Photography tips to improve the quality of portrait shots

1. When to use exposure compensation

When your subject has a lighter skin tone, the problem of underexposure in portraits often occurs. You'll find that underexposure is more severe when you're shooting close-ups of faces or when your subject is in a white scene. The bride at a wedding is a perfect example.

In this case, you need to "illuminate" your subject (provide a light source for it, which can be natural light or artificial lighting), and if you are shooting in aperture priority mode , then you can try to adjust +1 stop of exposure compensation to make the face in the photo look brighter and more vivid.

2. The use of reflectors

One of the quick, easy, and economical ways to "illuminate" the subject is to effectively use reflectors. Reflectors can be used indoors (near a window) or outdoors to reflect light to avoid unnecessary shadows on your subject. Many reflectors now have double-sided colors or allow for disassembly, and can provide different reflective surfaces such as white, silver, gold, etc. The reflection of the white surface can also play a role in softening strong direct light.

If you are really tight on funds, you can also use a large piece of clean white cardboard as a reflector. Cover the cardboard with tin foil to get a silver reflective effect. This is also an interesting and effective way. method.

3. Develop tacit understanding in a short period of time

A perfect photo requires the tacit cooperation of many people to complete, and the shooting process is a process of continuous communication and running-in between the photographer and the subject. , as you can imagine, if the photographer and the model fail to establish good communication, the entire shoot will be very unsmooth. Regarding communication, here are some suggestions:

Take the initiative to explain your shooting ideas to the subject - this is the basis for getting a good portrait.

No matter what problems you encounter when shooting, you must maintain an optimistic mood.

If you smile, your subject will quickly get into the mood.

Review the photos with the subject and provide guidance through the photos.

Don’t be afraid to talk too much. You can discuss posture, eyes, angles, etc. with the model.

4. Create creative works

Don’t be lazy. As the saying goes, no progress means regression. Many photographers often stop moving forward. They think their work is the best, or they feel that they are in the middle and upper class of their circle, so they never take the time to try new creations. You know, a real photographer is a magician who can creatively extend the mood of a photo, rather than someone who tries to fill the frame with objects.

5. Large apertures are not always fully open

When you use a large aperture (especially when the aperture value is f/2.8 or larger), the depth of field will become significantly shallower. So the choice of focus is very important at this time. Because you may end up with out-of-focus features, a clear nose and hazy eyes by accident. Therefore, if it is a close-up, the eyes are generally in focus, and if it is a large scene, the head is in focus.

In order to help with accurate focusing, we often manually select an autofocus (AF) point, usually the central focus point, press the shutter button halfway to focus on the eyes or head, and then recompose the picture until we are satisfied. until the shutter is released. Of course, you can also set the focus point at any location and then move the subject's eyes or head to the focus point to compose the shot. Either way, it will help you avoid boring photos where your subject is in the middle of the photo.

6. The use of flash during the day

Some people may think it is strange to use flash in broad daylight, but what I want to tell you is that daytime is a good time to use flash. Sunlight can cause many problems during photography, such as extreme contrast, dazzling light spots, thick shadows, gray images, etc. At this time, using flash to fill in the light can instantly improve the quality of the photo.

7. Basic but classic lighting settings

You can also take more professional portraits by using an external flash or other accessories. It is recommended that you bring a small portable background light and two soft light umbrellas when shooting, which will be of great help to your shooting.

8. Rent a photo studio

Booking a photo studio allows you to take good portraits in a controllable environment. You can ask whether you can use the lights and wires of the studio, what the background is in the studio, whether there will be staff on site to assist, etc. You can even ask about the height of the ceiling one by one, because these may affect to the entire filming process.