Lessons and subtleties of portrait photography. Portrait (a genre of portrait photography in photography)

Many photographers are engaged in photographing portraits. This overview guide will help expand your knowledge in this area of photography by answering the question. It will tell you how to shoot in the most different conditions and gain inspiration and learn from the professionals.

For many people, the point of buying a camera is to be able to take pictures of friends and family. Every beginner and professional photographs people to a greater or lesser extent.

Getting the result

The article will teach you how to get the maximum result from portrait photography. You will learn how to shoot at home and adjust lighting without the use of expensive equipment. It will also talk about building a composition in a frame and using various effects. If you are interested in advice from the famous portrait photographer Kevin Wilson, then this material is for you.

Preparing for shooting

A group of people is usually filmed in normal. horizontal position of the camera. Portrait photographs are taken by turning the camera 90 degrees. So the frame turns out to be elongated upward. This is called portrait position. This position allows you to place your face more advantageously in the frame, eliminating large empty spaces that will distract the viewer. To photograph a model from the shoulder or just the face, you need to stand far enough away while using the zoom. This approach allows you to minimize perspective distortion and blur the background more. You should never take portraits with a wide-angle lens. This distorts facial features. If your camera only has digital zoom, you don't need to use it. This will only degrade the quality of the photo and will not affect the perspective in any way.

Aperture setting

If your camera has manual shutter speed and aperture settings, you should use the widest possible aperture. There are two reasons for this. First of all, this will allow you to use a faster shutter speed, which will eliminate blur and movement. Also, such settings will allow you to blur the background and foreground, excluding all secondary elements from the focus area. If manual camera settings are difficult to cope with, you can simply switch it to portrait shooting mode. If the lighting when shooting is not very good. It's better to use a tripod.

Lighting

There is an opinion among ordinary camera users that portraits are only taken in the studio. Actually this is not true. A lot of portraits are taken of the model at home, at work or just on the street. You can take a decent photograph anywhere, and you can find everything you need for good portrait can be done in almost any home. Most best light- natural. Great photos can be taken near a window or on the street. Make sure the rays are diffused. Avoid direct contact with the model's face. sun rays. If the light falls only from one side, then a reflector will come to the rescue, which will fill the shadows with reflected light and soften them. You can buy a reflector in a store, but you can also use a regular sheet white cardboard. For a reflector to work effectively, it must be 1 square meter in area. A lot of cameras are equipped with a built-in flash. It is better not to use it in portrait photography. This flash creates harsh shadows and red eyes. Using an external flash allows you to better control its light. If you cannot do without using the built-in flash, then it should be covered with translucent paper. This will make the light diffused and softer.

Construction of light

Place the model in a chair, turn her head 45 degrees. Conditionally divide your face in half in the middle of the nose. The part of the face that is less visible will be called short. The part of the face that is closer to the camera will be called wide. Now imagine the light from the wide side of your face. You will get a whitened ear, cheek and hard shadows that will be cast on the short side. This is not the best lighting setup. It will be much better to place the light source on the short side of the face. It's worth taking a closer look at the centuries. If they are lit normally, then the lighting setup is successful. We must not forget about the shadow of the nose. The ideal option is the position of the shadow when it follows vertical line from nose to mouth.

Framing the face correctly

The placement of the model's face follows the rule of thirds. One of the centers of attention may be the eyes or the tip of the nose. Correct framing can be done when shooting or while processing the frame in a graphics editor. The model's arms and shoulders should also be on leading lines that focus attention.

Blur background

When shooting a portrait indoors or outdoors, the aperture should be opened as wide as possible. This will allow you to get rid of unnecessary elements by blurring them. This will focus the viewer's attention on the model. You can also use faster shutter speeds and take photographs without a tripod. Shooting can be done from various points. Try to find an interesting angle.

Style selection

If you get one photo, you don't need to make all the others look like it. Look for new approaches and interesting solutions.

Official portrait

To create portraits in a formal setting, you need to choose a background that will contrast with the clothes and hair color of the model. In order for the model to remain the main object in the frame, backgrounds with obvious texture should be avoided. Such portraits are most often taken from the shoulder. In this case, you should not worry about the position of your hands. This makes the job easier. Hair plays a very important role in such a portrait. you should pay attention to the position of the strands and individual hairs. The main light should be located in front of the model, about a meter away from it. Power can be set to maximum. The second light source should be placed on the right and directed slightly upward. It will fill in the shadows from the chin. In this case, the second light source should be closer than the first. The shadows of the background will also be filled.

