Portrait photography with photographic skills

In life and photography, light is the most important factor in the formation of all images and colors, and it is also an indispensable factor in creating the three-dimensional sense of everything in the universe. With light, human eyes can see the shape and color of everything.

In the field of portrait photography, the light will have a latent image in CCD\CMOS, and it will also have a soft and hard visual sense on the characters under different light conditions, so the light plays a role in shaping the characters' image, personality and appearance characteristics.

In the portrait photography in the shed, in order to achieve a more perfect lighting effect, the indoor studio must have more than two lights for lighting. This lighting technology is called "double lighting method". According to the function of each lamp, it can be divided into: ① main light; (2) auxiliary lights; 3 effect light. The light source of effect light can be subdivided into: ① background light; 2 lighting; (3) spotlight special effects lights, etc. As for the number of illumination light sources for illumination, there is no limit, and the number of lamps can be increased or decreased according to actual needs.

Use of direct light: In sunny outdoor weather, sunlight is mostly direct light. Bare light in indoor shed (when there is no shelter or reflector light source) belongs to direct light type. This is a masculine and tough light quality. When used in portrait photography, it is difficult to produce soft texture and strong contrast between light and shade, so it is not suitable for direct lighting in portrait photography. The creators who like hard texture or landscape photography are not subject to this restriction.

Application of scattered light: the light scattered by the outdoor sun through clouds or other shelters is called scattered light. The light refracted by reflective umbrella, shadowless hood or reflector in indoor shed belongs to scattered light. This is a soft light quality and an ideal light source for portrait photography, which can make the skin texture of portrait photography soft and beautiful.

Outdoor portrait lighting and indoor portrait lighting are both light and shadow control technologies that photographers often use. Photographers can also create various lighting methods with changes or atmosphere according to their own preferences. Only in the overall performance of images and light and shadow, we need to have a sense of beauty with the human body, otherwise we will lose the appreciation significance of portrait photography.

If you are shooting at night, you should know that the night lights in the busy sections of the city are messy, and it is very quiet and comfortable to choose quiet hotel gardens, coconut trees, swimming pools and hotel main buildings. Models try their best to express themselves and convey their feelings, and the clothes also choose simple red styles with strong color sense.

There are faint street lamps behind the swimming pool and coconut grove. The swimming pool is slightly elegant and quiet, and the water surface is reflected. Adding faint flashing lights in the coconut grove increases the layering of leaves and the isolation effect between people and the background. As a background, try not to supplement the main light as the owner, and don't let the brightness overwhelm the background light source. All methods of adjusting exposure are carried out around this principle, and the best choice is made.

Lighting is an art of subtraction. A wonderful lighting is not how many lamps are used, but the final effect can be created on a limited basis. Whether in a bustling city or in front of a bar, or in an extended night, the most important thing to shoot is to express the inner happiness of the characters. If deliberately arranged, it will disturb the true expression of emotions. Aside from everything, only movies with feelings and happiness will be unforgettable!

Street shooting skills

1. The fewer devices, the better.

It's not a good idea to take too many lenses and lights if you want to sweep the street and take good photos. These burdens will distract your observation, and when the good time for taking pictures appears, you can't attack quickly. Small numbers, side shafts, cameras with rotating screens, and even mobile phones are also sharp tools for sweeping the street and taking pictures.

2. Choose the scene of revival and activation

Don't just go to places like tourist attractions to find subjects. Although it's crowded there, it's easy for people to get up the courage to point their cameras at strangers and try to find more life and real scenes hidden under the surface. For example, start with your life and familiar environment.

3. Learn to predict the decisive moment

Learn to predict the picture that will appear, prepare the camera in advance, press your shutter and take a decisive moment.

4. Try color photography more.

Street shooting is mostly documentary. At this time, black and white photos will make the facts appear more powerful and formal, especially when news photography is shooting emergencies. However, some street shooting themes are very suitable for color photography, such as expressing a pleasant mood or objectively describing the street scene environment, and the restored colors will be more vivid, real and pleasing to the eye.

5. Discover the visual symbols on the street

Visual symbols such as billboards, signboards and graffiti on the street, if used as the background, may make your photos more street-like and different, and can also be used as the theme when there is no eye-catching shooting theme.

