How to take a good picture of a person? Teach ten methods.

Many photographers can shoot magnificent rivers and mountains of the motherland, but it may be a little tricky to shoot the head of an ordinary character. Some expression changes in the character model will test the photographer's skills.

Photographer Sean Gannon gave us ten suggestions to help us take more perfect close-up photos of our heads.

A perfect close-up of the head

Communication with models before shooting.

Before the official shooting begins, we must first confirm the purpose of the photo and what style the customer wants to present. We can choose to communicate with customers by phone or face to face, but either way is more effective than just contacting by email. Because it can make customers relax as much as possible and understand their expectations, so as to prepare for shooting.

Occupation may affect the actual shooting.

The client's occupation may affect the actual shooting, for example, a company lawyer may prefer to use clean white as the shooting background; Yoga teachers may prefer to use bright backgrounds and even want to shoot outdoors.

Brighter background

2. Help the model choose the right clothes.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man, but gold doesn't change Buddha's clothes. Generally speaking, a simple neutral color suit can make the avatar get better results. We need to avoid using complicated styles or colors and other elements that will distract people from the model's face. If you want the film to look more formal, then we need to remind customers what to wear or bring a formal suit for their personal use. In addition, careless male friends may forget to bring their coats. In order to cope with this situation, we'd better have a spare one at hand. Finally, if we need customers to bring their own clothes, don't forget to remind them to iron them. Here are some examples of correct clothing collocation:

Help models choose the right clothes

Suitable clothes

The right is the best.

Remember to separate the subject from the background.

If you are shooting in a photography studio, make sure your model doesn't stand too close to the background when shooting, otherwise the model's shadow may be projected on the wall, which will make the photo look unprofessional. For outdoor shooting, I suggest separating the subject from the background as much as possible. At this time, you can choose large aperture shooting to blur the background. Usually, I suggest f/4 aperture for outdoor natural light shooting and f/8 aperture for shooting in studio environment.

4. You can exchange a few pleasantries before the official shooting.

When everything is ready, we can start shooting. Whether we take a close-up of a single head portrait or a close-up of a team, you need to communicate with each subject and try to help them relax when shooting. This process doesn't need much time. Some of them include shaking hands or "How are you?" Such greetings can also play a similar role. People usually feel nervous when taking pictures, and proper conversation can help them get into the state quickly and feel comfortable during shooting.

Step 5 try to make a face

In addition to some basic communication, there is another way to make your customers more relaxed in front of the camera. If you can't communicate with customers more because of limited time, you can ask customers to make some faces and then take a photo for them. This has two advantages. On the one hand, we can make adjustments such as photometry. On the other hand, grimacing can enliven the atmosphere, and few people will refuse to be funny in the process of taking pictures. Once your client has done this, the next official shoot will be much easier.

Try to make faces

Normal expression

6. Pay attention to the lighting and shooting position

When I take special portraits of business people and actors' heads, I tend to set a relatively uniform lighting environment. A classic portrait lighting is still very useful here. We need two light sources, including a main light source and an auxiliary light source in front of the model. Of course, we can also add a reflector below. When shooting, I will make sure that the model is facing the camera at a 45 angle and facing the main light source, but the model's face is still facing the camera. In addition, you may need to guide the model to look directly under the lens.

Look straight at the lower position of the lens.

Sit down and shoot.

7. Let the model sit down and shoot.

People may feel more comfortable when they sit down to take pictures, so that their hands can be naturally placed on their legs. In addition, sitting posture shooting also helps the model to adjust the angle and position according to the photographer's instructions for the actual shooting situation.

8. A small adjustment can have a great effect.

How can I make my avatar stand out from many works with the same theme? Sometimes even a small change can produce unexpected effects, such as tilting your head slightly or leaking an elegant and charming smile. As photographers, we shouldn't be afraid to make demands on our customers until we find the right shooting location and expression.

An elegant and charming smile

9. Keep communication with customers and keep a positive attitude.

The key to portrait photography is communication. Communication with customers not only exists in the preparation period and before shooting, but also exists in the shooting process. When shooting, you should constantly communicate with the models and tell them what to do to get better shooting results. Quiet will destroy the original shooting atmosphere. Even if we are not satisfied with individual shots or lighting, we can't show these negative emotions to your subject. No matter what happens, remember to keep in touch with customers and have a positive attitude.

10, using online shooting mode.

If conditions permit, online shooting mode is a very effective and wonderful way to work. In this way, customers can directly see the shooting results on the screen, and then communicate with the photographer to make further adjustments quickly. This mode of timely feedback through the display screen can help everyone to a great extent.