White balance

One of the most important differences between digital photographs and film is the availability of white balance settings. Light consists of three primary colors - green, red and blue. They are combined in various proportions. Artificial lighting produces light that is different from natural light. For example, an incandescent lamp produces a reddish light, while fluorescent lamps produce a greenish light. This color balance is called color temperature. The human eye adapts very quickly to changes in lighting, and the surroundings look quite natural, but the camera records this difference. White balance settings tell the camera what it should look like white in the pictures.

Order in the frame

When the model's hands are included in the frame, there should be no problems with the composition. Here are some tips on this:

The hand should be photographed from the side. This will visually reduce it.
To keep your fingers from looking too long, they should point either toward or away from the camera.
Straight and open fingers create a feeling of tension. To create a relaxed environment, they should be slightly bent and closed.
Men's hands should be closer to each other, because they are larger than women's and much more noticeable.
Crossed fingers create a feeling of awkwardness and tension.
The head resting on the hand creates weight on the face and slightly distorts the facial features.

Master class on portrait photography

Kevin Wilson is a renowned portrait and wedding photographer. Kevin shared his tips on technique and organization for photography at home with photographers around the world.

Prepare a plan

It doesn't matter who you're filming. The very first thing you need to do is find out what kind of portrait the model wants to get. Where does a person feel most comfortable: outdoors, at home or in the studio. If you're photographing children, try speaking to them in their language. Feel free to be funny. This liberates the subject and allows you to get more natural portrait shots.

Use natural light

To create unique portraits, it is absolutely not necessary to have studio light. Enough good natural light. This light makes it easier to work at home. It's worth shooting near a window. The further the model is located from the window, the softer the light will be. To direct the light, you can use any homemade reflector. This could be a sheet of white cardboard or silver foil. The best results are obtained at ISO 400. In this case, you can use a shutter speed no longer than 1/15 of a second and get the most out of the lighting. If you need to resort to additional lighting, you can use a table lamp and built-in flash. The lamp will add warm tones and depth, and the flash will even out the shadows on the face.

Controlling white balance

If possible, it is better to set the white balance manually. Some cameras have a manual white balance feature. You can adjust the white balance using special cards gray eg Kodak Gray Card or Opti Card. It is best to always take photographs in RAW format. This will give you much more control and will allow you to carry out better color correction in the future.

Correct posture

When shooting in full height You can photograph a person so that he appears slimmer. The model should shift her weight to her back leg and turn 45°. Filming on the street, big focal length will allow you to compress the frame.

When is it better to shoot in black and white?

Shots with high contrast and strong texture look better in black and white. Faces in this color space look more dramatic.

Portrait in a dark key

The essence of a portrait in a dark key is to illuminate only part of the model, and leave the rest in shadow or completely black. The camera settings in this portrait do not differ from the usual settings when photographing people. The point was to keep the light source out of the background. The reflector was installed a little further than usual.

The main light source is installed at a distance of 2 meters from the model. Thus, it will illuminate a wide space. All lighting was provided by the main light source from above and a reflector, which was installed on the right. Flash power has been halved. The essence of such a photo is to preserve maximum quantity dark color. To add more darkness, you can ask the model to cover her shoulders with her hair.

Photographing on the street

Many people believe that in bright sunlight turn out nice photos. This is wrong. Bright light creates very harsh shadows. In addition, the model begins to squint. The most best conditions are created when the sky is filled with fluffy white clouds. Passing through them, light is scattered. Don't avoid taking pictures on the street. Posing your model against the seashore or cityscape can result in stunning photographs. Natural lighting is quite usable, you just need to use a reflector to fill the shadows with diffused reflected light.

The position of the reflector can adjust the hardness of the shadows. It can be moved around the model or brought closer and further away.

