How to take a good-looking portrait

Portrait photography takes the events and activities of the subject as the main object, and its main task is to express the specific plot, rather than expressing the appearance and behavior of the subject with vivid images. So what are the skills of character photography? Below, I have compiled 8 skills of figure photography for your reference!

1, get the shallow depth of field near the subject.

The easiest way to get a shallow depth of field and blur the background is to put the camera close to the model when the distance between the model and the background is constant, so that the effect of shallow depth of field can be easily obtained, the characters are more prominent and the background is naturally blurred. When shooting, it should be noted that the foreground cannot be a messy scene, because when the camera is close to the model, the foreground will be clearer in the picture.

2. Avoid shooting horizontally with your eyes.

Many times we are used to starting from? Is that correct? Angle, after all, this is the simplest. Challenge yourself to find a different angle? Above or below the eyes, bringing a new perspective to the picture. This technique can also be used to highlight different shapes and heights. In the picture below, I let the bride sit on the floor, focusing on her face and hair accessories, blurring the rest of her body. This is much better than the ordinary upright portrait.

3. Use off-board flash.

In wedding shooting, our flash never appears on the camera. Direct flash can't highlight the face of the person, and it will also make the photo lose its three-dimensional sense. Lighting the characters from the side can create a shadow transition, highlight the characteristics of the characters, and make the photos have a contrast between highlights and shadows. Another advantage is that it can weaken the background details and take excellent portrait photos.

4. Use a lens with a longer focal length

Many photographers claim that 50mm is? Is it necessary? A person is like a lens, but the picture taken by this standard lens is always very similar to what the human eye sees. In order to get more interesting photos, we should avoid using standard lenses because photos are too ordinary.

Many of my portrait photos were taken in 200mm or 85mm, which picture is it? Compression? A 50mm lens is impossible. This compression will not only reduce the deformation of the subject, but also create a very moving background blur effect with a telephoto lens. Pull closer? Analyze the distance between the model and the background. It may be difficult to communicate with the model when shooting with a 200mm lens, but the result is worthwhile.

5. Keep the background away from the subject to get a shallow depth of field.

The easiest way to get a shallow depth of field and blur the background is to put the camera close to the model when the distance between the model and the background is constant, so that the effect of shallow depth of field can be easily obtained, the characters are more prominent and the background is naturally blurred. When shooting, it should be noted that the foreground cannot be a messy scene, because when the camera is close to the model, the foreground will be clearer in the picture. Changing the distance between the model and the background is also one of the methods to obtain shallow depth of field. Arranging the model at a certain distance from the background (not necessarily close to the model) can also achieve a perfect shallow depth of field effect. Simply put, the farther away the model is from the background, the easier it is to form a shallow depth of field, thus obtaining a greater blur effect.

6. Three-point composition method that makes people become the visual center.

Three-dimensional composition can be divided into horizontal three-dimensional composition and vertical three-dimensional composition. When shooting a portrait, the picture is divided into three equal parts horizontally and vertically. The torso of the person can be placed on each dividing line, and the face or eyes of the person can be placed on one of its four intersections, so that the person can be more clearly highlighted.

7. Curve composition method to express female body softness

Curve composition is divided into S-shaped composition and C-shaped composition. When shooting female portraits, S-shaped or C-shaped compositions are often used to show the femininity and sexiness of the body. Among them, S-shaped composition is the most commonly used, and C-shaped composition also has a good performance effect in expressing women's feminine figure, but it is weaker than S-shaped composition. Usually, when a woman with good figure stands naturally, she can shoot a beautiful S-shaped curve from the side, but if she shoots from the front, she needs the model to tilt slightly. In addition to these two angles, you can also form a sexier S-shaped curve by lying down.

8. Diagonal composition method to stretch the aesthetic feeling of characters.

Diagonal composition is often used in portrait photography. When the posture or body movements of the characters appear diagonally in the picture and occupy enough space, the diagonal composition method is formed.

The stretching effect produced by diagonal composition has a very good effect on expressing the slender figure of women or beautifying the defects of the subject's figure. When using this composition method to shoot portraits, the model should have at least one instep stretched straight, so that the body lines extend from the legs to the instep, thus lengthening the body lines.