6. Street shooting can be very experimental.

Try diagonal composition to break the limitation of horizontal and vertical composition. Either diagonal graphics appear in the picture or tilt your camera. Street shooting is very casual, blind shooting. Shake it, zoom in and out, and let your photos experiment.

7. Change your perspective

Shooting the scenery across the street, the unique perspective will surprise people.

8. Performance

Parades and performances, as well as other entertainment activities on the street, and major events are also common scenes in street shooting.

9. Where people gather

Taking big scenes is to go to places where people gather, such as playgrounds, markets, performance venues, parks, sports activities and exhibitions, and you can take good photos.

10. New shooting angle

Try to find a higher or lower angle to shoot, even if the head-up angle is unique, shooting down or up is easier to guide the line of sight.

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After a period of practice, not only your shooting skills will improve, but also your insight into the surrounding things will continue to improve.

12. Luck is often brave.

Don't be afraid of the photographer's little resistance, be brave enough to get close to your subject and the truth, so as to shoot shocking and impactful works.

Pet photography

To take beautiful photos of pets, the key is to grasp their personality. When you find these cute little animals doing something unusual or very interesting, you can take a snapshot at any time. For example, the innocence of a kitten or a puppy dozing off on their favorite mat is more touching than the posture they are forced to pose. Don't forget to use close-ups when taking close-ups, because if your lens itself is too close to pets, they will definitely not pose for you like models or big stars.

Photographing pets with dark hair

It is difficult to take pictures of dark-haired pets, so be sure to make the background appear brighter when taking pictures of them. In addition, when shooting pets, you should pay attention to the position of shadows, just like shooting other objects. When using the flash, be careful not to let the pets have "red eyes". You can shoot in a bright place without using a flash. If you must use a flash, don't let your pet's eyes look directly at the lens to avoid the phenomenon of "red eye".

When taking a group photo of several puppies or kittens, it is best to put them in a basket and let them snuggle up to each other, so that the shooting distance can be easily adjusted. If you want your pet's eyes to be aimed at the camera, you can gently call their names or use a sounding toy to attract their attention. In order to take ideal photos, you should not only prepare enough film, but also be patient, because all the professional animal photos you appreciate are taken by photographers after spending a lot of energy and time.

When taking pictures of children playing with pets, we should pay attention to the fact that people and animals are at the same level. If your pet is very big, you can let it lie next to the child to get the ideal composition. Take a picture of your cat baby.

There are more and more pets at home, such as cats, dogs, goldfish, birds and white rabbits. As a member of the family, they are inseparable, which adds a lot of interest to life. It is also a pleasure to take good photos of them.

Shoot family pets

To shoot family pets, we must first understand their life mind, grasp their special demeanor characteristics, match them with appropriate props, arrange a relatively elegant and clean environment, wait patiently, guide their demeanor and let nature take its course, so as to shoot vivid and interesting pictures.

Shooting tools are also important. Close-up shooting, you can use a standard lens. However, some animals can only shoot from a long distance, and need to be equipped with a medium focal length, a long focal length lens, or even an ultra-long focal length lens, or use a zoom lens to push and pull according to the movement of the action, which is more convenient. When using zoom lens, because of its heavy weight, it is usually fixed on a tripod to prevent jitter when shooting. The shutter speed is also higher.

Shooting small animals at home should be combined with the environment to show that they are docile, kind and unrestrained, like a member of the family. Watch carefully, wait for the right moment, and then shoot.

For example, when shooting puppies and kittens, we should capture their lively, lovely, docile and funny expressions. Also pay attention to their coat color, choose the appropriate background to set off, and don't be covered by the messy background. For example, if you shoot all black or dark animals, you should choose a bright background, and if you shoot all white and light animals, you should choose a dark background, so as to highlight the coat color of the main animal. In addition, you can also match appropriate props, such as playing with balls and climbing ladders, to show their naughty demeanor. You can also combine some performance projects with children or adults who play together to show a harmonious environment with family members.

Shoot fish

It is best to use a rectangular glass fish tank to shoot fish at home. When shooting, you can put another piece of glass in the fish tank and drive the fish to the front to shoot, so that you can shoot the goldfish swimming. If the surface of the glass negative tube reflects light or the shadow of the camera, it can be avoided by slightly choosing the gears on both sides of the fish tank. If you use the pitching technique, you can use a large shallow dish or a white washbasin to put the fish in shallow water and shoot it from above, and you can also get good results.

