Thematic portrait photography technology

Lead: Before doing many things, good planning is very important, and so is photography! Especially in creative portrait photography, it is necessary to make a good plan before shooting, including the theme, shooting style, model selection, venue and modeling. Every link is the key. What are the places or tips that need special attention in this process?

A well-conceived theme

Portrait photography needs a clear theme besides basic photography skills. For beginners, it is usually blind and wrong to confirm the shooting location before determining the shooting content. After the shooting was completed, I found that there was no clear theme at all.

Before shooting, we should make full preparations and plans, such as the determination of shooting theme, the choice of models, the choice of shooting location and so on. Photographers should not enter the shooting state without preparation, unless it is documentary photography, but that requires excellent response speed.

First of all, we need to determine a clear shooting theme, so that the whole shooting process can be carried out around this theme. You can decide the shooting theme from the following aspects.

1. Concept theme

This is a very broad meaning, and photographers can express a special meaning according to the performance of models, the classification of clothes, the different makeup styles and other factors. This theme is very visual, and we can clearly distinguish it from the picture. We can also give it some pleasant, impressive and associative names, such as dreams, angels and fantasies.

Step 2 tell the story theme

This theme is expressed with a story as the main line. It's a little more difficult to shoot a story. At the same time, the photographer has to be a director, which is also a popular way now. Many wedding photos will also explain their love in this way. This kind of theme shooting needs to add the performance of the model while selecting the scene.

3. Shooting skills are the theme

This is also a popular shooting theme now. Photographers can have strong subjective initiative, and it is common to use short focal length combined with wide-angle lens. Using the characteristics of wide-angle lens, we can create works with prominent main characters and strong sense of environmental perspective, which also has a strong sense of form.

▲ Aperture F6.3, shutter1160s, focal length 24mm, ISO 100.

This is a photo with the theme of sexy coquetry.

Determine the content and style of the theme

The theme has decided, and the next thing to do is to conceive the shooting content. For example, the most common photo studio series are mostly youthful and bright photo forms, and their styles are bright, lively and youthful, which is a way that most people accept and like. The shooting technique is simple and easy to operate. This kind of photos are mostly taken in bright colors, combined with the current popular elements.

There is also a portrait of fashion style, which can be trendy, fashionable and imitated. This theme is generally closely related to current fashion, and can be created by imitating movie posters, popular magazines or movie blockbusters.

Portrait photography with artistic style is gradually being liked by people. This theme mostly imitates the world famous paintings, or freehand brushwork, or oil painting, and so on. This theme must first determine what kind of portrait to imitate, and then imitate it according to the style of painting. If you want to express it with stories, you have to design the plot in advance and match the scenery according to the mood of the subject or the development of the story.

▲ F9 aperture, shutter1160s, focal length 70mm, ISO 100.

The photos are mainly tattoos on the back of models and trains.

Selection and communication of models

1. Select the model.

As far as the photographer's creation is concerned, in addition to determining a clear theme, it is also necessary to choose a suitable model. What is needed is a model that can effectively express and depict the theme.

For example, shooting portraits with fashion themes should not only start with clothes and accessories, but also start with the temperament and connotation of the model itself. White and lovely models can take high-profile photos of youth and beauty; Fashion theme models don't necessarily need to be too beautiful, but their temperament must be generous and Leng Yan; There are also portraits with artistic themes, and the most important thing is the word "like". The model needs to be similar to the characters in the selected portrait, at least similar in temperament and ideal in appearance.

▲ Aperture F 1 1, shutter1125s, focal length 70mm, ISO 100.

Models not only have a feminine beauty, but also an unyielding feeling. This feature is emphasized with a boat-shaped hat similar to a military hat.

Communicate with models

In order to get the desired effect, the photographer should communicate with the model after determining the shooting theme, and discuss his own theme conception, shooting method, shooting content and performance requirements with the model, so that the model can have a general understanding before shooting and give the model sufficient preparation time to obtain better shooting effect.

Select the background and build the scene.

The next thing to do is to choose the background. Since we have chosen the shooting theme and mode, where and under what background is the most important thing to shoot.

The choice of background should conform to the intention of the shooting theme, such as lovelorn, so you can't shoot in a high-profile background. Ordinary portraits will choose to use high-profile shooting, which will appear youthful and lively; Portraits with a sense of fashion often use dark tones to set off the main characters. If a single background cannot meet the needs of shooting, then a simple scene needs to be built to meet the needs of shooting.

▲ F9 aperture, shutter1125s, focal length 34mm, ISO 100.

This is a portrait with the theme of fashion. The photographer is very clever, shooting with a big watch as the background, simple and clear.

Determination of makeup and styling

Character modeling is a means for photographers to shape models. In order to express the theme more deeply, the modeling of the model is very important. Modeling can be shaped by makeup, clothing and hairstyle, paying special attention to the shaping of the face. Some photographers want to get the most natural effect without makeup, but in fact, the face after makeup will look more natural than the face without makeup. Hairstyle design is also a very important technical link, and the change of hairstyle can be used to highlight the personality of the model and further depict the theme. Especially for the theme of fashion, hairstyle design plays a decisive role.

▲ aperture F 10, shutter 1/60s, focal length 135mm, ISO 100.

This is a photo focusing on the makeup of the model. Face and lips are fashionable nude makeup effects at present, focusing on depicting eyes, slender eyes and blurred eyes, making the image more charming.