Portrait Photography Tips:
Experimenting with Light
Experimenting with Light
- Hold camera still or use tripod.
- Know how to use the manual/auto focus on camera. Focus on the person/object, not the background.
- If you focus on someones eyes, it can soften skin.
- KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. Use narrow depth of field-image is in focus, background blurry. Background simple.
- Get up close. Focus on expressive hands.
- Alter perspective, use different angles.
- Experiment with lighting-
- using side lighting
- backlighting
- Best time to take photo is one hour after dawn and one hour before dusk (Golden Hour).
- Do not shoot into the sun.
- Put subject in shade if squinting.
- Go in shade if bright and sunny day.
- Add color filters.
- Break the rules of composition (Ex. put subject in dead center).
- Take a series of shots and put them together.
- Introduce a prop
- subject to look off to the side (over your shoulder).
- Shoot candidly.