Navtej Kohli’s tips for Portrait Photographers
Thursday, May 1st, 2008Portrait Photography tips by Navtej Kohli
When the time comes to taking portrait digital images, it can be very different than taking images of still items or landscapes.
Portrait photography is lot different from still or landscape photography. With portrait photos you’re not in total power over the photo. Your model now is in group effort with you for the shot and your posing skills must make them look however you want.
Taking portrait shots is no less than an art, especially when it comes to handling subject a great deal of patience is required. Not all people being photographed cooperative. Some will get annoyed quickly and some will be annoying quick! But your ultimate goal is to make the model as comfortable as possible.
Portrait photos should give the viewer a glimpse of the person’s personality. Portrait photos not necessarily deal with smiling and happy looking people. Portrait photography is a serious business. Look out for intense and interesting faces. Make sure that background goes well with the expressions.
Do not limit yourself to taking portraits behind plain backgrounds. The wilderness can make for amazing backgrounds as well. Lots of great places out in the wild can make for amazing backdrops for portraits. There are also really dramatic locations you can take portraits at. Think of alleys, scary looking woods, etc.
Portrait photos should be lit as nice as possible. The better the lighting the better the person will look. You can use front or side lighting for portraits. Front lit subjects will look more flawless. The problem is that this can make details diminished too much.