6 tips the right approach to photographing

The following 6 tips from Kevin Wilson will help you move in in the right direction on development in portrait photography:

Keep a tripod with you at all times. This tool will help you shoot in low light conditions outdoors and in the studio.
Buy a reflector. The silver reflector is very lightweight and affordable. It is convenient to carry with you. If there is no reflector, you can use white cardboard or other material that reflects light.
Stock up on memory cards. A terrible moment when the memory ended, and the model just relaxed and began to pose normally.
Before pressing the shutter button, make sure that the composition is set correctly.
After determining an acceptable distance from the camera to the model, take another step back. This will allow you to work more flexibly with framing.
You should learn to take photographs very quickly and as efficiently as possible. This is especially important when photographing children. Children are not able to keep one object in their attention for a long time. They get distracted quickly.

This is one of the most difficult photography techniques, because a portrait shows character, inner world, life values of the person depicted. The photographer must discover the main personality accents in the model, emphasize characteristic features, emotionality of a person and reveal spiritual disposition. Quite often, before a shoot, you hear from people that they are not photogenic and at the same time cannot relax. This is a wrong opinion! You can photograph any person in such a way that you really like him and thank the photographer very much. Absolutely every person is individual, moreover, the more unusual the person, the more expressive and interesting a portrait can be made, in a genre manner.

Preparing for shooting

-In no case should you exactly copy the poses of outstanding models; focus on your naturalness and uniqueness, then the result will be at a high level.

Aperture setting

Lighting

There is an opinion among ordinary camera users that portraits are only taken in the studio. Actually this is not true. A lot of portraits are taken of the model at home, at work or just on the street. A decent photograph can be taken anywhere, and you can find everything you need for a good portrait in almost any home. The best light is natural. Great photos can be taken near a window or on the street. Make sure the rays are diffused. Do not expose the model's face to direct sunlight. If the light falls only from one side, then a reflector will come to the rescue, which will fill the shadows with reflected light and soften them. You can buy a reflector at the store, but you can also use a regular sheet of white cardboard. For a reflector to work effectively, it must be 1 square meter in area. A lot of cameras are equipped with a built-in flash. It is better not to use it in portrait photography. This flash creates harsh shadows and red eyes. Using an external flash allows you to better control its light. If you cannot do without using the built-in flash, then it should be covered with translucent paper. This will make the light diffused and softer.

Construction of light

Place the model in a chair, turn her head 45 degrees. Conditionally divide your face in half in the middle of the nose. The part of the face that is less visible will be called short. The part of the face that is closer to the camera will be called wide. Now imagine the light from the wide side of your face. You will get a whitened ear, cheek and hard shadows that will be cast on the short side. This is not the best lighting setup. It will be much better to place the light source on the short side of the face. It's worth taking a closer look at the centuries. If they are lit normally, then the lighting setup is successful. We must not forget about the shadow of the nose. The ideal position is for the shadow to follow a vertical line from the nose to the mouth.

Framing the face correctly

Blur background

Style selection

If you get one photo, you don't need to make all the others look like it. Look for new approaches and interesting solutions.

White balance

Order in the frame

When the model's hands are included in the frame, there should be no problems with the composition. Here are some tips on this:

The hand should be photographed from the side. This will visually reduce it.

To keep your fingers from looking too long, they should point either toward or away from the camera.

Straight and open fingers create a feeling of tension. To create a relaxed environment, they should be slightly bent and closed.

Men's hands should be closer to each other, because they are larger than women's and much more noticeable.

Crossed fingers create a feeling of awkwardness and tension.

The head resting on the hand creates weight on the face and slightly distorts the facial features.

Usually, to maintain the “correct” scale, it is recommended to focus on the focal length of the lens. For portraits, it is recommended to use a focal length of 85 mm (plus or minus). All this is great, but this recommendation does not take into account the fact that different devices with a focal length of 85 mm will have completely different scales due to the crop factor. If at full frame 85 mm is a really convenient focal length for shooting a portrait, it’s not the most close up, then on a cropped image the scale of the picture will be completely different (the larger the crop factor, the larger the shot will be). On point-and-shoot cameras, 85 mm is generally the distance for photo hunting!

But what if you want to shoot a portrait with an 18-55 mm kit lens, which does not have an 85 mm focal length at all? This, by the way, is a sore point among beginners who want to master portrait photography.

Take a portrait from a distance of at least 2 meters! Compensate for the lack of scale with zoom.

