We shoot portraits in nature. Portrait (a genre of portrait photography in photography)

It is difficult to classify it, it is difficult even to find the line between a portrait and just an image of a person in a photo, because not every person makes the photograph itself a portrait. This is the main task of this genre - depicting the properties of your character, paying attention to him.

It all depends on two factors - technology and imagination.

Technique

This is the foundation, whatever you say. But it’s worth dispelling the myth that if you don’t have expensive equipment, you won’t take a portrait. Of course, you won’t be able to do a business or fashion portrait like on magazine covers, but you can do other techniques. But don't count on a soapbox either. The camera must have manual settings. Like, for example, my Fuji s1500.

The optics here are not removable, but the portraits come out quite good.

Fantasyand I

I can't help many people here. Fantasy either exists or it doesn’t. But I can say the following.

Artistic photo portrait- a product of creative labor. To create it the way you want means to first study and understand your model. We can say with confidence that if no one doubts the period of gestation of a theme by an artist or writer, then in relation to artistic portraiture one can foresee some skepticism in this regard. A photographic portrait is not created in a few minutes, but requires lengthy preparation and considerable time investment.

A portrait requires getting to know the model, and the photographer must be a psychologist and feel the model. Not in any form visual arts The impact of technology on creativity is not as noticeable as in art photography. However, if the plan is not thought out at its core, then no technical means it cannot be fulfilled. You need to know in advance what the result should be, what should appear in the photograph. No one is interested in hasty and indistinct one-day photographs that lightly and narrowly reflect reality. The search for a new interesting plot inevitably leads to stylization.

Mode

In the portrait genre, bokeh is very important - blurring of the background. We can do this defocus in Photoshop, but it’s worth trying to do it using the settings. In the case of a camera like mine, without removable optics and a focus wheel, we do this:

– select mode A on the camera

– open the aperture all the way, i.e. set the minimum value “f/” (this will ensure the background is blurred)

– take a photo, look at the screen, if the photo is too dark or light – adjust the exposure

Focal length

With the focal length, everything is simple: the longer it is, the more the background is blurred. So, if you use a lens with a variable focal length, that is, a “zoom”, at a value of 55 mm the background will be blurred more than, for example, at 35 mm. In the case of point-and-shoot cameras, try to use zoom to the extent that it is still optical: after a certain point, many cameras use digital zoom, and this spoils the quality of the image.

Light

Now about the time of shooting and what underlies any photography – light. Many novice photographers are accustomed to shooting in the first half of the day, closer to noon, arguing that “the more light, the better.” Alas, it’s not worth taking portraits at such a time. If you decide to photograph against the sun, direct sunlight will not fall on the person’s face and body from the lens. As a result, the background will be too light, and the model will be too dark. Don't forget that the camera sees a little less detail in light and dark areas than our eyes, especially for point-and-shoot cameras.

In the photo the model is standing against the sun. In the photo the model is standing against the sun, but thanks to two reflectors the light is directed towards her.

If you put a person in direct sunlight, you will get a completely ugly picture. Part of the face will be “decorated” by a huge triangular shadow from the nose, and the eyes, on which the shadow from the eyelids and eyebrows will fall, will turn into black holes. The only salvation in such a situation is to look for dense shade from trees and shoot there. But, firstly, you will be severely limited in terms of places, scenes and backgrounds, and secondly, in complete shadow there may not be enough light. Especially if you shoot on a point-and-shoot camera or even SLR camera with standard lens.

When is the best time to take portraits?

Perfect time– closer to sunset, or rather, 2-2.5 hours before it. At this time, the sun gradually begins to set, the light becomes softer and acquires a warm tint. How is this beneficial? Firstly, the number and volume of shadow areas in nature increases significantly - sunlight falls at a flatter angle. Secondly, the lighting becomes less harsh, and an hour and a half before full sunset it will be possible to photograph a person directly sunlight. The shadows from the nose soften, the eyes, thanks to a different angle of incidence of light, no longer turn into black holes. Thirdly, at sunset you can shoot against the sun: the difference in illumination between light and dark areas is no longer so great. And if you take an assistant with a reflector...

By the way, a reflector is not at all necessary and is only useful in sunny weather. It is preferable to take options with a radius of 90 or 110 cm; the manufacturer does not matter. Most reflectors come in a 5-in-1 format, that is, with five differently colored pieces of material that can be changed by stretching them onto a frame. The portrait painter is most interested in those with a white and gold finish. The advantage of a reflector is that when shooting a model against the sun or other light source, you can reflect and direct this light towards the person. A white surface gives off light exactly as it receives it, while a golden surface makes it warmer.

Portrait composition

Should the rules of composition be taken into account? Yes, yes and yes again. First of all, use the golden ratio rule. In case you are not yet familiar with it, take a look at the illustration below.

