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PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY (PEOPLE) By Yvonne Van Dalen:

Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography the likeness of a person or a small group of people (a group portrait), in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject. Like other types of portraiture, the focus of the photograph is the person's face, although the entire body and the background may be included. A portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the camera. Storytelling photography conveys emotion, mood and ideas in which expressions are captured and the person will not need to be looking directly into camera.
Have a look online and in magazines for ideas on the type of photograph you would like to shoot. Decide whether you want to take a studio type photo or a more informal shot outside using natural light.

Some tips when shooting people:

CAMERA EQUIPMENT AND SETTINGS:

Between 85-100mm is the best shooting lens as you are not on top of your subject but can still come in close enough to fill the frame (this focal length is best to avoid facial distortion)

Select Aperture Priority mode and F/11 for your aperture to give sharpness and depth on the face

Set your camera to single focus and focus on the eyes – the eyes must be sharp for the rest of the portrait to work

Zoom in close to fill your frame with the subjects face

Try shooting in portrait orientation (vertical) if face on with subject. If shooting the profile shoot horizontal to give a feeling of more space

BACKGROUND

Check your background – less is more –

if shooting indoors use a seamless background by pinning up a piece of paper behind your subject (or any other material which will give you a clear uncluttered background).

If shooting outside do a sweep around your subject, especially the head, before taking the shot to check for anything which may be protruding. Try and keep the background as uncluttered as possible.

To throw the background out of focus use a lower aperture – eg F/4 – and put some space between your subject and the background.

LIGHT

Shoot in the shade if shooting at midday when the sun is at its harshest so that your subject isn’t squinting into the sun and the light is more flattering – but avoid dappled light which is unflattering. The best light to shoot in is just before sundown.

Inside you can place your subject next to a window for the best natural light – make sure it is not direct sunlight and a soft sheer curtain will help diffuse the light even more (or even a shower curtain!)

POSE

Position your subject to that their shoulders are angled towards the camera and not straight on

Let your subject sit down if they are uncomfortable standing – this will result in a more natural pose

If you going to use your photo for commercial gain then get your model to sign a model release form – just look it up on the internet and print some off to keep in your camera bag

CHILDREN

Top Tip from Ted T-bone Gardner is to get onto their level when photographing them.

Try photographing them while they are doing something they enjoy – go for a more natural feel than the traditional portraits – children are less likely to sit still for very long and seldom smile on command.

Have a look at their clothing, often we take an amazing shot of a childs face only to realize later that their clothing has a distracting print – so try go for a plain t-shirt/dress in a colour that complements/enhances their eyes.

For younger children – to get them to look at the camera you may want to make up a ‘lens buddy’ where you can attach a toy to your lens with elastic to encourage them to look in your direction – try have a selection of toys for toddlers as they can get bored with the same one if it’s going to be a long shoot.

SELF PORTRAITS

Daring and intimidating! But once you have gotten over your fear of being on the other side of the camera, it might just be fun.

Experiment with mirrors or other reflective surfaces (even puddles)

Try to include your eyes in the shot and not obscure your face too much

You know yourself and your best angles – take advantage of that and use it to your advantage

Actually getting the shot might be a challenge and you might have to use a tripod/tripod substitute (like a beanbag/chair/rock) as well as make use of your camera’s timer release/cable release or remote.