Techniques of Portrait Photography
Whether it’s a birthday party or a wedding, there are some photos that you must take. They don’t have to be works of art. If you miss the shot of the bride throwing flowers because of the tangled light and composition, the guest will not forgive you.
In a large family, parents are well versed in the knowledge of prioritizing big and small things. What must be done and what should be done not only but also well. The same goes for photographers. I took a family portrait last week. The background was very ideal, but the light was very ordinary. The children began to lose patience. I know that the opportunities left to me are very limited, so I decided to give up taking pictures of every child laughing, and only pursue a picture of all children. This photo is undoubtedly the most important one in this shooting. I’m glad I took this group photo of everyone with their eyes open.
Lean forward towards the camera
This experience sounds simple, but it works very well.
If you don’t believe it, you might as well stand in front of a mirror, let one side of the leg step forward, and let half of your body’s weight be on the front leg. Then lean forward slightly to see if you are more interesting in the mirror? Because you have some interaction with yourself in the mirror, you feel more closely connected.
This also makes the face more prominent relative to the camera, so that other parts of the body (such as the abdomen, hips) are farther away from the camera. The focus in the photo is more obvious, and the minor parts become inconspicuous.
It should be noted that the model needs to lean forward with the whole body, rather than lean forward from the waist, which will be unnatural.
The following two photos demonstrate the difference this technique brings.
Straight body
Tilt forward slightly
Look at my feetMany photographers ignore this detail when shooting portraits. The model looks at the lens from the beginning, but you are still adjusting the camera, or composition, or focus. When you are ready to press the shutter, a few seconds have passed, and the eyes of the models slowly fade from the initial fresh excitement. At last, you can take pictures of them looking tired and dull.
Therefore, when I shoot, I will tell them to always look at my feet (so the photographer must buy a better pair of shoes), and then I start to make various preparations for the camera. Once I get everything ready, I will tell them, “OK, look here!” At this time, they look up and see the eyes of the camera are bright and divine. Of course, you can also add different patterns to your instructions, so that every time they look up, their expressions will be fresh and will not repeat. For example, tell them:
