Tips to help you produce engaging portraits in ambient lighting.
Tight framing with a relatively long lens produced this jovial portrait of an ‘old salt’. Olympus E-M5 with 75-300mm lens at 75mm focal length (150mm in 35mm format); 1/320 second at f/6.3.
Portraiture is one of the most popular genres in photography and most people encounter situations in which they either want to or are asked to take a portrait shot of a friend or relative. It can also be fun to take portraits of the people you encounter while travelling, particularly when visiting cultures that are different from your own.
There’s a skill to shooting portraits that transcends the usual rules for shot composition. It’s based on your relationship to the subject and how you engage ““ or observe ““ him or her.
1. For posed portraiture, the subject knows they are being photographed. Interaction between the photographer and the subject is essential for success with this type of portraiture and it’s up to the photographer to pick the decisive moment when the subject’s expression is at its most engaging.
2. With candid portraiture, the subject is unaware of being photographed. Obtaining successful candid shots requires the photographer to be a good observer and be ready to shoot quickly when fleeting moments arise. Look for poses, expressions and lighting that creates an engaging picture of the subject and grab shots as they appear.
In this feature we will provide some general tips for successful portraiture as well as specific tips to help you produce more engaging portraits when shooting posed subjects or when taking candid shots.
General Advice for Better Portraits
1. Be Aware of Backgrounds. More than anything else, a distracting background can take viewers’ eyes away from the subject. Ideally, the background should be unobtrusive. Avoid backgrounds with large variations in brightness and contrast and those containing bright, saturated colours. Avoid elements that might draw viewers’ eyes away from the subject.
If you can’t find a bland background, try moving your subject so there is at least three metres between the subject and the nearest object behind him or her. This will enable you to use your camera’s aperture settings to reduce depth of focus and obtain an impression of separation between the subject and background.
A useful rule of thumb is to allow roughly the same distance between the subject and the background as there is between the subject and the camera. For busy backgrounds the subject-to-background ratio should be increased.
2. Select an Appropriate Aperture. The aperture setting will determine the depth of focus within the scene. Be wary of using apertures that are too wide; they may produce a plane of focus that is so narrow the end result looks unnatural.
Most successful portraits are shot at apertures between f/4 and f/5.6, although you can stop down to f/8 if there’s plenty of space between the subject and the background and the background is relatively unobtrusive.
3. Get the Distance to Subject Right. Your working distance depends on how much of the subject you wish to cover, the impression you wish to create and whether the subject is a willing participant or someone you’re taking a candid shot of. These factors will be influenced by your choice of lens (see the box on the opposite page).
When working in a confined space, try to position your subject mid-way between your camera and the background. If your subject is closer to the background than you like, the only way to maintain that ratio is to move closer to the subject, taking note of any distortions resulting from the lens you’re using. (You may need a shorter focal length.)
A candid portrait taken with the Olympus E-M5 with 75-300mm lens at 300mm focal length (600mm in 35mm format); 1/320 second at f/6.7. Note the blurred background resulting from the long focal length, wide lens aperture and large distance between the subject and the background.
The plain orange background several metres behind the subject doesn’t draw attention, leaving the viewer to engage with the subject directly and allowing the use of a smaller lens aperture to record a wide depth of focus in the subject. Olympus E-M5 with 75-300mm lens at 75mm focal length; 1/200 second at f/8.
Portraits don’t have to be in ‘portrait’ orientation. Sometimes the landscape format makes a better composition. Photographed with the 18-55mm kit lens at 55mm on a Canon EOS M; 1/80 second at f/5.6.
4. Try Different Angles. Changing the position of the camera can impart a different (and, often, special) look. A bird’s eye view can be used to position the subject within his or her environment, while shooting from ground level can impart a sense of stateliness to the subject.
Composing shots to emphasise diagonals can add a dynamism that suggests energy and work. And we all recognise the effects that ‘jump’ shots can achieve. Close-up shots of a subject’s eyes, mouth or hands can engage the imagination of the viewer. So can shots in which the subjects is in profile ““ or 3/4 face looking out towards something outside the field of view of the camera.
5. Be Prepared. Set your focal length, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, ISO and any other parameters that need adjustment BEFORE you focus and shoot. This enables you to be ready to capture that fleeting expression or angle that may be held for only a second or so.
Eliminate distractions like other people, pets and phones that can demand the subject’s attention. Portraits are about the subject; peripheral distractions can spoil the mood.
Use of diagonals in the composition of this environmental portrait lend a sense of dynamism to the image, while setting the aperture to f/8 captures depth in the scene. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens at 23mm; ISO 640, 1/30 second at f/9.
This portrait was taken in a market in north-east Thailand. The subject was happy to pose and we communicated with smiles and gestures. The shot was taken within seconds of my request. Canon EOS M with 18-55mm lens at 55mm; ISO 400, 1/60 second at f/5.6.
Shooting from just below the subject’s eye level can minimise the chance of showing double chins, while the gentle lighting resulting from open shade reduces signs of wrinkles. Taken with a Canon EOS M using the 18-55mm kit lens at 55mm; ISO 640, 1/125 second at f/5.6; a faster lens would have provided more scope for blurring the background.
Specific Advice for Posed Portraits
1. Engage with the Subject. Some of the most arresting portraits show the subject looking directly into the camera. The expression on the subject’s face tells a lot about how he or she has interacted with the photographer when the shot was taken.
It doesn’t matter where you are or whether the subject speaks the same language; if you approach people in the right way, most will be happy to pose. A smile will help you to break the ice. Explain what you want, using hand signals and showing your camera, if necessary.
