Introduction to portrait photography

The so-called portrait photography refers to the works that depict and express the appearance and expression of the subject with vivid and prominent images in the form of photography. It is an image photo of the subject himself. Such as children and artists. The following are some introductions of portrait photography that I have arranged for you. Welcome to consult them.

Portrait photography

Basic introduction

A long time ago, people described their image in various ways and needs. The earliest portraits appeared in paintings, especially in the early19th century. At that time, oil painting portraits were very fashionable, and their creation became more and more mature, resulting in many excellent portraits. Shortly after the invention of photography, portraits began to enter the field of photography. Of course, due to the limitation of technical conditions at that time, portrait shooting was only in the initial stage. With the continuous progress of photography technology and the development of people's artistic concepts, portrait photography has undergone great changes today. Nowadays, with the birth of electronic flash device, high-speed autofocus lens and new photosensitive materials, a photographer can complete some realistic and natural portrait masterpieces of various subjects in one day, which greatly enriches the photographer's creative possibilities.

trait

An excellent portrait photography is the sum of many successful factors: expression, posture, composition, lighting, exposure and production, which are all components of a whole.

Portrait photography is different from ordinary portrait photography: portrait photography takes the description and expression of the specific appearance and expression of the subject as its primary creative task. Although some portrait photography works also contain certain plots, they still mainly show the appearance of the subject, and a considerable number of portrait photography works only explain the image of the subject without specific plots. Figure photography focuses on the events and activities that the subject participates in, and its main task is to show the specific plot, rather than showing the appearance and behavior of the subject with vivid images. The important difference between them is whether they describe the appearance of the characters in detail. Whether it's a single person or a group of people, whether it's a snapshot in a scene or a pose in a photo studio, whether it's a plot or not, as long as it's a photo that mainly shows the specific appearance and mental state of the subject, it belongs to the category of portrait photography. Those photographic works that mainly show the activities and plots of the characters and reflect a certain theme of life, but the appearance of the subject is not very prominent, whether it is close-up or whole body, can only belong to the category of character photography. Of course, in a broad sense, portrait photography is about people and also belongs to character photography.

Portrait photography takes the description and description of the appearance and manner of the subject as its performance task, and the characters should have distinctive looks. Can be divided into three categories: photography indoor portrait, indoor specific environment portrait, outdoor portrait. What are the requirements for portrait photography? Both form and spirit? .

component content

1, close-up

Portrait close-up refers to a picture that only includes the head of the subject (or most of the head has eyes), and its main purpose is to show the facial features of the subject. At this time, because the facial image of the subject occupies the whole picture, the visual impression to the audience is particularly strong, and the requirements for the selection of shooting angle, the use of light, the mastery of expression and the expression of texture are more stringent. In particular, photographers should carefully study all artistic means related to photographic modeling.

Whether it is a 35 mm camera or a 120 camera, it is difficult and incorrect to take close-ups with standard lenses. Because the close-up of the head must be very close to the subject, the distance from the nose to the camera is shorter than the distance from the forehead, chin and ears to the camera when shooting a portrait at close range, and the nose appears very large in the photo, which is easy to distort the facial image of the subject. At the same time, if the subject bows his head slightly, his forehead will look big and his chin will look short; Looking up slightly, the chin will look long and the forehead will look small. So it's best to shoot with a medium-long focal length lens. In that case, the distance between the camera and the subject can be a little farther to avoid perspective deformation.

2. Close shot

Close-range portraits include the images of the head and chest of the recipients, which mainly show the facial features of the characters. The background environment only accounts for a very small part of the picture and only plays a role in setting off the characters. Close-up portraits can also make the image of the subject give a strong impression on the audience. At the same time, close-range portraits can also contain a little background in the picture than close-ups, which can often play a role in explaining the environment and beautifying the picture. Of course, it is best to take a close-up shot with a medium-long focal length lens.

When shooting close-range portraits, you should also carefully choose the shooting angle. The direction of light projection, the softness and hardness of light properties, and pay attention to the attitude of the subject to master the appropriate shooting moment.

Step 3: Chest

Busts usually go from the subject's head to the waist, or below the waist and above the knee. In addition to facial features, they usually include hand movements. Bust has more space than close-up or close-up portrait, so it can show more background environment and make the composition more changeable. At the same time, because the picture contains the hand of the subject, it can help to express the inner state of the subject with the help of hand movements. Experienced portrait photographers pay great attention to the posture and movements of the subject's hands.

Because the bust can be shot at or below the waist of the person, the posture change of the subject is much richer, which brings great convenience to the composition of the picture and enables us to shoot the subject more vividly.

4, the whole body

The full-length image includes the whole figure and appearance of the subject, and at the same time accommodates a considerable environment, so that the image of the character and the characteristics of the background environment are combined with each other to get proper performance.

When shooting a full-length portrait, we should pay special attention to the combination of characters and backgrounds, as well as the handling of the subject's posture.

Basic methods and skills of portrait photography composition

In order to take a good portrait, the correct composition plays a decisive role. Here, Fashion Xinfeng Photography School will introduce several portrait shooting formulas and composition rules commonly used in photo studios and studios to help you shoot excellent portrait works!

1, close-up formula composition (formula 1)

When shooting composition, portraits are the main ones. Usually in composition, the top of the composition frame is about 20cm away from the top of the portrait head (calculated by the actual height of the portrait), and the bottom of the composition frame is about 10cm away from the portrait chest position. The photos taken by this composition method are generally beautiful and popular close-up photos of portraits, which are common and popular in the market. Generally, photos of stars are common.

2. Composition of bust formula (Formula 2)

The picture is still dominated by portraits, and the composition is straight. The top of the composition frame is about 20cm above the head of the portrait (calculated by the actual height of the portrait), and the bottom of the composition frame is about 10cm from the waist of the portrait. The photos taken by this composition method are generally beautiful and formulaic portraits, which are also very common and popular in the market.

3. Composition of seven-element formula (Formula 3)

The picture is still dominated by portraits, and the composition is straight. The top of the composition frame is about 20cm away from the head of the portrait (calculated by the actual height of the portrait), and the bottom of the composition frame is about 10cm above and below the knee of the portrait. The photos taken by this composition method are also beautiful and formulaic portraits of seven heads, which is the most common and popular photo type on the market. Clients who take portraits basically like this composition.

4, the whole body formula ingredients (formula 4)

The picture is still dominated by portraits, but the composition is straight. The top of the composition frame is about 20cm away from the head of the portrait, and the bottom of the composition frame is about 20cm at the foot of the portrait (calculated by the actual height of the portrait). The photos taken by this composition method are generally full-length photos of beautiful women with a little background, which is a common full-length composition of wedding photography in the market and is especially popular with customers.