Portrait Photography - Tips And Methods

By William Stevens

Faces of people have been captured in various famous photographs for decades. Portrait photography focuses on not just the subjects but on their qualities as well, thereby bringing the frozen frames alive.

A good portrait photograph beats the norm and is able to capture mental states and angles of a person like never seen before. However, portrait photographs are also done in the conventional style with a single person or the entire family as subjects, and these usually end up in family albums.

A perfect close up with a sharp focus on the subject's face is what gives portrait images that touch of class. This can be attained by adjusting camera settings to blur the subject's background so that his or her face receives optimum focus. A camera with a wider aperture can strike this ideal tuning between the background and the foreground image. One the other hand, it is better to shoot with a normal aperture if focus on the background is as important as on the person, which is mostly the case in outdoor photography.

Without sufficient light available to shoot, photographers find it hard to take the perfect picture. But a good portrait photograph is easier to click if certain basic rules are followed. One of the ways is to make the individual sit near the window such that the light coming from it falls on only one side of the face. The remaining part of the face can be lighted up by using something reflective like a white piece of glossy paper or board. However, portrait photography is best done in studios as lights can be controlled there.

Another important factor that determines a good portrait photograph is the comfort level of the subject when he or she presents for the image. Technical wizardry in photography will work only when the person being photographed is comfortable and relaxed, and projects his or her natural self before the camera.

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