Work quickly; there’s nothing like a fussy and indecisive photographer to make a subject change from willing collaboration to bored resistance. Practice photographing people you know to ensure you’re comfortable taking portraits. (People can usually sense when you aren’t.)
Don’t feel your subjects have to smile when you take a portrait shot. In many cases, a serious or thoughtful expression will make a more engaging portrait as it reveals more of the subject’s character.
2. Use the Light. Natural light is the cheapest and most available light source. However, direct sunlight can be harsh and unforgiving so it’s best to take pictures on a cloudy day or in the shade, both of which will be more flattering.
Adjust the white balance setting to compensate for colour shifts associated with the ambient lighting. When shooting outdoors, watch out for shadows that fall across the subject’s face. Change the subject’s position or use a reflector or flash to brighten them up.
If necessary, use fill-in flash to achieve a natural colour balance while simultaneously balancing the light across the subject’s face when the natural light is too contrasty. Reduce the intensity of the flash so its exposure is roughly 1/3 of the metered exposure value for natural-looking results.
3. Pose Your Subject Appropriately. Unless your subject has modelling experience, they will require some directions. Tell them how to angle their body and where to look. Both body position and the direction of the subject’s gaze can influence the impression created by the photograph.
When the subject looks directly at the camera, the eyes become the focal point and the subject establishes a relationship with the viewer. If the subject looks at something within the frame, it draws attention to the object, making it a focal point. When two people gaze at each other, it establishes a connection between them, drawing the viewer into their relationship.
Adjust the white balance setting to compensate for colour shifts associated with the ambient lighting. When shooting outdoors, watch out for shadows that fall across the subject’s face. Change the subject’s position or use a reflector or flash to brighten them up.
If necessary, use fill-in flash to achieve a natural colour balance while simultaneously balancing the light across the subject’s face when the natural light is too contrasty. Reduce the intensity of the flash so its exposure is roughly 1/3 of the metered exposure value for natural-looking results.
3. Pose Your Subject Appropriately. Unless your subject has modelling experience, they will require some directions. Tell them how to angle their body and where to look. Both body position and the direction of the subject’s gaze can influence the impression created by the photograph.
When the subject looks directly at the camera, the eyes become the focal point and the subject establishes a relationship with the viewer. If the subject looks at something within the frame, it draws attention to the object, making it a focal point. When two people gaze at each other, it establishes a connection between them, drawing the viewer into their relationship. Having the subject look outside the frame can create a sense of intrigue or tension.
For portraits showing head-and-shoulders or the upper body, having the subject angle the shoulders slightly will be more flattering than when the shoulders are square on. A completely front on symmetrical shot can be both powerful and confronting. Angling the shoulders lessens their width slightly and leads the viewer’s eyes to the head, which is the main focal point.
Bent elbows express a comfortable casualness, while straight arms convey formality and stiffness. Interlocking fingers create a sense of tension, while fingers that are curved at every joint suggest a relaxed look.
Specific Advice for Candids
1. Be Unobtrusive. For successful candid shots, the photographer must be unobtrusive. You don’t want your subjects to appear aware of the camera; instead you want viewers to feel they are getting a spontaneous glimpse of what you saw in the scene.
Avoid bright, colourful clothing, move quietly and don’t do anything that will draw attention. Find a place to sit or stand that gives you a good view of the scene and wait for the elements to come together to produce your image.
Using a long lens and being some distance from your subject should minimise the time it takes people in the scene to notice you, enabling you to compose and shoot. If you’re detected, simply smile and appear friendly.
2. Anticipate Behaviour. Be aware of how people usually react in given situations. People will look up when they sense someone is approaching. They will smile when they see a baby or open a present. Crowds look towards expected action and peer in all directions when nothing interesting is happening.
Knowing when to press the shutter button is the most critical part of a portrait photographer’s skill. The more you practise the more able you will become to determine ““ and utilise ““ the ‘decisive moments’ as they present themselves when taking both posed and candid portraits.
A candid shot taken with a small-sensor digicam, showing how difficult it is to de-focus backgrounds with such cameras. Canon PowerShot G10, ISO 200, 18mm focal length (82mm in 35mm format), 1/20 second at f/4 (the widest aperture).
When the subject looks out of the frame, viewers often wonder what they are looking at and it creates a sense of intrigue. Use of a very long focal length for this shot has enabled potentially distracting background elements to be made unobtrusive. Olympus E-M5 with 75-300mm lens at 300mm focal length; ISO800, 1/250 second at f/7.1.
Lenses for Portraiture
The ‘classic’ focal length for portraiture is somewhere in the 75mm to 105mm range on a 35mm camera (50mm to 160mm for cameras with APS-C sized sensors). Many portrait photographers prefer fast lenses with maximum apertures of around f/2, although they may not shoot with the lens wide open because that can produce a very shallow depth of focus.
Lenses within the 75-105mm range give a natural perspective to the subject and provide an adequate working distance for head-and-shoulders portraits while allowing a wide enough angle of view for waist-up shots and shots of seated subjects. Full length portraits are also possible if you have enough space in your shooting area.
Longer lenses can ‘compress’ the effect of depth in the scene. Some portrait photographers use lenses in the 135-250mm range to make prominent noses appear smaller and more flattering. Longer lenses also make it easier to blur out distracting backgrounds.
For environmental portraits ““ and those showing subjects in the interior of a house or other confined space ““ you may require a slightly shorter lens. Portraits taken with a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera can retain a natural perspective, depending on the camera-to-subject distance. Lenses with wider angles of view can introduce distortions with close shooting distances.
This is an excerpt from Photo Review Issue 57.
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