Tip 1:
Shooting people at their best..... Anyone wants to look perfect in a photograph. This doesn't mean the person taking the photo has to flatter people by making them appear more attractive then they really are, But it does mean that you should always, and I do mean always, do your subject justice. To get good pictures of people, it will take some very good forethought. Its very easy to end up with a subject looking stiff or statue like. What people want in a photograph of them is to look normal and alive, while bringing out their individuality. Whether it be a snapshot or a carefully composed portrait, your goal is to capture the essence of the subject's personality as reflected in a given situation. The trick is knowing in advance what you want the photo to portray, and then achieving it in the most simple and direct way.
Tip 2:
Learn to Express Personality...... Each persons face is the guide to personality. Any photographer realizes the advantages of a vivid expression or gesture. Because of this, its often to easy to forget the other elements in a photo that will provide valuable clues to character. Include everything in the final image to help build an impression of the subject, from a persons hairstyle to the way they are sitting or standing, to other objects in the entire setting, just by placing your subject in a sympathetic environment, you can reveal something about their personalities.
You need to decide in advance what aspect of your subjects character you want to show in the photo, being ready until the moment you are waiting for shows itself. I have laid on the floor waiting for what seemed like hours for a child to bite her lip, a habit she has, and give the photo of her, her true personality. People are also more relaxed in their own environment, and taking photos of them with their favorite possessions, will speak volumes of their personalities. Don't make the mistake of cluttering the photo with objects to get the message across, keep it simple. The best portraits are often those in which the photographer has singled out just a few items to tell the story of the subject's lifestyle. Remember to plan in advance what you want the photo to say about your subject.
Tip 3:
Keep the Subject Relaxed...... Even your family or closest friends who are at ease with you on a daily basis, can freeze up suddenly when you point a camera at them. Giving the photograph a very unnatural look of the person you just photographed. No matter whether your a beginner to photography, or a Pro, everyone will have to cope with the camera shyness at one time or another. How you will get the subject relaxed will depend upon the type person you will be dealing with, along with the situation. To a certain extent, you will have to take it on the fly, but there are some advance preparations you can make. Get all the technicalities out of the way well before the portrait session. Decide which exposure, lighting, and camera viewpoint you will want. I always use an assistant ahead of time to stand in and act like the subject for the shoot. Unless your confident of your techniques, you will likely seem nervous, and this will make your subject nervous and uncomfortable. One of the best ways to make people at ease is to divert their attention away from the camera. I personally like to joke around and have a good time with the subject's, putting them at ease and not really thinking about what is happening around them. Kids are the worst about feeling uncomfortable in portraits. That's why many photographers that shoot children have toys and stuffed animals as props, taking the child's mind off of what is about to happen. If your shooting a couple, who have a close relationship, such as a father and son in the photo below, if you wait and take your time, you might find them becoming so absorbed in each other that they forget about you taking their picture.
Such tender moments are more likely to happen if you remain as unobtrusive as possible. A longer focal lens will allow you to distance yourself from your subjects. I like to use a 70-200mm lens so I can zoom in on any aspect of their image that catches my eye. As in the next photo, the mother wanted a photo of her son, who hates having his picture taken. I completely ignored the boy, but kept a watchful eye on him. When I noticed his concentration was on something else, I took this photo of him. It turns out this photo is the one they loved the most. Tip 4:
Compose the Picture..... In trying to take a photograph that expresses the personality of a friend or the spirit of a family occasion, you should not overlook the composition of the image. The balance of dark and light, the patterns of lines and shapes, and the effect of colors you see in the viewfinder can influence the whole mood and atmosphere. Light tones can suggest and open, lighthearted personality, where darker tones in an image can hint a somber mood.
A single subject can provide the photo a strong center of interest. I can't think of anything that can draw your attention more then a human figure. Having a focal point is always a compositional virtue. And it might be possible to emphasize the subject more by using strong lines leading to your focal point. Also, you can try to use the classic principle of dividing the viewfinder into thirds, and put your feature of your subject, like the eyes on one of these imaginary lines.