As you can see, the lines intersect at four points. So: these four points are considered to be the centers of visual attention. It is close to them that it is best to place the main subject of shooting, in this case, a fashion model.

If you are shooting a full-length or full-length portrait, near one of the top points there should be the eye of the person you are deliberately focusing on. If you are shooting a half-length or full-length shot, then the face should be close to one of the top points. This rule, of course, is not a dogma: sometimes it can and should be broken, and the best shots are often obtained in violation of many rules. However, it is better for aspiring photographers to train themselves by keeping in mind the wisdom of the ages. Over time, a clear understanding will emerge of when the rules can and should be ignored.

Don't forget about space to look at. So, if a person is looking to the right, his face should be located on the left side of the frame, but if he is looking to the left, then on the right. Looks down - at the top, looks up - at the bottom.

Indeed, portraiture is one of the most difficult genres in photography, since a person is multifaceted. But on the other hand, you can translate the most different ideas, with the help of one person. most importantly, experiment!

30.08.2016

Portrait (photo portrait) is one of the most common and most complex genres of modern photography, which came from painting and borrowed many of its artistic techniques. A portrait photograph should convey not only a person’s facial features, but also his mood, emotions, inner world and the environment at the same time, look not only into the past and future, but also stay in the present.

A good artist-photographer should be a bit of a psychologist and be able to notice and reflect in one single frame typical human character traits, details not only physical, but also spiritual. And this is the main difficulty.

Time limit for taking a portrait

In the past, when photography as an art form was just beginning, photographers worked with long exposures, and people had to sit still in front of the camera for quite a long time.

Thanks to this, the picture turned out to be “deeper” - character traits were displayed, but the feeling of the fleetingness of the moment and lightness was lost. Today, with the development of technology, images are obtained in moments, and it is necessary to combine both the “instant” moment of life and the most typical features that allow you to recognize this particular person.

Unlike a painter, who has a lot of time to get to know the model whose portrait he is painting, a photographer is extremely limited in time. In a shorter period of time, the photographer must see not only psychological image man, his external and internal features, find the most characteristic poses for a portrait and expression, but also create a composition of light, shadows, background and environment, emphasizing the individuality and uniqueness of the moment.

Features and types of photographic portraits

The center of any portrait is a person, and all other objects and objects are of only secondary importance, helping to perceive and understand the main character.

It doesn’t matter in what setting the person is photographed: in everyday life (studio or artistic portrait), during any events, competitions (reportage). The main thing remains the main thing - a reflection of the individuality of the hero of the photo, the unique features of a person, his character. All events, conditions, environment only complement the views and sensations of the audience.

Studio portraiture in modern photography occupies approximately half of the genre. The second half is devoted to a reportage portrait, which has proven itself in various articles, essays, reports and journalism. The main difference is that a photographer in a studio has more opportunities to transform a person’s appearance, while in reportage photography it is important to be able to capture a moment that most fully reflects what is happening in emotions.

Photographer: Dmitry Ageev

To create the most accurate portrait, the photographer often uses such artistic techniques as creating a background, the play of light and shadow, a certain location of the camera and technical shooting parameters: sharpness and other settings, optics, as well as the position of the person and his pose.

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In this article we will tell you what equipment is needed for shooting portraits, analyze the mistakes of beginners and debunk a couple of stereotypical myths

With the massive spread of digital cameras, including SLRs, the number of novice photographers began to grow by leaps and bounds. Portrait is rightfully considered the favorite genre of most beginners. The models are relatives and friends, friends and girlfriends, and organizing the shoot often does not cause any difficulties: “Lisa/Dasha/Katya, let’s take a photo in the park today? Only until lunch? Great, agreed." However, portraiture is a relatively complex genre and requires preparation, without which it is almost impossible to achieve an acceptable result. In this article we will try to explain what equipment kit is needed for shooting portraits, we will analyze typical mistakes newcomers, and also debunk a couple of stereotypical myths.

Selection of equipment

Let's start with the foundation, that is, technology. It is generally accepted among amateurs that to take high-quality portraits you need a huge set of equipment, the price of which amounts to tens of thousands of dollars. I dare to assure you: this is 90 percent untrue. Yes, if your goal is glamorous fashion photo shoots in the style of Karl Lagerfeld using five external flashes, smoke machines and wind blowers, then you can’t do without a little expense: you’ll have to fork out the cash. But in the case of a classic portrait, everything is much simpler.