When shooting fish, you can use lighting sources at the top or both sides. Goldfish and tropical fish will be more beautiful and moving under the irradiation of light.

Because the fish tank and water surface are easy to reflect light, the picture taken is not clear, so when shooting, put the polarizing lens in front of the camera lens, rotate the lens and adjust the shooting angle (the best angle is 45 degrees) to make the picture clearest. However, the polarizer has a certain dimming effect, so in order to ensure clear shooting, the camera should be placed on a tripod when shooting.

Shooting birds

It is more difficult to shoot birds than animals, because birds are afraid of people and people jump when they get close, so it is difficult to shoot at close range. A zoom lens can be used if conditions permit. People are far away, or hide to show only the camera lens. Put the camera on a tripod and wait patiently, or remove some feed that birds like to eat within a certain range. When birds come to eat, seize the right time to shoot, shoot birds landing, flying and singing on the branches.

on location

The photos taken by location photography are the freshest and most natural photos in all photographic works, which are widely loved by people. In addition, every photographer who loves photography has a practice environment where he can shoot everywhere. Therefore, both amateur photographers and professional photographers take the shooting skills of location photography as a compulsory course.

Among all kinds of shooting techniques, why is the shooting technique of location photography the easiest to learn, but also the most difficult to be profound? This is because everyone who is a beginner in photography learns basic photography and basic exposure in the outdoor natural environment according to the state of natural landscape. Outdoor photography works can be taken naturally according to the natural conditions of the environment, and there is no need to bother to design the lighting environment or the conditions required for taking pictures such as backgrounds and scenes, so it is naturally effortless to learn.

However, it is not easy for outdoor photography to produce outstanding works that are different or stand out from others. Because the photos taken under normal outdoor conditions are almost the same color, it is difficult for human resources to change the natural environment and take better photos. Although outdoor light sources can be seen everywhere, it is easy to take pictures; However, it is much more difficult to get a completely satisfactory lighting mode than an indoor studio can adjust the lighting mode at will. The sun, a natural light source, cannot be used by us. We can only try our best to use what we have learned, apply and master lighting technology to produce better photo effects. Therefore, if you don't control the outdoor natural light source at will, it is naturally not easy to shoot a masterpiece beyond ordinary people. This is why outdoor photography is easy to learn and difficult to master.

In addition, the same is true in the use of scenes and other photographic techniques. If you simply take pictures as they are, of course, it is easy to get them. However, if you want to excel and shoot excellent photographs, it is quite difficult. Because natural scenes and lighting conditions can't be changed and replaced by human beings at will. Therefore, it is more difficult for a photographer to take pictures outdoors, how to control the light source and how to modify the scenery to meet his ideal realm than to take pictures in an indoor studio.

Although the shooting technique of location photography is easy to learn and difficult to master, it is not difficult to learn the shooting technique of wedding dress and artistic photography as long as you can master the learning essentials step by step and learn the past photography foundation, and then further deepen the composition and lighting foundation, and then take photos as an opportunity to master various courses.

After we understand that location photography has two characteristics, which are the easiest to shoot well and the most difficult to shoot well, we can make full use of them and enrich ourselves. Specific learning suggestions are as follows:

1. Use the characteristics of location photography to practice more. We already know that outdoor photography can be taken everywhere and can also take good photos. Therefore, under the natural guarantee of safety, as long as you know the basic exposure photography theory, you can almost become a good location "photographer". And if you only ask for photos with general natural or formula composition, everyone can take them with confidence.

2. Challenge the same photo types that are difficult to take, such as the most difficult photos with high artistic taste and scenery in location photography. Although this kind of photos need great skills in lens selection, lighting technology, composition conception, color planning and so on. Through repeated practice, they can shoot works with high artistic value which are different from life photos or landscape photos.

Once a photographer can break through the bottleneck of this photography technology, his completed photography works will reach a higher level in artistic value, which will bring photographers joy and pride that money can't buy. Therefore, after accumulating considerable shooting experience, photographers have to challenge more difficult types to reach a higher level of photography.