Commercial Photography Technique - Stylish Portraits

By studying the rules of composition and the basics of how light reacts with faces and the camera, anyone can quickly master the art of producing clean and concise portraits that show an aesthetically pleasing adherence to portrait etiquette.  However, most aspiring photographers soon want to take the craft further, and achieve shots that are not only well composed and technically sound, but also ooze that artistic appeal that we all so often see in magazines, adverts and exhibitions.  But where do you start? As with any branch of photography, stylish portraiture requires an excellent grounding in the basics in order to be able to move on and push the boundaries of creativity even further back.

Creative Lighting

How your camera reacts to the light hitting your subject is intrinsic to achieving good-quality artistic images.  One common theme that can be observed with eyecatching portraits is the use of directional light.  This acts as a highlighter that enhances angles and key features, leaving the rest firmly in the shade.  This effect is easy to achieve using one light and a reflector.  However, such controllable light sources are not always readily available when a shooting opportunity arises, so it is worth learning how you can exploit natures own mood lighting for stylish results.

While many photographers use bad weather as an excuse to put their feet up, the portrait photographer should get up and head outdoors.  A thick morning mist can be used as a moody backdrop to portraits, or even as an effective (and free) light diffuser.  The thickest mist can be taken advantage of as an easy substitute for soft focus, bringing a softer quality to skin tones and facial details.  Similarly, stormy weather is a fantastic mood enhancer, creating deep, dark shots without the inevitable exposure problems that occur in the bright light of sunny days.  Of course, if you fancy staying in where its warm and dry, use diverse natural light sources by seating your subject next to a window.

Working with Colour

By harnessing the power of colour, the photographer can convey not only different moods through their images, but also phsychologically inform the viewer as to how they should react emotionally to them.  Unlike landscape photographers, who must combine the fixed colours of nature, portrait shooters have a degree of control, whether through the use of coloured backgrounds, clothing or makeup.

Some colours seem to have a universal effect on their viewers.  Red, of course, is the colour of danger, passion and excitement and is a real showstopper.  Even the smallest amount will dominate an image, jumping out at the eye first, so consequently it is great if you want to make a bold statement.  On the other hand, if you want a more subtle or artistic result, introduce blue.  A colour of many faces, it can be used to instil a tranquil feeling of calmness, authority of freshness.  But used carefully it is also a sad colour that can imply depression and bleakness.

For more cheerful ends, include yellow in a shot.  The colour of the sun, corn fields or flowers in bloom, use it generously to provide a sense of comfort and well being.  Like red, yellow is extremely potent and can be used to create a bold statement in smaller, concentrated quantities.

A key concept for using the spectrum stylishly is to layer up different tones of the same colour for sense of harmony.  During more artistic shoots, try applying a dash of more potent colours such as red or yellow to otherwise muted portraits.  For example, red lipstick or yellow flowers in a neutrally coloured frame can provide an irresistable focal point. 

Mysterious Mono

While colour has its own benefits and emotional properties, the most enduring theme in artistic portraiture is of course black and white.  Digital technology means that the photographer does not necessarily have to choose at the shooting stage whether to capture a frame in colour or not, as even the most humble of image editing programs will enable users to switch coloured images into monochromatic versions.

Indeed, most pro photographers prefer to desaturate images during post production as it offers more control over the effects impact, and provides a choice of either sepia or duotone conditioning.  However, even if you are shooting in colour, you must still think about the effect that composition will have on black-and-white representation.

Monochromatic toning is most effective on images that incorporate interesting textures and uneven lighting, as these both provide a relief background that will ensure that a wide range of greys, blacks and whites will be generated.

Black-and-white toning brings instant artistic appeal to a portrait, for that timeless feel and is most effective on close-up images.  If you want to create full-length mono shots, either place your subject in front of a plain background or an extremely textured background (such as a cloudy sky).  This will therefore prevent the subject blending in with their surroundings and appearing drab.

 

Creative Cropping

Remember to apply the rule of thirds in your composition for close-up portraits.  If you can do this as you shoot, so much the better, but you can always crop the photos later to improve composition.  You don't need to frame the entire face either, by tightly focusing on just the key facial features, a more emotive sense is achieved.

Background Blur

When shooting a portrait in natural surroundings, use a wide aperture to reduce the depth of field and throw the background out of focus.  This concentrates attention on the subject and makes it possible to use a fast shutter speed so you can ditch your tripod.  Try shooting from a high angle so you don't silhouette the model against the sky, or get right down to ground level for an unusual and striking composition.

Selecting a style

Don't just stick with one tried-and-tested formula.  Follow these tips for setting up and lighting your model to achieve a variety of stunning effects.

Formal Portraits

For most formal portraits choose a background that provides a contrast to the model's clothing and hair, but make sure it's not too pale - a mid-tone grey is ideal, but any subdued colour will do.  Avoid patterned materials such as curtains or wallpaper, to ensure the model remains the subject of the picture.

The majority of formal portraits are head-and-shoulders only, so don't worry about positioning the hands.  However, hair is very important, so watch out for any stray strands and uneven lines when composing the shot through the camera's viewfinder.  If your camera has 'LiveView' or similar then this is the time to use it to zoom in on the subject and inspect it in detail.  If your model has particularly striking hair then make it a feature of the photograph, draping it forward over the shoulder nearest the light.

