Although many photographers upgrade to a decent DSLR to provide them more control when they take family pictures or pictures of friends, getting great shots of individuals is always a challenge.
The difference between amateur and professional portraits could be vast. So we’ve compiled this list of 14 of the very important portrait photography tips for any photographer to understand.
We’ll then discuss a few of the more advanced portrait photography tips, such as the advantages of using flashguns and other accessories when shooting pictures.
Whether you’re taking portraits of your friends or you’ve been commissioned to photograph a household, and whether you’re shooting in a pristine studio or outside inside your local park, the helpful advice below will assist you to become a better portrait photographer
+1 EV
01 When to make use of Exposure Compensation
A common photography problem when capturing portraits light skin tones is under-exposed portraits. You’ll notice this more when shooting full-face photos or when there’s plenty of white in the scene – brides at weddings really are a prime example.
A common photography problem when capturing portraits light skin tones is under-exposed portraits. You’ll notice this more when shooting full-face photos or when there’s plenty of white in the scene – brides at weddings really are a prime example.
No EV
Try dialling in up to +1 stop of positive Exposure Compensation to lighten people’s faces. For more on when to make use of this feature.
02 Aperture advice
When shooting portraits, it’s better to set a wide aperture (around f/2. 8-f/5. 6) in order to capture a shallow depth of field, so the backdrop behind your subject is nicely blurred, making them stick out better.
Shoot in Aperture Priority mode to manage depth of field; in this mode your SLR will helpfully set the shutter speed for any correct exposure.
Specialist portrait lenses tend to possess even wider maximum apertures (from f/1. 4 in order to f/2. 8) in order to blur backgrounds additional.
03 Shutter speed settings
When setting shutter pace, factor in your lens’s focal length otherwise camera-shake (and blurred results) will end up an issue.
As a general rule, make sure your shutter speed is greater than your effective focal length. For example, at 200mm make use of a 1/250 sec shutter speed or faster.
This also means you will get away with slower shutter speeds when using a wide-angle lens – for example 1/20 sec with an 18mm focal length.
For more about this portrait photography tip, see our guide to common mistakes at every shutter speed – and also the best settings to use..
'04 Increase your ISO
People move around a great deal as they’re photographed, not to mention blink and constantly change their own facial expressions – and there’s nothing worse than the usual photo of somebody half-blinking or gurning instead associated with smiling!
To avoid these problems, and to avoid motion blur appearing, you’ll need to use an easy shutter speed.
This will also help to ensure sharp shots and avoid camera-shake because generally you’ll be shooting portraits handheld.
While in Aperture Priority mode and maintaining a broad aperture, to increase your shutter speed simply improve your ISO (from ISO100 to ISO400, say).
Within low light (indoors and outside), you may have to increase it to ISO800, 1600 or even 3200.
Just a little grain is infinitely better than a blurry, ineffective photo.
People move around a great deal as they’re photographed, not to mention blink and constantly change their own facial expressions – and there’s nothing worse than the usual photo of somebody half-blinking or gurning instead associated with smiling!
To avoid these problems, and to avoid motion blur appearing, you’ll need to use an easy shutter speed.
This will also help to ensure sharp shots and avoid camera-shake because generally you’ll be shooting portraits handheld.
While in Aperture Priority mode and maintaining a broad aperture, to increase your shutter speed simply improve your ISO (from ISO100 to ISO400, say).
Within low light (indoors and outside), you may have to increase it to ISO800, 1600 or even 3200.
Just a little grain is infinitely better than a blurry, ineffective photo.
05 Zoom lens choiceYour choice of lens has a big effect on your portrait photos. A wide-angle (around 18mm) zoom lens captures a wider angle of view, so more of the subject’s surroundings will be in shot.
A telephoto (over 70mm) zoom lens captures a narrower angle of view, and less of the subject’s surroundings will appear in frame. Focal duration also affects depth of field (DoF).
A wide-angle lens will capture more depth of field when compared with a telephoto lens. This is why telephoto contacts are favoured over wide-angle lenses for portraits, because they further knock backgrounds out of focus to make people more prominent within the scene.
Portrait Photography Tips: Focusing and Framing
06 Creative compositions
Don’t be lazy with your compositions. Too often photographers stand back, thinking it’s best to include all, or at least the top half, of their subject.
