How do portrait photographers set up scenes to make photos look more professional?

It is mentioned that the scene selection of portrait photography should not only be pleasing to the eye, but also be integrated with the overall composition of the image, so as to make the photo look perfect without highlighting the subject. Here are 7 simple and practical tips to make your photos more beautiful.

1. Use the lens distance attribute to create a shallow depth of field for photos.

When we want a simple background image, to create a shallow depth of field, we can try to use a large aperture lens, 50 mm or 70- 180 mm lens. Using a long lens will make the blurred area look beautiful, which will help to blur the background and highlight the subject.

2. Highlight the subject with lights and use solid color shadows as the background.

When shooting outdoors, turn the model's face to the light to add a translucent effect to the model's face. However, if we find that the background looks messy when taking pictures, we will rotate the model by 180 degrees and look for shadows in the scene, whether it is the shadows of buildings, trees or things around us, in order to find a point to darken the background image. We will get the light that shines on the model accurately and clearly divide the boundary between the theme and the background. In this way, we can take beautiful photos.

3. Make the background color of the whole line the same.

Color changes can create a sense of harmony, comfort or freshness in the overall picture, and can also convey the artistic conception of the picture. Using a single background color can reduce confusion, but it will increase the clarity of the presentation. However, to choose the right color, we can use the color wheel to find the color relationship, which allows the colors of the subject and background, and can promote and increase the emotional clarity of the picture.

4. Change the perspective with the sky as the background.

If you are faced with a chaotic background and it is inevitable, you might as well try another interesting method besides looking for the angle of line of sight. We can also adjust the elevation. Reusing the sky as the background is another way to see the beautiful colors of the sky, which shows the beauty of the subject and the sky well.

5. Use guide lines to attract attention to the topic.

If you want to take background photos, such as traveling portraits, and see people and places clearly, we can make models stand out. Instead of blurring or avoiding the background, it first draws attention to the theme with guiding lines, so that the background can further enhance the effect of telling stories.

6. Using smoke in the scene helps to hide the background part that doesn't match the story in the picture.

In the case of shooting fantasy portraits or war movie scenes, smoke must be used as a road. Here, the purpose of using smoke can be to hide objects or things that you don't want to appear in the photo.

7. Use the background to create a framework for the theme

Apart from the background, it is just a blank, or a story full of themes. The background can also fill the frame or serve as the frame of the picture. You can also make your theme stand out. Creating a photo frame will tell your eyes to pay attention and look at the key points.