True, it’s not as simple as buying a “digital point-and-shoot camera” and mindlessly shooting. Compact cameras are often limited in functionality and cannot be adjusted manually. Due to the fact that this type of camera uses tiny sensors (matrices), color rendering and image quality are much worse than those of SLR cameras. For the same reason, with their help it is almost impossible to achieve acceptable background blur, but when shooting a portrait it is very important to separate the model from the background and achieve clear visual accents. In addition, compacts cannot be equipped with the required optics. Without third-party firmware, they often do not have the ability to shoot in RAW format (we will devote a separate article to this). Finally, while during the day you can still at least take nice pictures, in the evening the quality of the pictures deteriorates sharply: significant digital noise appears, and color rendition becomes even less accurate. The verdict is disappointing: compactness and quality are opposite poles. And if you still want to shoot at a level that is clearly different from the everyday one, then you will have to come to terms with the fact that the correct camera will no longer fit into the borset.

Now we want to dispel the misconception that reflex camera and a fast lens for it cost more than one thousand dollars. For beginners, the most basic “cropped” SLR cameras (see below for what they are), such as the Canon 600D or Nikon D5100, will be enough. They will cost 500-520 and 480-500 dollars, respectively, complete with a standard 18-55 mm zoom lens. And the cheapest “fifty dollars” (lens with a 50 mm fringe) with a maximum aperture of 1.8 from both manufacturers costs about 100-120 dollars. It turns out that such a kit is comparable in price to advanced point-and-shoot cameras and mirrorless cameras, so it makes sense to save up some money and immediately buy solid equipment. After all, a stingy person, as you know, pays twice. We are in no way advocating for you to purchase a DSLR camera, but we want to emphasize once again that in the case of point-and-shoot cameras, your capabilities for shooting portraits and all other genres will be noticeably limited.

And a couple more misconceptions about expensive equipment. Without a doubt, an expensive DSLR camera with large size matrices (so-called full-frame) and an 85 mm lens with an aperture of 1.4 or 1.2 will provide more best picture than amateur “cropped” DSLRs with “fifty dollars”. But if there are roughly ten steps between a soap dish and a “cropped” DSLR with “fifty dollars” in terms of quality, then between a “cropped DSLR” and a full-frame one there are a maximum of two. The proportion is, of course, exaggerated, but it conveys the difference in quality more or less accurately.

Often creativity and out-of-the-box thinking combined with skillful handling of the reflector, competent settings, plus minimal processing, mean much more than expensive equipment (shot on a modest Canon 60D + Canon EF 50 f/1.4 kit). Photo from the site hardnsoft.ru

How to use photographic equipment correctly

If you only have a point-and-shoot camera with non-replaceable optics or a SLR camera with a standard (“kit”) zoom lens with a focal length range of 18-55, 18-105 or 18-135 mm (the most common values), try not to shoot at At the widest angle of the lens, increase the focal length at least a little. In the case of SLR cameras, try to choose an equivalent DF (for a full-frame camera) of at least 50 mm. If this is a front or chest shot, then it is more correct to use a focal length of 85 (a 55mm lens on an APS-C camera is identical to an 82-88mm lens in 35mm equivalent). This way you will minimize optical distortion and get the most life-like portraits. Taking off close-up at a focal length from 18 to 30-35 mm or at the widest angle of the point-and-shoot lens, you will probably get a bulging face, an unnaturally large nose and forehead: it will seem that the person is painfully swollen.

On-camera flash? Forget about it, and it doesn’t matter what you have: a compact, a DSLR, or even a smartphone. It can be used only in cases where it is vital to take at least some kind of shot: to take a photo with friends or relatives in complete darkness, for example, at an evening feast in the country. If you are doing portrait photography with a hint of creativity, you should strictly not use on-camera flash. Direct light in the direction from the camera to the model makes the person's face visually flat, eliminates all shadows and radically worsens the picture. It is believed that a shot taken with a head-on flash is a technical defect. Professionals use it for shooting external flashes, which, together with reflectors and diffusers, are placed under different angles to the subject (most often at 45 degrees) and are triggered simultaneously with the camera thanks to synchronizers. But this type of shooting is completely special; it requires large financial investments, as well as significant skills in working with studio pulsed light.

To the newcomer from additional accessories The already mentioned reflector will suffice. Moreover, it is not at all necessary and is useful only in sunny weather. It is preferable to take options with a radius of 90 or 110 cm; the manufacturer does not matter. Most reflectors come in a 5-in-1 format, that is, with five differently colored pieces of material that can be changed by stretching them onto a frame. The portrait painter is most interested in those with a white and gold finish. The advantage of a reflector is that when shooting a model against the sun or other light source, you can reflect and direct this light towards the person. A white surface gives off light exactly as it receives it, while a golden surface makes it warmer. A word of caution: the gold finish should only be used if you are familiar with the basic principles of post-processing your photos and saving them in RAW format. Otherwise, don’t even try: you may end up with unnatural skin. orange color, which will be very difficult to correct in JPEG files.

