Art Of Taking Portrait Photos

By Ping Wooten


Portrait photography is an art. It is a lot more than just taking a picture of someone, but revealing his character by catching his feelings in various circumstances. The photos we shoot for official records like driver's permit and passports belong in this category, true, but there is a lot more to portrait photography than those. The most excellent ones are in fact those that reveal the personality of the subject and evoke reactions from the viewers.

Taking a good portrait photo calls for two factors, namely, the lighting and the subject's pose. Since the subject is the focus of every photo, the background is elective. Some photographers even favor a bare background in white to further accentuate the subject. The background should aim to elicit the emotions of the subject and not switch the focus of the photo.

The goal is to reveal the subject's emotion, personality, and even disposition. Some photo can do this by featuring only the face of the subject, while others show emotions better by including the whole body. And since our eyes, as the windows of one's soul, have the power to beckon people without using words, many of these images feature the subject looking directly into the camera to engross viewers. There are also times when the subject's pose and facial expression already reveal so much that there is no need to look straight into the camera. Some of the most enthralling portrait pictures were actually taken candidly while the model was doing a particular activity.

The positioning of the model and the angle of the camera give the picture another perspective. The photo should allow the spectators to take a look at and sense the subject's emotions. The pose of the subject can offer spectators a glimpse of his or her feelings, while the angle of the camera can offer them a chance to experience those feelings.

Finally, as with every picture, lighting is essential. It can give the photo more dimensions and help it attain a more dramatic look. How the photographer controls the light can give variations to a plain pose. Similarly, the light can either enrich the image or destroy it. Inaccurate placement of the light or excess or lack of it can spoil the look of the picture.




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