Portrait Photography Techniques

A portrait photographer depends upon another person to complete his picture. The subject imagined, which in a sense is me, must be discovered in someone else willing to take part in a fiction he cannot possibly know about. - Richard Avedon.

There are many different types of photography, and portrait photography is one of the most important one. Like in any other kind of photography, there are also some techniques and considerations to be kept in mind. But to understand these techniques, beginners first need to know what this type of photography is.

What is Portrait Photography?

Portrait photography is a section of photography wherein the most important aspect to be captured is the facial expression of the person. The most significant part is to show the mood of the person. Even though this type of photography is completely related to capturing the facial expressions and mood of the person, the body may as well be included. Typically, a portrait is not taken like a quick snapshot, but the subject is adjusted in a way the photographer prefers, with the person looking straight into the camera. And this digital photography really requires a great eye for detail.

Portrait photographs are used for a wide range of purposes such as fine art portraiture or just for the sake of identification of any material. A good example is the printed photo of the author on the book. There is a common misconception among people regarding portrait photography. They think that this kind of photography is pretty easy to get into and just requires the fundamental lessons. However, famous photographers will agree to the fact that humans are the most difficult subjects to capture in photos. Moreover, you also need to pay attention to the skin tone, lighting conditions, appropriate facial expressions, color of the eyes, and sometimes even the background.

Indoor and Outdoor Techniques
In order to make your picture look the best, you need to consider some very important points. If you are taking an indoor portrait, you have to understand about the way the lighting is supposed to be used. In case of outdoor portraiture, you should use natural light to add detail to the picture. For best results, just set the camera setting to portrait mode. Learn more about your camera, its advanced settings, and most importantly the lens.

Capturing the exact moment and emotion is what portrait photographers look forward to. You have to pay attention to and be aware of even the minutest detail and expressions of the subject. If you think that it is the right moment, capture it. Here, advanced DSLRs are the best tools for capturing the expressions. If you are taking a close-up shot; capture every detail of the eyes, hair, eyebrows, and eyelids.

Learn some portrait photography lighting techniques which include underexposure and overexposure. In simple terms, underexposure means not exposing the subject to much lighting, which attracts substantial attention to the lighter parts. Overexposure is right opposite, and includes extra lighting thrown on or used on the subject. This will attract attention to the darker sections of the picture.

For showing action in the picture, you can use camera movement. The blurred images will give you a visual of the action really happening. You can even experiment with different photography techniques which make use of reflections, shadows, and lighting conditions.

I hope after reading this article, you might have got an idea as to how to go about with using portrait photography techniques in this art. Just remember that lighting, backgrounds, and emotions mean a lot in portrait photography.