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Basics of Digital Photography, Week 8 PowerPoint
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WEEK 8: PORTRAITSJoel Kinison
College of Southern MarylandMarch 2009
PORTRAIT BASICS• A portrait is defined as a likeness of a person • Reveals something of the person’s character• Good portraits contain something about the
person’s personality, attitude and mannerisms• Some people show character with immediate
transparency, while others may be more difficult to “read” at first
• This takes skill and an understanding of human nature
FORMAL PORTRAITS• Get to know your subject with small
talk or informal conversation. It’s important for people to feel comfortable– Plan a few shots to break the ice.– You and the subject will be nervous.
• Calming the subject– Relatively comfortable position– Subject will settle down during the
shoot• You must be in charge
– Competent and knowledgeable– Only then will your subject become
relaxed• Emphasize the person in a portrait - not
his or her surroundings.
PORTRAITS OUTDOORS• What background works best with the clothes your
subject is wearing? • Where is the sun? • Is there wind to mess up the hair?• Is the location private, or will you have to worry
about clutter or distractions in the background? • What is the weather like; is it sunny or overcast? An
overcast sky provides soft, diffused light, while a sunny sky provides bright, intense light. Overcast is preferable in most cases.
• What can you use in your surroundings to enhance the composition?
PORTRAITS INDOORS• Will you use a flash or the available natural light? • If you will use a flash, will you use the built-in flash
or a bounce flash ? If you use a bounce flash, how high is the ceiling and what color are the walls? Both will affect the outcome of the shot.
• If you are using the available light, how strong is the light coming in from windows or doors? If the light is not very strong, you may need a slower shutter speed, and possibly a tripod to avoid blur.
• Pay attention to the background tones and objects.
MORE ON BACKGROUNDSDistractions• Distracting focal point (silly face in the
background)• Protruding elements from subjects
heads• Competing lines (strong clashing lines)
Strategies• Check your background• Move your subject• Change your shooting angle• Use aperture or focal length to blue
backgrounds• Fill your frame• Post processing
Make your location work for you. Be aware of the background and the available light, but also the environment
Mojo from Flickrhttp://flickr.com/photos/mojo74/2428713524/
THE VACATION PORTRAIT• Family with nice background scene• Problem: too much background, but you can
barely tell who is in the photo• In portraits – the subject is the people• Too much background can cause conflict
DEPTH OF FIELD• Background can be too
distracting. Decrease the aperture setting on your camera to narrow the DOF.
• The same depth of field effect can be obtained by simply moving closer to the subject.
The closer the subject is to camera, the narrower the depth of field it
will appear in.
Rule of thirdsThis works under the concept that tension in the picture will bring more interest.
One way of enhancing the composition of your shots is to place your points of interest inn smart positions.
While the rule of thirds can be broken with great effect it’s a useful principle to keep in mind.
Digital Photography Schoolhttp://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds
background
Rule of thirds
Break Rules
Get Closer• If you see something
interesting, don't be satisfied with just a wide shot.
• Think about the essence of what you are photographing and work closer and closer until you have isolated and captured it.
• Don't be shy. People are usually happy to show you what they do well.
Fill your frame
Get Closer
FRAMING• Photographs are two dimensional but it helps if they look and
feel three dimensional.
National GeographicPhotograph
FRAMINGIf you use objects other than your main subject in the foreground, be careful of placement. You don't want to obscure or detract from your subject.
Every time you hold your camera to your eye, look for leading lines, foreground elements, frames—anything you can use to lend dynamism to your image.
LINES
LINESIntersecting points - Lines
To really capture the mood avoid the stark and bright light of flash photography (or will want to at diffuse it) and so you’ll need to switch off your flash and do one (or all) of three things to some extent • Increase your ISO • Slow down shutter speed• Use a larger Aperture
Lighting to really capture the mood
Natural Light
SilhouettesDirect Light
Back Light
Foreground lighting
PERSPECTIVEOff center different perspective – Viewpoint and Framing
PERSPECTIVEOff center different perspective – Viewpoint and Framing
PERSPECTIVE
Make your images stand out by finding fresh perspectives to shoot from.
BALANCEAn internal, physical responseDoes the image feel balanced?
OR does it tilt or feel heavier in one part than another
REMEMBER• Always keep your end photo in mind when you
are searching out locations and taking pictures. • Evaluating your situations may not come as
second nature like it does for professional photographers, but, with practice, you can recognize a photo and to look for those photographic elements that can help or hurt your pictures.
Have fun with filters
WEEK 8 ASSIGNMENTPost a portrait photo on the group Flickr web site