Shooting from a relatively long distance with a “zoom in” offers a number of advantages:

1. A calm and familiar perspective. Try to shoot a person point-blank with a wide angle and get a photo where he doesn’t look like himself! The perspective is to blame for distorting the proportions of the face. The further we move away from the model (compensating for the decrease in scale by increasing the focal length), the less the perspective effect, the more “correct” the portrait turns out. But you don’t need to go to extremes - you shouldn’t photograph a portrait from 30 meters with the telephoto lens extended all the way, in which case the perspective practically disappears and the face becomes too flat and wide.

Besides

2. When shooting a portrait “from afar” it is much more convenient to work with the background. Firstly, it is easier to remove photo debris from the frame - unnecessary objects that distract attention (they are cut off by cropping). Secondly, the longer the focal length (the stronger the “zoom”), the more the background is blurred. Of course, in order to beautifully blur the background, it is desirable to have a fast lens. A kit lens at the long end with an aperture of 5.6 gives blur just for show.

It may happen that the lens, when shooting from two meters, will not provide the required scale. In this case, you need to choose one of three solution options (from bad to good):

Shoot from a closer distance. The simplest and affordable way, but you need to carefully monitor the perspective effect - after a certain point it begins to grow very quickly!

Shoot as is, then crop photos during processing. There will be some loss of photo resolution, but with today's megapixel counts this isn't a big problem. Plus - you can try several framing options and stick with the one you (and/or the model) like best.

Use longer focal length optics. The downside is that you may have to purchase it first. Plus - you will immediately get the desired scale of the portrait, and at the same time the background will be well blurred ("portrait" optics are designed for just this).

The role of the background

The background in a portrait is very important; its main task is to create the emotional atmosphere of the photograph. A monotonous background (for example, a bare wall) is boring and uninteresting. If photography takes place in nature, a wonderful background is obtained from leaves illuminated by the sun. The combination of the play of light and shadow on the leaves and bokeh (lens blur pattern) makes the photo more emotionally rich.

True, not all lenses can really blur the background beautifully, so that it “plays out.” This works best with fast primes with a focal length of 50 mm or more. The background blur of most zoom lenses is not that interesting - most of them are not designed for this. The principle works for lenses: the narrower the specialization, the better the result when used for its intended purpose. This is why many photographers purchase a separate lens specifically for portrait photography, for macro photography - a macro lens, for landscapes - a good wide-angle lens, etc. A zoom lens in this case is a compromise solution. However, you can practice with a zoom, understand whether it is necessary and, if necessary, consciously choose a real “portrait camera”.

The following things enhance background blur:

1. Maximum open aperture. Portrait lenses allow you to open the aperture to 2, 1.4 and even 1.2! The depth of field at f/1.2 is a few centimeters. Everything that is closer and further goes into blur.

2. Increased focal length. Portrait lenses for crop have a focal length of 50 mm, for full frame - from 80 mm. The longer the focal length, the more the lens will blur the background at the same aperture value.

3. (this is often forgotten) Distance between model and background. The greater the distance, the further the background is from the focus point and the greater the blur. There is no point in trying to blur the background too much if the model is half a meter away from it.

What to do if it is not technically possible to greatly blur the background?

We figured out how to blur the background and what is needed for this. But what if we don’t have high-aperture optics or even have a point-and-shoot camera? What if you want to blur unwanted background objects, but you can’t? In our case, this can only be solved by choosing an angle in which unwanted background objects are outside the frame.

Important note! If the composition is poorly constructed, the background can cause harm. Agree, portraits with pillars sticking out of their heads or road signs the background looks extremely unprofessional! Therefore, make it a rule - when constructing a frame, concentrate not only on the model, but also on the background.

Where should you focus when taking a portrait?

Let's assume we've sorted out the blurring. But the question remains open - what should be sharp? Someone will answer - “Of course the face!” Indeed, it is difficult to argue with this. And many novice portrait photographers focus strictly on the center of the face, that is, on the tip of the nose :) As a result, the nose is obtained in all details, and the most expressive part - the eyes - go into a slight blur. This makes the entire photo appear out of focus. Conclusion - sharpness in a portrait needs to be focused on the eyes.