The geometry of lines and shapes become more important when you are dealing with more then just one person. Instead of lining everyone up in one line, try to vary the subjects in distance and in height from the camera.
Tip 5:
Fill the Frame..... Filling the frame with just the head and shoulder, or even just the face, is a bold step to take. This style of effect is to concentrate all the viewers attention on your subjects expression or features. But do remember, if this is not just right, there is no other point of interest to fall back on. Along with the risk, there are great rewards. Meaning that a close viewpoint implies a more then casual bond between the photographer and subject. A tight cropped format is ideal for intimate photos of those close to you. And by removing all extra details from the image, the impact of the facial expression is greatly increased.
If you use a normal lens on your camera, or your camera does not have a zoom feature, you might have to move very close to your subject to fill the frame with head shots. To the subject, this can be very intimidating, and can cause undesirable distortions to appear. Example would be the nose would look to big for the face, while the ears look very small. A telephoto lens of 135mm would be a better choice, allowing you to shoot at a greater distance from the subject. Or another option is that you could just crop the image, but remember you will loose some quality of the photo. Remember to shoot with small aperture to keep as much of the subjects face in focus as possible. At close distances, depth of field becomes very shallow, and accurate focusing is essential, or the find detail such as hair, can become blurred. Focusing on the eyes helps to avoid this, if you keep the eyes tack sharp, less sharp facial features elsewhere in the picture will be acceptable.
Don't forget that lighting is important also. A tack sharp photo of a subjects face invites detailed scrutiny, so that even small lines can seem obtrusive. For this reason, soft diffused light such as light from a window or light reflected from white paper will have a more flattering effect. A trick taught to me years ago was to use soft focus filters when shooting women. I had 2 filters I broke the glass out of, and inserted black pantyhose in between them and use them as my soft focus filter. The 2 photos below were shot using exact same strobe light settings and camera settings. The first is without filter, and second is with filter.
Tip 6:
The Right Lens..... Capturing a telling expression or pose is the key to many successful photographs of people. But the choice of lens will be an important part in determining the composition and impact of the photo. A normal lens (50mm-55mm) is excellent for full body portraits. These lenses will show people in a natural scale with one another, and with the surroundings. You can expand your creative range when photographing people by trying lenses with longer focal lengths.
A telephoto lens has two qualities that make it also useful. First, its magnifying effect allows you to distance yourself from your subject, while still getting that close head and shoulder shot your after. Second, the telephoto has a shallow depth of field which is a big asset in portraiture, when often you want to blur the confusing background so as to provide a plain frame for the main subject. I would say the 2 best lenses in this area would be the 80mm and 135mm. They're light weight and easy to carry all day compared to the super telephoto lenses.
If your shooting a very large group, then I would opt for the wide angle lenses. With the wide angle lens, you can fit everyone into the frame without going so far back in distance that the faces and expressions become lost in the photo. Sometimes, the tendency of the wide angle lens to distort at close range can be used creatively.
Tip 7:
A persons eyes are their most recognizable features. They have a magnetism that both compels our attention and draws us into the depths of the personality behind the face. As a result, nothing has more influence than the eyes on the particular mood and meaning of a portrait.
A good portrait by no means depends on a level, eyeball to eyeball, confrontation with the camera. A photo of someone looking away from the lens may succeed because the element of awareness seems missing. This effect will give an idea of being lost in thoughts. The photo of the little boy above is a good example of this. On the other hand, a pose looking toward the camera with the head turned slightly away can strike an effective balance between formal and informal portrait, as in the photo below.
There are two fundamental reasons why you should watch the eyes closely when you take a picture of someone. First, they move more rapidly then any other part of the face. Second, if the eyes are in sharp focus, so will the rest of the face. The eyes in a photo, have a tendency to draw you into the photo.
I hope that you have found these simple tips helpful. I am sure that if you concentrate on these, your photography will see improvement..
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Author: Danny Boxberger
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