12 Photography Basics for Portrait Photography: 40 Examples
Portrait Photography is all about capturing the best shot of a person or two. Generally, it is focused on single person and needs to be clear enough to fit as a portrait. The portrait photographer must know about the best photography basics for portrait photography. So, here are some photography basics for the portrait photographers to be followed while portrait photography.
Photography Basics for Portrait Photography
Choose the Appropriate setting
This is one of the most important steps in any type of photography. You need to consider the following points before choosing the right setting:
- The attitude of the object
- The location of photography capturing
- The background of the image
The best setting is to choose the background contrasting with object and you must focus on the object. Choose a setting that is very passive and complements the theme.
Consider the lightning
Lightning should affect the photograph effectively. Try to go with natural light most of the time. It is really very important to be aware of the shadows and lightning. Things to consider while adjusting lightning are:
- The flash light might cause red eye
- Use the soft lightning for romantic photographs
- Experiment with the lightning
The Subject must be posed well
To capture a good photograph, the position of the object is a major concern. Things need to be positioned well and the pose must be attractive.
- Make sure that sufficient light is falling on the object
- Pose your body at different angles
Use the reflectors
The reflectors help in reflecting the flash instantly towards the object being captured. The object captured must have the right lightning surrounding it. Reflectors help in adjusting the lightning around the object.
Use Correct Camera Settings
The camera settings must be fine. Some of the prominent settings of the camera while capturing a portrait photograph are:
- Use an optical zoom
- You should use the widest possible aperture
- Make use of a tele lens to create distortions, and soft backgrounds or for taking pictures from a distance
Vary Your Viewpoint
You must vary your viewpoint which means that you should look at the object differently to capture a nice photograph. Capturing the photos with different angles may work most of the time. Figure out something unique in the subject.
Aperture advice
It is highly recommended to set the aperture wide for capturing a shallow depth of field. This will make the background at the back of your subject blurred.
- The wide aperture is around f/22.8 to f/5.6
- Shoot the photo in aperture priority mode
Increase the ISO
People tend to move around while being captured. The problem of people in motion while being captured can be improved by increasing the shutter speed. ISO100 to ISO400 will help significantly.
Shutter Speed
The speed of the shutter also plays an important role in capturing a nice photograph.
- Your shutter speed must be higher than the effective focal length
- At a distance of 200mm, the shutter speed must be 1/250 seconds faster
- You can use the slower shutter speeds while using wide angle lenses.
Keep the Photo Composition simple
Photo must appear to be natural enough. The photo composition must be very simple. This can be done in following manner:
- Do not overuse the special effects
- Position your subject nicely
Background and Location are important
The right photo background and location is important for portrait photography. It can be chosen as:
- Use the contrasting background
- Location must be set according to the theme of photograph
Use a Professional Camera
Camera is an important aspect while capturing the photographs. You camera must have quality configurations to capture the photographs in any kind of environment.
Portrait Photography
Usage of applications of Photoshop holds one of the top position in getting unique portrait photographs. You can click over here to check out some amazing Photoshop tutorials to give amazing and eye-catching appearance to your clicked images.