But the trouble is that the face is placed frontally quite rarely; most often the portrait is photographed at some angle. In this case, one eye is closer to the lens, the other - further. In this case, the focus is on the eye closest to us.

Rule of thirds in portraiture

I hope there is no need to talk about the rule of thirds, you know about it very well. In a more or less close-up portrait, the eyes are located at about 1/3 level from the top.

It is customary to leave a little horizontally more space in the direction in which the model is facing. With a horizontal layout the principle is the same.

A guide from Akry will help you with framing.

Natural light in portrait photography

Many portrait artists believe that the best light for portrait photography is natural light. If you are photographing indoors, use window light. It is clear that the location of the window cannot be changed, but you have the freedom to choose the position of the shooting point, the model and the angle at which the light falls.

It is believed that in a portrait the most advantageous angle is half-turn (at 45 degrees) or “three-quarters” (at 22.5 degrees - between the frontal position and the half-turn position). Below is an example of a three-quarter portrait, the author of the photo is Semyon Orlov.

If you divide the face into two halves (along the line of the nose), then from a similar angle they will have different widths. Let's call the part of the face that is closer to the camera " wide". The other half, distant from the camera - " narrow".

It can be seen that the light falls from the “narrow” side (white arrow). This direction of lighting emphasized the volume quite well (the illuminated hair on the left played a big role in this). Let's imagine that the light comes from the direction of the red arrow. What do we get in this case? Only a well-lit ear, nothing more. Plus, the nose will create an unpleasant shadow. The photograph will lose all artistic value!

The model’s gaze can be directed either towards the lens or slightly to the side (as in last photo). Please note that in this photograph the gaze is directed towards the light. And we know that if there is movement of objects in opposite directions in a photograph (or at least a hint of movement), this contributes to the balance of the composition (at least this rule works great in landscape). In the portrait, as it turned out, no one canceled it either.

When taking portraits, do not use the built-in flash! Even when you really want to highlight the face of the subject, you should not resort to the built-in flash - it makes the face look flat, with glare and, often, with red eyes.

But what if the shooting takes place against the light (for example, against the background of a window just against the sun, in backlight?) We agreed not to use a flash, but there is a high risk of getting only a silhouette in the photo! With such a complex arrangement of subjects, how can you get detail on the model’s face? Many people think that there is no way to refuse such an interesting perspective.

But there is a way out! The first thing that will help is spot metering. We know that by default the device almost always uses matrix (integral, multi-segment - they're the same thing) exposure metering - over the entire frame area, based on the arithmetic average principle. In this case, the light background will have significant influence for exposure - the automation will decide that the lighting is generally good and will set a short shutter speed. As a result, the landscape outside the window will be exposed correctly, but the model will only appear as a silhouette.

If you switch the metering mode to spot or partial, the metering will be taken over a very small area in the center of the frame, which at the time of metering should be aligned with the model’s face (it is dark against the general background). In this case, the automation will set a relatively long shutter speed, at which the face will be well detailed. True, in this case, the landscape outside the window will inevitably fade into whiteness - the dynamic range of the matrix is limited, you must choose one of two.

However, there is a way to get both the face and background done at the same time! It is logical that for this you need to somehow “get” back into the dynamic range limit and reduce the contrast between the foreground and background. We won’t be able to “dim” the background, but we can totally do it by adding light to the foreground! For this purpose, a simple device was invented called reflector.

When folded, it fits into a small bag; when unfolded, it forms a reflective surface with an area of about 1 square meter. This is quite enough to illuminate the model with reflected light from the point we need. Examples of shooting a portrait with and without a reflector can be found in the article Shooting with a reflector. practical advice www.photokubik.com.

Height of the survey point

The height of the shooting point plays an important role. It is best if it is located at the model’s eye level. If you forget about this rule, then when shooting “top down” the photo turns out against the background of the ground (adults often take pictures of children this way from the height of their height - you don’t need to do this!), when shooting “bottom up” the model gets a “double chin” "(models usually don't like this:)

The conclusion is simple - if you are taking a child’s portrait, sit down. If you are photographing a person who is taller than you, either stand on something or move further away and increase the focal length.

