PHOTOGRAPHER’S JOURNEY.com

Shooting portraits can be among the most difficult photographic assignments. Some people hate to pose for pictures and pose or smile awkwardly when they do. If it’s a festive occasion, that can be a real challenge.

The idea in shooting any portrait is to capture not only a person’s face, but a glimpse of what they are feeling inside at that moment. So with that in mind, I thought I’d share some techniques I use to bring that about. Now, bear in mind, I am not going to get into the art of advanced flash photography — that should be a post in itself. But let’s face it, most of us aren’t carrying around a lighting studio everywhere we go and even if we were, that still wouldn’t guarantee the results we want.

If you’re like me, a typical portrait might be one where you want to photograph your daughter graduating, your son getting married, your wife contemplating how lucky she is to have married you. !!!@## The point is — we aren’t always as prepared for portraits as we should be. But that doesn’t mean we can’t make the situation really work for us.

Here are a few things to bear in mind:

1. Avoid harsh “contrasty” light. Bright, direct, overhead sunlight might do wonders for our moods but it usually doesn’t do much for our portraits. The human eye is capable of dealing with heavy contrasts between light and shadow. Sunny days don’t pose much of a problem for us. But for film and digital cameras, it’s another story. Our best technology can’t come close to sorting out extremes of light compared with our own eyes. The solution is to look for “flat” light. The best example of this is on a cloudy day. Many photographers stash their cameras away on cloudy days but that is exactly the wrong thing to do. I read recently on another blog where someone pointed out that studio photographers pay big bucks to create flat lighting. So when it comes naturally, take advantage of it!
2. If you’re outside and the weather is not cloudy, look for shade. This option is tricky. You have to be careful that the background — which will no doubt be in the sun — is not so overpoweringly bright that the person’s portrait becomes overwhelmed. But if you can manage it, shade offers many of the same benefits as nice, flat, cloudy light. It is far more complementary to a person’s facial features. It softens lines and shadows and smooths out a person’s skin.
3. Use a longer lens — a telephoto somewhere in the range of 70mm to about 110mm. It’s not a science, here, it’s an art. But longer lenses compress and flatten a person’s face somewhat while softening and blurring the background (focusing more attention on the person’s eyes, where it belongs). Avoid wide-angle lenses — they achieve exactly the opposite effect, as you might expect. Photograph a person up close with a wide-angle lens and you will often see their noses grow into small mountains. Not exactly an idea portrait, unless you are purposefully trying to achieve that.
4. Forget about trying to pose someone in front of a great background. I know, I know, this seems completely unintuitive. But here’s the thing, I can’t tell you how often people try to capture a great portrait while at the same time capturing an image of the Grand Canyon. If it’s a snapshot you want, then by all means, shoot it wide and include as much background as you like. But if you’re really trying to make a portrait — if the person is really the focus of the photograph — then only the simplest backgrounds will allow that person to be scene in the best light. You don’t want your subject competing with the background, after all. Now, before you start registering your objections, understand that I am not saying a background does not matter. I am simply saying that a background — whatever it is — should be relatively simple and not steal the focus from the subject. Just something to bear in mind.
5. If you have a camera capable of taking several exposures per second — and even some point-and-shoot cameras do that these days — take advantage of it. Many people think of rapid-fire photography as only applicable to sports and other fast-paced events. And while it’s true being able to make 5 images per second can really stop the action at just the right moment for such things, it can be equally effective in portraiture. Why? Because human expression can change dramatically in — quite literally — the blink of an eye. Slight subtleties in a person’s smile, or lack of it, can sometimes be observed between different shots taken within seconds of each other. I have often found that some people really let their guard down after that first click when they think the photograph is over. And those subsequent clicks can really work. So if you’ve got the technology built in to your camera, by all means don’t stop using it when making portraits.

Of course, these are technical tips only. Dealing with your subject and putting her or him in a relaxed state is something altogether different and perhaps the biggest challenge of all. Nor have I dealt here with composition. The reality is a lot of work goes into making great portraits. But don’t be afraid of it. Portrait photography can be one of the most powerful forms. So embrace it and try out some of these tips. Good luck!

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