The shot was taken against the sun, but thanks to the presence of two reflectors, the model turned out to be quite well lit. Photo from the site hardnsoft.ru

Shooting time, light

Now - about the time of shooting and what underlies any photography: light. Many novice photographers are accustomed to shooting in the first half of the day, closer to noon, arguing that “the more light, the better.” Alas, it’s not worth taking portraits at such a time. If you decide to photograph against the sun, there will be no direct sunlight falling on the person’s face and body from the lens; as a result, the background will be too light, and the model will be too dark. Don't forget that the camera sees a little less detail in light and dark areas than our eyes, especially for point-and-shoot cameras.

If you put a person in direct sunlight, you will get a completely ugly picture. Part of the face will be “decorated” by a huge triangular shadow from the nose, and the eyes, on which the shadow from the eyelids and eyebrows will fall, will turn into black holes. The only salvation in such a situation is to look for dense shadow from the trees and shoot there, but, firstly, you will be severely limited in terms of places, scenes and backgrounds, and secondly, in complete shadow there may not be enough light, especially if you You shoot on a point-and-shoot camera or even a SLR camera with a standard lens.

When is the best time to take portraits? The ideal time is closer to sunset, or more precisely, 2-2.5 hours before it. At this time, the sun gradually begins to set, the light becomes softer and acquires a warm tint. How is this beneficial? Firstly, the number and volume of shadow areas in nature increases significantly - sunlight falls at a flatter angle. Secondly, the lighting becomes less harsh, and an hour and a half before full sunset it will be possible to photograph a person in direct sunlight. The shadows from the nose soften, the eyes, thanks to a different angle of incidence of light, no longer turn into black holes. Thirdly, at sunset you can shoot against the sun: the difference in illumination between light and dark areas is no longer so great. And if you take an assistant with a reflector...

Basics of portrait composition

Image from hardnsoft.ru

As you can see, the lines intersect at four points. So: these four points are considered to be the centers of visual attention; it is not far from them that it is best to place the main subject of shooting, in this case, a fashion model.

A classic example of a shot taken taking into account the golden ratio rule. Photo from the site hardnsoft.ru

How to get a beautiful picture

When shooting a portrait, you often want to blur the background as much as possible in order to maximize the focus on the model. What parameters affect background blur? So, remember: focal length (FL) of the lens, aperture, distance from the model to the background.

There are no particular difficulties with the diaphragm either. The more it is open, that is, the smaller the aperture value is set, the more the background is blurred. For example, at aperture 5.6 the background will be blurred more than at 8.0. If you're using a pocket camera that doesn't have manual modes, set the scene mode to Portrait (usually indicated by a person's face icon on the mode dial or menu). In this case, the camera itself will set the aperture to a more or less open aperture.

The above parameters (focal length and aperture) are directly determined by the camera with its settings and lens, but the distance from the model to the background does not depend on your financial capabilities. Again, the greater the distance from the model to the background, the more blurred it will be. Imagine that behind the model there are dense thickets about 2-3 meters away. Even the most expensive lenses and cameras will not allow them to be completely blurred. But if you move the model 20-30 meters away from them, even a budget standard lens will provide a beautiful and “deep” picture, in which the subject will be clearly separated from the background. Even a point-and-shoot camera will demonstrate that with its help the background can be blurred at least a little.

If you have a fast lens that allows you to set aperture values such as 1.8, 2.0 or at least 2.2, the beauty of background blur ceases to be the most critical parameter. Now the main thing is the uniformity of the background color. A plain or similar background, preferably green or yellowish, looks best.

The frame was taken with a full-format camera at a focal length of 135 mm with aperture 2.0. Please note: the tree remains extremely sharp, and the background, located 40-50 meters behind the model, is completely blurred. Photo from the site hardnsoft.ru

However, there are situations when blurring the background is not necessary. For example, you want to take a portrait in front of Eiffel Tower or near some textured wall. In such a situation, we act exactly the opposite: we close the aperture a little, and bring the model closer to the background as far as possible. Also, when shooting a waist-length or full-length person with architectural objects in the background, a wide-angle lens or standard zoom is desirable, with a minimum FR of 18 mm (for crop) or 28 mm (for full frame). In the case of point-and-shoot cameras, we simply select the widest angle position of the lens.

Reverse example. The frame was taken with a full-format camera with a 50 mm lens and aperture number 1.4. Despite the fact that the aperture was completely open, the plants near the model remained extremely sharp, due to the short distance between them and the subject. Photo from the site hardnsoft.ru

How does the size of the camera sensor (matrix) affect the degree of blur? In photographs with the same composition and “large size” of the model in the frame, the background will be blurred more in the picture taken with a full-frame camera (the sensor size in area is equal to the frame of a 35 mm film), rather than with a “cropped” model (i.e. with a smaller by sensor area). Everything is very simple: on a full-frame camera, to obtain the same image scale (with other identical settings), a lens with a larger lens should be used (as many times as smaller area sensor of a “cropped” camera) focal length. For example, compared to a camera equipped with an APS-C sensor - 1.5-1.6 times, and with a Four Thirds sensor - 2 times. These numbers are the notorious “crop factor”.

