Would you like to know how to take good portraits? Portrait photography is essentially the process of depicting natural attributes of the objects or subjects in a still image captured by the lens. Conceptually, the intent behind creating portraiture is to exhibit the personality, and mood of the subject.
What generally comes to mind when we talk about portrait photography is a painting of some prominent personalities or a glass-framed family picture hanging on a wall; but other everyday objects of nature like landscapes, flower-buds, or birds also make good subjects of photography. The prime concern of any portrait making is to bring out the essence of nature so that viewers could connect themselves to the image being viewed by them.
A great portrait is not just an imagery rendition of the subjects by the artist, but to represent the perceived emotional contents and personality of the subject being brought out into an image. To effectively portray the image in your portraits; more than professional training- individual creativity, perception, and personality of the photographer also matters.
Taking great portraits involves engaging the subject in the task through proper eye contact, making them feel at home with friendly gestures, asking them their likes and dislikes etc. In addition, your subject needs to be comfortable in order to reflect their true personalities and emotions.
Few things that you need to remember as a portrait photographer is that you and the subject concerned needs to be comfortable in your own setting. Feeling at ease will specifically enable the subject to reflect his or her own personality without inhibitions. Hence, appropriate body languages, being friendly with your subject will help you bring out the natural attributes you require from your subject and transfer it to the image of your portrait.
Depending on your creativity and perception, you could also take portraits of different areas of the body that could metaphorically represent the nature in its true light. For example, you may click just the lips, hairstyle, or other body ornaments like earrings. These will be understood differently by different people but certainly meaning something- be it femininity, happiness, or sadness. Play with the imagination of the viewers by not presenting the whole image!
Human eyes can tell a lot about a person’s personality. In addition, it makes sense in portrait photography to incorporate the silent message that eyes could convey. Ask the subject to focus on something in the direction you are sitting or standing but not directly facing the lens; click pictures with the subject looking sideways, or down the lens but within the frame of your camera. Portraits of other body parts like tattooed arms, the torso, or just the fist or palms could also make sense in portraits. However, makes sure that the image does not look like a random shot but that it represents something.
Click multiple shots in quick succession by keeping it in burst mode. Preview the images before choosing the perfect portrait. In addition, remember to have enough memory space in your camera. If you’re using a conventional camera that uses films, buy a new film and there you go. Portrait photography is a popular form of practice everywhere since it provides a cost effective option as opposed to portrait painting that was traditionally practice in the olden day.
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