Conclusion

The topic of portraiture is extremely multifaceted and it is absolutely impossible to cover it all in one review article. As you know, the secret of successful photography rests on two things - technical part and creative. Portrait is no exception. Moreover, if the technical part of the portrait can be described, everyone must reach the creative part themselves. I am sure that the article dotted, if not all, then a significant number of i’s on the technical side of portraiture.

If you have any additions, please leave them in the comments.

Portrait photography or simply a portrait is a photograph of a person or a small group of people (), in which the face is the predominant element. The purpose of this type is to demonstrate the similarity, mood and personality of the subject. Typically the face is in focus, but some shots also include other parts of the body. There are portraits taken for non-professional purposes, just to preserve memories. But there are also those that are made for commercial purposes for posters, billboards, CD covers, book covers and so on.

Whatever your goal, you'll be glad to know some tips on how to take great portrait photos. And if you are new to this field, then the following 12 tips below will help you in creating powerful and memorable photos.

1. Define the goal

Before you take a photo, you need to determine its purpose. How other people perceive the photo will depend on what you were trying to show. You need to decide whether you want to get a wider picture of the face or just an angled part of the face. You also need to decide what position your face should be in: vertical or horizontal. For example, if you are shooting a portrait of a child, you can shoot a horizontal portrait. For example, such portraits can often be seen on children's cards or on greeting cards.

2. Select model

Depending on what kind of photo you want to take, choose your model or subject wisely. It could be anyone. If you are working for a commercial project, it would be better to choose a model that is pleasing to the eye and looks friendly. The model does not have to be sexy and brightly made up. What matters is how he or she looks at the camera and how the model can express emotions and convey the main idea.

3. Choose a location and background

Find the perfect location to shoot. Be careful when choosing. Keep it as simple as possible. Avoid backgrounds that have a lot of small parts, because it will distract from the main subject. For commercial photography, a plain background is ideal.

4. Choosing a pose

Before you start, you should think about the correct posture. This will help make the scene more energetic. Stopping the shoot just to think about the right pose will only tire the model and waste time. So, before you start shooting, take the time to plan creative and interesting poses. This will make you feel confident and energetic. It also depends on you how to correctly adjust the model’s pose to convey the desired emotions.

5. Capturing different emotions

Don't just photograph simple smiles. on the face should be varied. In some shots there may be a smile with teeth, in others there is only a slight hint of a smile. Some shots may look serious, some may look mysterious. There are portraits that look sad. Try to catch different emotions.

6. Use props

Using props can help your model feel calm and at ease. It can also add drama to an image. Props can be a big help in telling a story. It can give a photo an interesting or mysterious look. You may notice that shots that use props are perceived differently by viewers.

7. Frank look

A photograph tells more when it is candid. It’s not enough to photograph the model in the right pose, you also need to give the picture sincerity. You can do this by allowing the model to turn away from the camera so that her attention is not interrupted by the camera and the moment of shooting. You can ask the model to focus her gaze on some object, such as a flower or something else. This way you make the photo feel like it was taken without any artistic direction. This gives the image a more interesting look.

8. Experiment with different lenses

Try using different lenses when taking portrait photographs. Thanks to this you will get completely different results. Try shooting with a 50mm and a 24mm lens and you will immediately feel the difference.

9. Use your environment

There are many ways to use your surroundings to create a compelling photo. For example, the model can lean on the doorway or lean on the table and thereby help to do this good shot. Look with a creative eye. Using your surroundings can make your photo unique.

10. Experiment with different lighting

You can give the same photo a completely different effect using different . You can use a lot of lights to make your model look bright, or use a few to make her look a little darker. You can also search for “ ” (time before sunset) to ensure a golden glow on the skin. Indoors, you can place the model near a window to give it soft, reflected light.

11. Fill the Frame

Portrait photography can look unique and different from what we usually see in various social networks. You can fill the frame to focus only on the subject's face. This helps draw more attention to the eyes, lips, and hair. Of course, filling the frame makes the picture clear and beautiful.

12. Use different camera angles

Along with the different lighting and backgrounds you can apply, you can also take advantage of different shooting angles. This can make the image more interesting. It can even affect the overall perception of the image by highlighting certain parts of the subject. Look for a shooting angle that will make the frame attractive. Find the right point and angle to take great photos. To capture environment You can use a wide-angle lens around the subject.