Position the main light source about a metre away to the left of the model, and set it on full power.  The light needs to be at head height and slightly in front of the model, pointing back in to illuminate the face and background.  Put the reflector on the right-hand side as close as possible without it intruding into the shot.  Make sure it's lower than the main light and angled upward to bounce light under the chin.  This will fill in any background shadows.  Pose your model with his or her shoulders angled toward the main light, then make sure the head is at a point mid-way between the light and the camera.

White balance

One of the most important adjustments in digital photography is the white balance setting.  Light is made up of three primary colours - red, green and blue - in different proportions.  All artificial light sources differ in the amount of each colour they produce, for example, domestic incandescent light bulbs produce very red light, while many fluorescent strip lights are greenish.  This particular balance is known as the colour temperature.  Confusingly, blue is a high colour temperature while red is a low temperature.  The human eye adjusts very quickly to different light colours so we don't actually notice the difference, but cameras aren't so lucky.  The white balance setting enables the camera to recognise what the colour white should look like under various types of light, so that it can get all the other colours right.  Here is an explanation of colour temperature for studio lighting sources. 

Doing it for the kids?

Children are popular photographic subjects, but make notoriously unreliable sitters.  Try these useful tips:

1. Get down to their height and shoot from the child's eye level

2. Stop shooting when the child starts to tire.  Grumpy children make terrible subjects.

3. When on the move, try a slow shutter speed to capture their natural exuberance.

4. Don't force kids to smile, either entertain them or let them do what comes naturally.

5. Hand the camera to another child and let them capture each other - the results can be inspirational.

Have a plan

Whether you're photographing friends and family for pleasure or people you don't know for business, identifying the sitter's needs is crucial.  For example, would your subject feel more comfortable being shot at home, in the studio or on location?  Ask them questions to uncover their likes or dislikes - anything to relax them.  When shooting children, it helps to get down to their level mentally.  Don't be afraid to have fun.  It's also vital that you're in tune with their expectations of the whole project.  What do they want from the portrait?  Show them examples of differing styles of composition, style and lighting so that you focus in on what they were imagining you would create so that you produce what's expected.

Ambient lighting

While artificial lights can be used to create striking effects, they are too often a luxury that most of us can't afford.  But truely stylish images can be created by placing your subject near a window.  The further you bring them into the room, the softer the light will be.  Use a silver reflector, white board, card covered in aluminium foil for dramatic effects, to bounce light into the shadows on the face and body.  If you need to use artificial lighting, try a reading lamp or a flash unit.  These add depth and warmth to a home environment and shadows.  Move it around and alter exposure settings to get the image you want.

Control White Balance

Set the white balance on your camera manually if possible.  Some cameras allow you to create customised settings.  I set my camera's white balance by placing a Greteg MacBeth Grey Card in the scene.  This allows me to configure the camera for that lighting.  Another useful and inexpensive aid to help achieve the desired white balance is the Opti Card.  What's more, I always shoot in RAW mode so that I'm able to change lighting conditions on my computer and exert more control over the final result.

Supermodel Style

Full-length poses are a good way of making people appear slimmer, particularly if their figures are posed correctly - weight placed on the back foot and body turned at 45 degrees will make the sitter look more sleek and graceful.  When outside, use longer focal length lenses to compress things even more.

When to go mono

Scenes with high contrast and texture can really benefit from being shot in black and white.  Faces that show real animation or have unusual features will look more dramatic.

Informal Portraits

A low-key picture isn't just a normal photo that's too dark.  The secret is to have at least part of your subject's face correctly lit, but have everything else in near or total darkness.  A similar set-up to a forma portrait can be used but adjust the main light so it no longer illuminates the background.  In addition, the reflector should be moved further away too.  Illumination should be provided by a main light positioned above - turned down to half power and a reflector on the right.  If you can't adjust your flash, moving the unit further away gives a similar effect.

The key to this kind of shot is to make the most of shadows.  Ask a female model to drape hair over her shoulder to cast a shadow across her face.  The reflector will retain some shadow detail, but the result will be a striking portrait.

Group Therapy

Of course, you won't always want to shoot single sitters.  From couples and families, to a child with a pet, subjects come in all shapes, sizes and quantities and all have individual needs.

Interestingly, it is group shots that are the most challenging to the photographer who wants to shoot in style.  Apart from perhaps the exception of couples, groups often appear messy and they contain more elements, are naturally more difficult to compose in a way that is aesthetically pleasing.  For harmonious pictures, advise your subjects to wear plain clothing, as this will cut down on the amount of busy details competing for attention in the image.

Place your subjects one by one, starting off with the subject that is to be central to the image, and then work outwards to build up a composition where each person has their own individual part to play, but still complements those around him or her.

Many photographers like to arrange subjects according to their heights and this is particularly effective when composing formal portraits and wedding photos.  If, however, you are shooting for personal or artistic pleasure, try to achieve a range of levels in the picture, as this will be more attractive to the eye.  A child in the lap or someone sitting on the arm of a chair helps to break up a dull composition and adds more interest, as can a range of poses.

Try to relate subjects to one another and choose a mixture of stances such as placing one member of a group slightly behind another or turned slightly in one direction.  Couples work best if they are touching or are looking at one another.  In this vein remember that portraiture does not have to mean that subjects are gazing at the camera.  A mother tending to her baby or a man gazing at his wife can both inject valuable emotion into a shot.

 

This article shows the quality and variety of techniques that customers benefit from as part of our commercial photography and architectural photography service.  Call now to discuss your requirements and timescales on 079101 68536.

Copyright Adam Coupe Commercial Photography 2009