Technical details of shooting

How to focus? Best of all - at the central point. In the camera settings, select the focusing mode for one point (preferably the central one, since there is always a more sensitive sensor), point it at the eye, press the shutter button halfway (the so-called half-press) and wait until the camera focuses (usually the frame around the point turns green and the camera beeps). If there is a lot of light, it will take a split second, if there is little light, it may take 2-3 seconds. In very bad conditions, you may not be able to focus at all. Then try just changing the place or turning the model slightly towards the light. Alternatively, ask the person to pick up mobile phone and illuminate your face.

After the camera has focused, you can, while holding the shutter button half-pressed, move the camera as you wish, that is, “frame”. When you get the desired composition, press the shutter button all the way. A small warning: you need to do all this quickly, within 1-2 seconds. First, imagine the finished frame, and only then start shooting it, otherwise it may turn out that either you yourself slightly change your position in space, or the person gets tired of standing and moves a little, and in the end the focus will fall on, say, the ears, and not on eyes.

By the way, also little advice: if you purchased a fast lens, that is, one with a minimum aperture number of 2.8, 2.0, 1.8 or even less (1.4, 1.2), do not use this extreme aperture value: as a rule, the lens will either not be sharp enough or will blur objects in the background in a way that is not the most aesthetically pleasing. Close the aperture a little - by a stop or at least 2/3 of a stop. For example, for a lens with aperture ratio 1.4 these will be numbers 2.0 and 1.8, for 1.8 - 2.5 and 2.2, and for 2.0 - 2.8 and 2.5.

How to work with settings? With proper skills in handling the camera and knowledge of how the so-called creative modes are activated on it, we recommend selecting “Aperture priority” (usually designated as A or Av): in it you yourself set the appropriate aperture and sensitivity (ISO) values, and camera automation selects shutter speed (S, Tv).

In accordance with classical rule safe shutter speed, its value should not be greater than that calculated by the formula 1/(FR of the lens when shooting), otherwise there is a high probability of getting a blurry shot due to hand tremors and lens movement. For example, for a “fifty dollar lens” you need a shutter speed of 1/60 s or shorter, for a moderate “portrait” lens (85-105 mm) - 1/100-1/125 s, and for a 135 mm lens - 1/150-1/200 With. All of the above is true for full-format cameras. For lenses mounted on “cropped” cameras, the shutter speed must be further shortened (in proportion to the crop factor). For example, for a 50mm lens mounted on a camera with an APS-C sensor, the shutter speed should be no longer than 1/80-1/100 sec.

What to do if the automation offers more long exposure? Then we increase the ISO until the shutter speed becomes acceptable. What if the settings seem to be all correct, but the frame turns out too light or dark? Then you should use the exposure compensation scale - exposure compensation (enter a compensating value: in case of overexposure - minus, and in darkening - plus). IN manual mode, or Manual (M), we recommend switching to the case when the camera, even taking into account exposure compensation, makes a significant mistake; This usually only happens when there is dynamically changing artificial lighting(concert, disco, etc.).

Enjoy your shooting and gorgeous portraits!

Staged and formal, natural and spontaneous portraits of family members, friends and pets are an opportunity to capture those we love, in whom we love, to always remember them and keep them in our hearts. We share tips and tricks that will help you take amazing artistic single or group photos and self-portraits in different conditions- both a digital SLR and a mobile device.

Capture people doing what they love

I'm partial to photographing people doing what they love. Such sincere portraits are much deeper and more meaningful than staged ones. A person relaxes by focusing on his favorite activity, and not on an intrusive lens. you will pass individual qualities who breathe life, soul and love into photography. If your subject moves a lot, shoot in continuous-servo AF mode.

Where to get a blank background

Look for a clean background with no foreign objects. Sometimes you can’t do anything with unnecessary elements in the frame (for example, with a stump in the grass). But you can get rid of them in Photoshop (CS or Elements).

There are several ways:

crop the image using the Crop tool - “Frame”;
replace unnecessary images with others from the same image using the Clone Stamp tool (for example, you can replace a stump with a fragment of grass from which it sticks out);
remove using the Spot Healing Brush tool (it can also remove random spots and other defects).

If you have no experience in editing photos in Photoshop, I recommend the free online photo editor www.pixlr.com, it made a great impression on me. It also has Crop, Clone, Healing, and many other useful features.

