Portrait Photography - Capturing The Subject
There are various types of photography. One of them is portrait photography or portraiture as it is also called. Portrait Photography is the art of capturing images of individuals or groups of people that lays much emphasis on the face and its expression. A portrait photograph often shows a person looking directly into the camera. Even though the main focus of the photograph is the face, the entire body and background may be included in a portrait. Portraits are usually taken when the subjects are in still position. Portrait photography creates a visual record of people at various stages in their life. The photographs could be taken to keep a visual record of various stages in a person's life or during special occasions such as weddings, graduations etc. Professional portrait photographers usually have completed college training, apprenticeship, or other specialized training in their art.
Portrait Photography uses natural and studio lighting, professional backdrops and posing techniques in a creative manner. In order to come up with a good portrait, the photographer must take control over the lighting of the composition of the subject. He or she must also adjust intensity and direction. There are various methods of lighting a subject's face. Some of the common portrait photography lighting plans are the 3-point lighting and butterfly lighting.
The 3-point lighting plan is one of the most basic lighting plans. This plan uses 3-4 lights to fully bring out the details and the features of the subject in 3D.The three main lights are the key light, the fill light and the back light. When a fourth light is used, it is used to add a bright edge light on the fill light side of the subjects face. The fourth light is known as the kicker. The second lighting plan is the butterfly lighting. In this plan only two lights are used. The key or main light is placed directly in front of the subject. In most cases, the light is placed above the camera or slightly to one side. The other light used in butterfly lighting is a rim light. The purpose of the rim light is to provide fill light and to soften shadows. Butterfly lighting can be recognized by the strong light that falls on the forehead, the nose, bridge and upper cheeks of the subject's face. This lighting plan also produces a shadow below the nose which resembles a butterfly hence the name. Accessory lights can be added to basic lighting plans in order to produce additional highlights or add some background definition.
After the portraits have been created by the photographer, the client views proofs and orders reprints for personal use. The time period it takes to view proofs ranges from a few hours to a couple of weeks. Reprint orders often take a few weeks to complete. Portraits come in different sizes starting from wallet size to big wall murals. Portrait photographers are mostly employed by portrait studios, theme restaurants and commercial companies among others.When choosing a lens for portrait photography, avoid wide angle lenses. This is because they capture too much background that can divert attention from the subject of the portrait. Instead, choose a lens in the range of 50mm-200mm. These lenses remove background distortion and, you don not have to be very close to the subject to take a good photograph.
Portrait Photography uses natural and studio lighting, professional backdrops and posing techniques in a creative manner. In order to come up with a good portrait, the photographer must take control over the lighting of the composition of the subject. He or she must also adjust intensity and direction. There are various methods of lighting a subject's face. Some of the common portrait photography lighting plans are the 3-point lighting and butterfly lighting.
The 3-point lighting plan is one of the most basic lighting plans. This plan uses 3-4 lights to fully bring out the details and the features of the subject in 3D.The three main lights are the key light, the fill light and the back light. When a fourth light is used, it is used to add a bright edge light on the fill light side of the subjects face. The fourth light is known as the kicker. The second lighting plan is the butterfly lighting. In this plan only two lights are used. The key or main light is placed directly in front of the subject. In most cases, the light is placed above the camera or slightly to one side. The other light used in butterfly lighting is a rim light. The purpose of the rim light is to provide fill light and to soften shadows. Butterfly lighting can be recognized by the strong light that falls on the forehead, the nose, bridge and upper cheeks of the subject's face. This lighting plan also produces a shadow below the nose which resembles a butterfly hence the name. Accessory lights can be added to basic lighting plans in order to produce additional highlights or add some background definition.
After the portraits have been created by the photographer, the client views proofs and orders reprints for personal use. The time period it takes to view proofs ranges from a few hours to a couple of weeks. Reprint orders often take a few weeks to complete. Portraits come in different sizes starting from wallet size to big wall murals. Portrait photographers are mostly employed by portrait studios, theme restaurants and commercial companies among others.When choosing a lens for portrait photography, avoid wide angle lenses. This is because they capture too much background that can divert attention from the subject of the portrait. Instead, choose a lens in the range of 50mm-200mm. These lenses remove background distortion and, you don not have to be very close to the subject to take a good photograph.
Source...