Zoom in instead to fill the frame for a more inspired photo composition. Positioning your subject to one side of the frame, with ‘space to look into’, is a great technique to master, as is experimenting with wide apertures to capture a very shallow depth of field.
But remember to make sure your focusing is as precise as possible – with our example, shot at f/2. 8, we focused on the model’s left eye,
Shot without a reflector07 Use a reflector
A quick and affordable way to brighten up your portraits and to give them a professional look is to use a reflector. Use them indoors (near windows) or outdoors to bounce light back onto your subjects to fill in unwanted shadows.
The white reflector produces neutral resultsMany reflectors arrive double-sided or with detachable covers,
so you get a range of white, silver and gold reflective surfaces. The white surfaces of reflectors may also double up as diffusers to soften strong immediate sunshine.
A gold reflector warms up your portrait
The silver reflector brightens your imageIf you’re truly strapped for cash, you can make a reflector by simply utilizing a large sheet of white cardboard – which you'll also cover with tin foil for a silver effect – also it should still work a treat!
When using wide apertures (especially f/2. 8 or even faster), your depth of field decreases dramatically, therefore
it’s crucial your focusing is bang on, otherwise you could end up getting out-of-focus facial features; the person’s nose may be sharp however the eyes soft.
With tightly composed photos, focus about the eyes; with wider compositions, focus on the mind. To help with pinpoint focusing, manually select just one autofocus (AF) point.
09 Posing for portraits
How your subject stands, poses and looks may have a dramatic effect on your results. A slight change in facial expression – for example whether they smile or not – can radically change the whole feeling of the photograph.
When shooting, try and capture a variety of expressions so you can pick which you prefer when editing them back home on the pc.
Also consider setting up portrait shots where your own subject looks off-camera, up or down, or to 1 side. Play around and see what works.
Portrait Photography Tips: Using flash
Equipped with a flashgun, remote triggers along with a good-sized diffuser, you open up the possibility of the vast array of clever and cool lighting set-ups.
Light your subjects in the side to add drama to your portraits, and obtain creative by under-exposing the sky or background, dialling within -2 stops of Exposure Compensation to capture the moody backdrop behind your subjects.
10 Wired as well as wireless flash triggers
Although your digital camera’s pop-up flash could be handy and helpful, there are many reasons to purchase a hotshoe flashgun.
One of our favourite portrait photography tips is by using off-camera flash. An off-camera flash is much stronger, which means a brighter burst of light, helping you to set smaller apertures to capture more depth associated with field, or to light up a group of individuals.
You also have more control over its configurations, and you can angle it up or sideways in order to bounce the light off ceilings and walls.
11 Uphold me
Consider investing in a flashgun stand, like the Manfrotto 5001B Nano stand (£45), plus a Manfrotto
026 En aning Tite Swivel Umbrella Adapter head (£29).
A stand not just acts as a second pair of hands, it also allows you to position your flash up high or down reduced, pointing the head exactly where you want the light hitting.
With fill flash
Although it may seem odd to use flash when the sun’s out, that’s precisely the time when you should use it!
Without fill flash
Use a little bit of ‘fill flash’ and you’ll instantly improve your pictures; your camera will capture a much more well balanced exposure, because your flash will light up your subject as the camera exposes for the background.
13 The advantages of off-camera flash
A flashgun is detachable and could be fired via a cable, or wirelessly using a handheld remote control attached to your hotshoe (some of the latest SLRs may even fire flashguns remotely, without the need for one more trigger).
You can also use two flashes together for more complex lighting set-ups. Using a remote trigger will allow you to fire one flash, to act at the ‘master’, which in turn will fire the second ‘slave’ flash unit simultaneously.
Attach diffusers and softboxes for a bigger, softer – and much more flattering – spread of lig
14 Five expensive upgrades & add-ons
a) A hotshoe flashgun (or two). Read the Nissin Di866, £200.
b) Flashgun diffuser. The functional Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce is a great option, £18 (see page 130).
c) Flashgun softbox. LumiQuest Softbox flash attachments come in a variety of sizes, from £25.
d) A remote flash cable, like the Canon OC-E3 Off-Camera Shoe Cord or Nikon TTL Remote control Cord SC 28.
e) Wireless flash triggers, such as Hähnel’s Combi TF Handheld remote control and Flash Trigger, £50.
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