Song selection

If you're photographing a person in full body, don't cut off any limbs. If you're not shooting full-length, don't crop at the joints.
Shoot the subject from a distance of 1.5-3 m. This is a fairly comfortable distance for the subject, and you will capture the correct proportions.
Follow the rule of thirds and place the person's eyes level with the top third of the frame, even if you have to cut off the top of the head. This is a very useful technique for photographing bald people. Less space overhead is the best option.
Turn on burst mode to be sure to take some decent shots. Mobile devices also have this mode.
Converting color images to black and white gives them a sophisticated look, makes them more emotional and expressive, and also allows you to get rid of poorly chosen colors that distract the viewer's attention.

Close-up

If the person is motionless, I recommend shooting a close-up portrait with a shallow depth of field. This will highlight a clear, sharp face against a soft, blurred background. The background becomes blurrier as you move closer to or bump into the subject. Moving away from the subject will make the background appear clearer, even when shooting wide open.

In Portrait mode, the camera will automatically select a wider lens aperture. While you're shooting in Program mode, you can force adjustments to your camera settings at any time. By turning the control dial, you can decrease or increase the shutter speed, and the camera will select the appropriate aperture value.

In a smartphone, the aperture is unchanged - 2.4 or 2.8, depending on the device model. You can control the depth of field only by changing the distance to the object. As you get closer to the subject, the background becomes more blurred, and vice versa. You can simulate shallow depth of field in mobile photos using apps like LiveDOF, BlurFX, AfterFocus, and FocalLab. The SynthCam app allows you to simulate shallow depth of field while shooting.

How to choose lighting

Beautiful portraits are obtained in soft natural light: under a cloudy sky or on outdoors in the “golden hours” with diffused lighting - frontal, backlight (giving shine to the hair) or side (giving volume). The best light for indoor portraits comes from north-facing windows. Avoid direct lighting: it creates a very contrasting pattern and forces the model to squint.

Photographing in natural light is not easy. What to do with shadows falling on a person? A reflector can be placed opposite the light source and thereby direct the light to shaded areas. You can place reflective material under your face to brighten and soften your features, especially in overhead lighting on sunny or cloudy days.

Fill flash is a great solution for lighting up faces outdoors, especially when the sun is behind your subject, not to mention the flash will add a nice highlight to your eyes. If you decide to shoot with it (indoors or outdoors), I recommend using an external one, slightly lowering the brightness - the photos will look more natural. You can experiment with light sources such as a candle, laptop screen, or reflection from water (water is an excellent natural reflector).

Choosing a pose

If you're photographing one person, have them look straight into the lens but turn their shoulders slightly. Then the portrait will turn out more pleasant, and the ears will appear smaller. Choose a rotation that keeps your ears from pointing straight ahead.
To make the person in the photo appear slimmer, try shooting from a slightly higher vantage point or ask them to turn their face slightly to the side. The same effect can be achieved if the person being portrayed tilts his head down slightly.
Avoid stiff poses; have the model slightly bend a limb or tilt their head.
If the person being portrayed wears glasses, make sure there are no reflections/glares in them.
You can take interesting, artistic pictures by photographing in profile. Side lighting can create a dramatic impression by casting bright light on the front of the face, which then fades into deep shadow. Keep in mind that this type of lighting emphasizes facial features and may not suit everyone.

Focus on your eyes

Shoot in single-servo AF mode and aim the center AF point at the subject's eyes. If a person is looking at an angle, focus on the eye that is closest to you.

Watch the shutter speed to avoid smudging

Stationary people can be photographed with a shutter speed of 1/60 s. If this value exceeds your maximum possible handheld shutter speed, you may need a tripod.

If you're photographing someone who is relatively calm, a shutter speed of 1/125 to 1/250 sec is fast enough. If you have a fidgety child in front of you, to get a sharp photo, set it to 1/250 sec at most. To photograph people moving faster, you will need a shutter speed no longer than 1/500 sec.

If the subject is relatively still, shoot in Portrait mode. If it's moving fast, switch to Sport.

When shooting a moving person in aperture priority mode, watch your shutter speed. If you need to reduce it, raise the ISO or open the aperture slightly. Or you can switch to shutter priority mode and select more high speed shutter

Choose a portrait lens

The optimal focal length for shooting portraits is approximately 85-100 mm. Wide-angle lenses (those with a focal length of 35mm or shorter) can distort (enlarge) facial features, so don't get too close to the person you're photographing. Medium telephoto lenses, typically 85-135mm, are excellent for portraits: they compress perspective, making facial features appear smaller. In addition, they allow you to step away from the subject and zoom in, so as not to embarrass the person or shove the camera in their face. Long focal length lenses are convenient for shooting at a distance with inquisitive children who are just reaching out to the camera.

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They made portraits for us, retouched them, and I made the albums myself. We printed it out for the whole class on metallized paper in a good laboratory and it cost 100 rubles per person.

