Saturday, August 08, 2009

Portrait Photography - Tips And Methods

By William Stevens

Profiles of people have been frozen in many famous photographs for decades. Portrait photography emphasizes on not just the subjects but on their personalities as well, thereby bringing the frozen frames alive.

A good portrait photograph achieves a non-conventional aspect by freezing the subject from an exclusive camera angle and in a mental state that is representative of the person. However, portraits of one person or of whole families are also clicked by photographers, and these are generally stuck in family albums.

A perfect close up with a clear focus on the subject's face is what gives portrait photographs that touch of class. This can be attained by using a setting in the camera that makes the background slightly hazy and faint so as to make the face look more in focus. This job of highlighting the face becomes easier with a camera having a larger aperture. However, in some portrait photographs where the person wants to be seen along with the background, particularly in photographs taken outdoors, a normal aperture serves the objective better.

Without ample light to illuminate the face, photographers find it hard to take a good image. However, by following some basic photography tips, a good portrait photograph can be clicked. If the person is made to sit by a window in a posture in which sunlight falls only partially on the face, then the photograph generally ends up looking splendid. The remaining part of the face can be lighted up by making use of a reflective object like a white piece of glossy paper or board. However, Studio lighting can also be tuned to fit the light requirements for high quality portrait photographs, and therefore several photographers seek to take such photographs within the confines of studios.

Another important thing that you must keep in mind is that the more comfortable a subject is during the shoot, better the chances are of getting an ideal portrait photograph. Technical sophistication in photography will work only when the subject is comfortable and relaxed, and displays his or her real self before the camera. - 2361

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