVR lens, 1/60 s, f/4, ISO 400, aperture priority, matrix photometry, SB-900 flash, flash.

By zooming in on the subject and separating it from the background, we get a successful image. The background is no longer distracting. Thanks to the reflection of the flash on the ceiling, the light becomes softer and there is no shadow to attract people's attention.

Finally, we ask the object not to be perpendicular to the lens, but to stand at a certain angle, adjust its head and cross its arms.