Discussion

We agreed with the father of one of our classmates, who is interested in photography and has decent equipment. I arrived in the afternoon, the whole class, led by the teacher, went out onto the porch of the school and did group photo. Then we took more pictures in groups. We ordered the required number of photos from a photo studio, paid for them out of money for the needs of the class - it turned out very inexpensively.

02/06/2015 17:16:31, X-y

Just an hour ago, a photo of her and a girl appeared on Svetlana Bondarchuk’s Instagram. Judging by the fact that Svetlana called this photo “my tenderness” and also posted a portrait of the girl in her avatar, we can assume that this is Varvara’s daughter. It's no secret that Fyodor Bondarchuk and his wife Svetlana, in addition to their son Sergei, have a daughter, Varvara. She is now 14 years old. The star parents never appeared with the girl in public and did not talk about her in the press. Only in October...

I decided to embroider a portrait of a child, found the STITCH Art 4/0 program on the Internet (available for me in terms of technology), made a pattern, but I saw VERY few decent examples of embroidery from photographs, and those patterns were made by people who already had decent experience in creating patterns.

Discussion

I saw VERY few decent examples of embroidery from photographs, and those patterns were made by people who already had decent experience in creating patterns. If you really want it, order the diagram on the Internet, otherwise, I’m afraid that the result will disappoint you.

person online. There is a digital camera, maybe someone knows how to take photos like this? Take a photo of the portrait in black and white mode and place it in the program in a 3x4 cm format; if it doesn’t work out, I’ll help you, send it to your email, and I’ll send you the finished result.

closer to the object. those. From a meter it is quite possible to take a “portrait of a face” behind which everything will be blurry. p 3 Almost all the photographs included in it were taken by one person, who talks in detail about the shooting process and teaches the reader how to take similar photographs...

person online. Who should I take a glamor portrait of? A friend really wants to take some glamor photos. Who to contact so that it is not too expensive and with good result?

In my opinion, the most reasonable idea is to create 5 topics in one day, each topic having 10 “branches”, each dedicated to its own portrait. It will be possible, for example, not for one person to create topics, but for five, for example 1-10, 11-20, etc.. Making 10 topics is much easier than...

Discussion

I've been thinking about this for a long time too. A large replica tree is inconvenient not only because of its size - it is also limited to a certain number of words spoken in total... Having more than 50 trees is also unreasonable.

It seems to me that it is best to discuss in groups, moving from one to another from time to time. I planned to make collages specifically in groups, but I haven’t even taken on anything yet - I don’t have all the portraits yet, and it makes sense to group only when I already have everything...
And you need to guess all the portraits from the first day, while there is maximum interest. And then as long as we have enough... :) But I think we can handle it in three days :) look at the photos of other people. the same. You see them alone in life, but in the photo they are different.
IMHO, it is impossible to obtain an adequate portrait using photography. it will only be an imprint of your image (even the most wonderful one). IMHO, a portrait can only be painted by a human hand. (if you're lucky, then talented). because a person, even more abstractly and approximately, but he conveys your IMAGE, his attitude to the image, and does not record the given like a camera. in general, this is why I don’t take “portraits” of people (I only take pictures of family, but precisely as a given, as a memory, and not as IMAGES). and to all other photographs with a person in leading role I don’t treat it as a PRINT, but as a genre, probably, or in some other way, at least 100% impersonal.
so pick up paints, pencils, charcoal, whatever else happens there, some kind of sanguine....)))))

>"You're not portraying me, but >10 years life together"))). That's it for sure, you can't even say more precisely! :))
in fact, the perception with the eyes is very different, in the mirror (inverted flat), on the screen (nothing at all), on the print (depending on the focal length when shooting, print format, viewing distance). In general, the most common self-perception is a mirror. and since it switches places between right and left, then what we see there is not ourselves at all and with the wrong hemispheres of the brain :) But throughout our lives we have become USED to looking EXACTLY THE WAY we do in the mirror, so everything else seems wrong to us. In addition, almost everyone has larger or smaller complexes about their appearance... all these conditions add up to some kind of subconscious things that make you shout “is it really... me?!”

"5 simple tips“how to take photographs…” is our regular series of articles in which we tell you how to properly photograph certain objects. Our materials are devoted to the five most popular storylines. We'll tell you how to properly set up your camera and what photography equipment you'll need to get good results.

We devote the third part of our series to photographing people and creating portraits. This aspect of photography is particularly challenging and certainly falls into the elite category of photography. Unlike the other two photographic objects that we have already talked about ( and ), your models for portrait photography may tell you that the photograph, from their point of view, was unsuccessful. Therefore it is very important to choose correct settings and know some of the intricacies of creating photographic portraits. Our five simple tips will help you with this.

How to photograph people and create portraits: It is not necessary to shoot portraits in a vertical “portrait” format.

