Photograph People and Take Portraits Like a Pro
- In This Quick Guide:
- Posing Your Subjects
- Shooting Portraits Indoors
- Shooting Outdoors
- Using Shadows
Sure, you can take a whole bunch of pictures of people posing and mugging for the camera, but if you don’t apply some solid techniques when shooting portraits and people, chances are that many of these shots will simply be a hodgepodge of snapshots. In this guide you’ll learn the proper ways to frame, light, and take the best photos of people.
Posing Your Subjects
When taking a formal portrait, it’s up to you to help your subjects strike an appropriate pose, but that doesn’t mean that your subjects have to be rigidly posed. Here are several ways in which you can set up for a formal portrait:
- If you’re shooting just two people, one can be sitting in a chair with the other standing alongside or behind the chair.
- If you’re shooting a larger group, two or three can be sitting in chairs, the others standing between or behind them. Always be sure to have your camera aperture set at f/5.6 or greater so that you create an adequate depth of field to ensure that everyone will be in focus.
- If the event is a milestone, such as a graduation, you can show a father and son shaking hands, or perhaps both parents with their arms around their son’s or daughter’s shoulders and perhaps looking at the diploma.
- If you’re using a fireplace as a background and including three or more people in your shot, arrange your subjects on either side of the fire. If there are just one or two people, have them both stand to one side of the fire.
- When photographing a large group of people, make sure one head isn’t directly behind another, so that you don’t end up with what appears to be two heads stacked on a single body.
- Ask people in a large group to stand at a 45-degree angle with their heads turned toward the camera. This will not only enable you to get more people in the shot but will also make everyone appear thinner.
Shooting Portraits Indoors
Lighting is the most important element when shooting portraits and people indoors. Poor or incorrect lighting will result in a poor quality photo.
If you are photographing several people posing in front of the fireplace with a fire burning, use the fire to set your tone for the photo. Bring your subjects in and then observe how the light from the fire falls on them. Measure the exposure value of the light using either the built-in light meter on your camera or a handheld meter. If you want a dark, moody shot, you might be able to use the fire as your primary source of lighting. Otherwise, you will need a front-lighting source to expose the subjects properly. Should you opt to use an on-camera flash, the lighting source that will illuminate your subject will come from the camera or film plane. This straightforward angle will have a tendency to flatten out the depth of the image, so make sure your secondary lighting is exposed as well. You can also use a remote flash placed off-camera to the side of your subjects, which will create pleasing angles of light on your subject. Using a remote flash in this way can help give the photo added depth.
When you decide to photograph someone in a less formal setting, you won’t have a lot of time to set up and create the combination of ambient and artificial light. It’s either there or it isn’t. The best way to shoot this kind of photo is to simply put your camera on the automatic exposure setting and let it do the work for you. It will dictate the proper exposure for each shot and even determine whether the flash will fire.
Shooting Outdoors
When shooting people outdoors, you are always going to be contending with the light from the sun. The sun will give you a variety of looks around which to build a photo.
The most important factor is the exposure palette on the face of the person. This can sometimes be a little tricky. For example, the midday sun might be so bright that it creates unwanted harsh shadows under the eyebrows, nose, and chin. This will give the subject a very unflattering look.
If you must shoot a formal outdoor portrait when the sun is very harsh, you can compensate by:
- moving around to try to find a better angle so that the shadows are not as prominent on the faces of your subjects.
- using a flash to soften the shadows.
- using a polarizing filter.
You can always soften the light by the use of flash or filters, but it’s best to wait for the natural light to fall in just the way you want it. The setting sun can provide the perfect angle and softness of light for an outstanding photograph.
Avoid shooting with any kind of glass background, such as storefront, because the reflection will likely leave a big bright spot on your photo, or produce a reflection of you and the group you are shooting. By the same token, a very bright colored background, such as a white wall, should only be used if your subjects are dressed in dark clothing. Otherwise, you won’t achieve the kind of contrast you need for an effective photo.
Using Shadows
Shadows are created by a light source, but can be controlled by the photographer to a great degree. Although certain shadows can create a harsh effect on your subject, you want to be careful not to eliminate them entirely because your photos will then have an almost flat look.
You can control the shadows by looking at your subject from different angles and seeing just where the shadow falls from each location. Or you can move the subject, which will also change the location of the shadows.
For instance, suppose your subject has a rather rounded or pudgy face. If you set up your shot so that there is a strong shadow on one side of his face, it will elongate the subject’s face and reduce the appearance of roundness.
A flash can also be used to create shadows. If you want a shadow to fall on the right side of your subject, shoot the photo with a flash from an angle on the left side of the subject. You can also control the angle of the shadow by making a minor adjustment to the angle of the flash.
Learning how to create great portraits takes a little time and practice, but once you get these techniques under your belt you will be taking photographs like a pro. Happy clicking!
From The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Great Photography by Shawn Frederick and Bill Gutman
