Portrait photography can be as easy or as complex as you want it to be. You can have several light sources doing different things, or it could be as simple as using window light. I recently took a portrait class and here are a few things I learned… .jpg)
1. One of the hardest things about starting portrait photography is establishing a photographer / subject relationship. Ease into portrait work by taking photos of people you already have a connection / relationship with.
2. The direction and quality of light is especially important in portrait work. For example, taking a outside photo of your friend at noon will result in harsh shadows on the face because the light is coming down directly on top of them. Suggestion: Shoot in the early morning or early evening. That way, the light will be both directional and not as harsh.
3. Cloud cover is your friend! Think about it, if the sun is the ultimate light source for
photographers (and in general), then a cloudy day would be the ultimate light diffuser. That would give you omni directional lighting and lighter shadows.
4. An external flash can help you out if you have to shoot in difficult light conditions. It also can serve as in inexpensive directional light source if moved off camera.
5. Look at other people’s work. I get creative ideas from looking and thinking about other people work and how they achieved the lighting they did.
Here's a video from USA Today's Talking Tech featuring Strobist publisher David Hobby. If you are into learning portrait photography, his site is one you must visit.
.jpg)
1. One of the hardest things about starting portrait photography is establishing a photographer / subject relationship. Ease into portrait work by taking photos of people you already have a connection / relationship with.
2. The direction and quality of light is especially important in portrait work. For example, taking a outside photo of your friend at noon will result in harsh shadows on the face because the light is coming down directly on top of them. Suggestion: Shoot in the early morning or early evening. That way, the light will be both directional and not as harsh.
3. Cloud cover is your friend! Think about it, if the sun is the ultimate light source for
photographers (and in general), then a cloudy day would be the ultimate light diffuser. That would give you omni directional lighting and lighter shadows.4. An external flash can help you out if you have to shoot in difficult light conditions. It also can serve as in inexpensive directional light source if moved off camera.
5. Look at other people’s work. I get creative ideas from looking and thinking about other people work and how they achieved the lighting they did.
Here's a video from USA Today's Talking Tech featuring Strobist publisher David Hobby. If you are into learning portrait photography, his site is one you must visit.
Posts
1 comment:
I'm learning more about lighting and how much better one's pictures can be with off-camera lighting. Can you recommend or point me to information on what you might consider a start-up lighting kit that would be fairly inexpensive for someone just starting out and yet can grow with add-ons as my need and skills grow?
Post a Comment