1. Use the right technique

For shooting portraits, the most suitable focal lengths are 85 mm and 135 mm. Both focal lengths lie in the “tele-area”, which ensures correct display of proportions. Unnatural-looking wide-angle distortion is almost non-existent. Long focal length requires of great importance Opening the aperture, for example F1.8 or F1.4, so that the background is blurry and the model is clear. Excellent portrait lenses at relatively low prices are offered different manufacturers, for example: Canon EF 85mm F1.8, Nikkor AF-S 85mm F1.8.

Of course, you can experiment with other focal lengths. Use, for example, ultra wide-angle lenses; due to the corresponding distortions, the model’s legs will appear longer. If you want to create a half-length portrait or photograph a whole person, then try working with focal lengths of 35 or 50 mm. Experiment with very long focal lengths, this will distort the perspective and make the background appear closer to the subject.

How to photograph people and create portraits: To photograph a person in full body, use wide-angle and normal lenses.

2. Set up your camera

Let's start with shutter speed: people are quite difficult subjects to photograph, they are constantly moving, so we advise you to work with fast shutter speeds of 1/125 of a second and even shorter. Otherwise, even small movements of the model can cause blurring of the image. In poor lighting conditions, you can increase the light sensitivity (ISO) or use a flash.

In this case, pay attention to the flash sync speed, this means the shortest standard shutter speed when the flash is on. If the flash time is shorter and the flash does not support high speed sync, then a black stripe will appear on the image - the shadow of the shutter curtain. If you want the background in a portrait photo to be out of focus, open the aperture to maximum.

How to photograph people and create portraits: When shooting portraits, lighting is especially important. Soft light will work best for your model.

3. Proper preparation

Important! Talk to your model. Our main advice is to plan your photo shoot in advance, explain to the model what and how you plan to photograph. It is important to agree even on such little things as the commands “to the right”, “to the left” - so that your model immediately understands whether you mean to the right of you or from it. Rehearse difficult moments in advance, ask the model to portray different emotional states (depending on the purpose of the photo shoot), for example, arrogance, sadness or thoughtfulness. If you have enough time, shoot two frames in a row, otherwise (in the worst case) you may end up with the model blinking in one shot, and the photo will be hopelessly ruined. Professionals usually create a sketch of the photograph in advance, in which they depict the model's facial expression, pose and lighting.

Another important aspect(this will hardly surprise you) is light. Small light sources such as system flashes and the sun produce very harsh light that can highlight imperfections in appearance. Experiment with artificial light, using light diffusers such as a studio umbrella or softbox. When shooting fashion, you can use reflectors for hard light, for example, a Beauty Dish or a regular reflector - choose to suit your taste. When shooting outdoors, the sun provides the best soft light in the late morning or evening. You can also conduct a photo shoot in daylight, for example, in the shade of a tree, directing the light with a large folding reflector.

How to photograph people and create portraits: Fragmented framing using the “face only” principle concentrates the viewer’s attention on the model’s face.

4. Compose your shot correctly

As with any art form, there is no “right” or “wrong” in photographing people - unless you are taking passport photos. Taking artistic portraits allows for much greater creative freedom. It is customary to shoot a classic portrait in a vertical, “portrait” format. But the horizontal format (the so-called “landscape orientation”) is also not prohibited; it makes it possible to better show the background.

But what is important in 99% of cases when shooting portraits is the correct focus. Always focus on the subject's eyes, or at least the eye closest to the viewer. The main rule is to change the aperture value until all indicators suit you. Since this parameter depends on the situation, that is focal length and the distance to the object, we will not be able to advise you on the exact value. Just experiment.

How to photograph people and create portraits: The camera's downward gaze creates the impression that the model is pretending to be submissive.

One of the most common mistakes beginners make is incorrect framing: cropped elbows, shins and fingers look strange, this also applies to the situation when the model keeps her hands in her pockets. Invite your model to, for example, cross their arms over their chest (a decisive pose), raise their hands to face level (a wounded expression), or have him or her hold something in their hand.

Perspective also plays an important role. If you shoot from the bottom up (bottom shot), your model will look dominant, but if you shoot from the top, the person will look weak and dependent. For this reason, it is better to photograph children at eye level; for this you can squat down.

In conclusion, we will answer another frequently asked question: are there photogenic people? If you answer in a nutshell, then yes, they do. When photographing some models, it doesn’t seem to matter at all what the light source is, what the perspective is - they turn out great in the photographs in any case. Others look good if they are photographed from the front; profile photographs do not turn out very well. Photogenicity is the level of complexity of a given task for a photographer, and tasks need to be able to be solved correctly. When starting to work with a new model, try photographing her in different poses with different facial expressions. Creating a beautiful portrait depends entirely on the photographer, that is, on you.