Maintaining a friendly atmosphere through conversation helps the model to relax and creates a relaxed smile.

No matter what camera you own or how often you shoot, you probably take photos of people. This is what we find most interesting in life. We want to capture memories of friends, family or other people we photograph. Everyone can improve their portrait photography and these 30 tips should help you do it.

Below you will find three tips and tricks - two from the book mentioned and one additional. They will give you an idea of what you will find in the book. We hope that they will be useful to you. The price of the book is only 5 dollars.

Understand the emotional state of the subject

One of the difficult aspects portrait photography is that you are working with a person who is capable of experiencing in front of the camera wide range emotions. It could be shyness, embarrassment, anxiety. The person may be bored, cocky, shy, impatient, distracted, or any other type of emotion that interferes with getting the best shot. The skills of a psychologist are partly helpful in becoming a successful portrait photographer. Understanding human emotions and behavior is a good help.

First, put yourself in the shoes of the person being photographed. Imagine his feelings and experiences. How would you feel if you were this person, and what would make you feel more at ease? Watch for signs of his state of mind. Does he have difficulty making eye contact? Does he experience discomfort and blink when the flash goes off? Constantly looking at someone to calm down or getting distracted? When the problem is clear to you, then it can be solved.

Typically, talking to the model will help her feel at ease. Light conversation will help the target relax. Comment on what you are doing and provide feedback to increase the effectiveness of the interaction. If things are not going as well as we would like, this does not mean that the model is not trying and it is all her fault. Ask the person if they are comfortable and what you can do to help. It's better to say: " This pose/lighting doesn't work" and move on rather than making the model think she's not doing a good enough job. Then she'll try twice as hard.

Positive feedback inspires confidence and greatly contributes to capture best photos. Showing your model the pictures on the back of the camera will reassure her that the photo shoot is going well and give her confidence in her appearance.

Experience will also be helpful if you put yourself on the other side of the lens. Invite one of your friends to be a photographer and pose, feel like a model.

Learn to see straight and curved lines

Photography is largely about curves and straight lines, especially portraits. After all, we see not only with our eyes, but also with our brain. An important part of the tools our brain uses to make sense of a visual scene are lines. Depending on their position and shape, the brain makes an assumption about the three-dimensionality of the figure in the real world.

For example, the classic method is for the model to turn her body slightly to the side and place her hand on her hip. The resulting gap between the arm and the body emphasizes the curve of the back and makes it look slimmer. If the arm just hangs at the side, then the brain does not see the line of the back, and the whole figure looks wider. Obviously, the model has not lost weight. But it only takes a second to change the pose and we will begin to perceive it as slimmer thanks to the lines.

This is one example of many situations in which changes in the shape and composition of body lines can change the perception of the model. It's not logical, but this way you create big difference in how photographs appear and the impression they make. You will develop this over time and add this technique to your toolkit learned from experience as you photograph frequently.

Curved lines can be shown in the best possible way taking the correct pose

A curvy figure is emphasized by the classic “S” curve.

Light and shadow on the face

The direction of light helps define the shape of an object by determining the position and shape of the shadow. Good example on the face it is the nose. One area where shadowing can be problematic is under the eyebrows.

On human face we see sunken eyes and a protruding forehead. This means that whenever the main light source is positioned above your subject, the forehead will cast a shadow on the eyes. Then you will get the effect of two dark circles, where the area around the eyes will be similar to the color of the fur of a raccoon. The eyes are usually the most important part of a portrait photograph, so it's best to keep them well-lit rather than disappearing into the darkness.

There are several techniques you can use:

Move the subject into shadow. Stop at a spot where the light, coming primarily from above, will fill your eyes to make them more visible.
You can use a reflector, a piece of white paper, or white card to reflect light back into the eyes and illuminate them.
Use an additional light source, such as a flash, directly on your face to fill in the shadows.
Position the diffuser in relation to the subject in such a way as to turn the overhead light into a much larger source of diffuse light. This will give you more light in your eyes.
If the contrast is not too great, light the eye area selectively during post-processing.

Another way to reduce the impact of eyebrows is to have something bright reflected in the subject's eyes. Such lights will add liveliness to the look and make the portrait much more pleasant.