Portrait photography generally makes the face, facial features and expressions predominant. It captures the personality of the subject using effective poses, backdrops and lighting to serve different purposes. Portrait photographers focus more on the face and emphasis on it even though the body and the background may also be included in the photo. This type of photography has become very popular that it is what most people choose for their weddings and other important events and celebrations.
Whereas the photography is not that hard to achieve, it may take a few skills to get the most stunning shots. Below are some helpful tips you should consider to get the best from portrait photography for your desired use and purpose.
Tip 1 – Let the camera be at an angle. Shooting portraits goes beyond the usual vertical and horizontal framing. Diagonal angles have a way of injecting some fun into the images and add some energy to them as well. You, however must be careful when angling so you do not end up looking as though you made a mistake holding the camera.
Tip 2 – Add movement to the shots. Portraits are generally static, but they can be quite unique when you manage to introduce some movement. This is something that you can achieve by making the subject move or shooting the subject around moving elements. When adding movement to the portraits remember to use slow shutter speed so you are able to capture the movement.
Tip 3 – Choose wide angle. Wide angle lenses help in creating memorable shots in portrait photography. This is because the wide focal lengths bring about distortions that are wonderful; you can enlarge facial parts or body parts on the frame edge more than the center to create a dramatic effect in the end. You should, however ensure that the subject is at an impressive setting when going with a wide angle to get the best results in the end.
Tip 4 – Allow the face to fill your frame. It is one of the best ways of ensuring that the subject does indeed capture viewer attention. If the subject is the only feature in the shot, then let the face fill the frame so they are as striking as they should be. It may not be the way to go with every one of your shots, but it will work amazingly well every once in a while.
Tip 5 – Play around with unfocused shots. Sharply focused images seem to be the standard for photographers. At times, however, especially in portrait photography, shots that are unfocused tend to work best. This is because they have a tendency of showing real emotion, interest and mood. You can achieve such shots by using a large aperture to create narrow depth of field and then focusing on something that is in front or behind the subject instead of focusing directly on the subject. You can also use wide aperture and focus on something else besides the subject so the full image is out of focus. Unfocused shots tend to be mysterious and dreamy and work for some purposes.
Portrait photography can achieve some of the most stunning images when handled in the best ways. You can have a professional photographer handle your portrait needs to get unique and powerful shots for your usage.