Post by Saknika on Mar 1, 2010 16:46:15 GMT -5
Over and over again on the forums people are saying that they don’t understand people, portraits, and the science behind them. Well, let’s try to clear some of the mystery up then!
Portraits are probably one of the most difficult things to do right, because there are so many little things that can go wrong. But more than that, it’s because so many photographers feel they either aren’t people-persons, or because they freak out about posing and how to do it.
Let me share some words of wisdom from one of my professors. He told me this: “There’s no need for a class on posing. Simply think about what’s comfortable. And then, pretend to be the opposite sex for a day, and see what might be comfortable for them. The poses will come.”
This doesn’t work for everyone, but the idea is there. People, in a non-fashion/commercial setting, just want to be comfortable.
Here’s my advice to you though, if you want some more dynamic poses. Think of the body like a skeleton drawing. An artist who draws the human figure knows what I’m speaking of, but let me explain. When you start a drawing of a human figure, it’s nothing but lines and shapes; Rectangles, circles, and triangles. If you think of the human body like this when you’re trying for poses, you come right back to three very basic principles of photography: lines, form, and shape.
Posing is only one half of the technical equation though to portraits. The other half is lighting. There are five different types: split, rembrandt, loop, butterfly, and profile.
To properly use them, in most cases, you want to use what’s called short lighting. This means that the shadows formed on the face are closer to the camera and the viewer. To put them on the opposite side is known as broad lighting, and it can cause some unsightly effects, and will make any deformities (for lack of a better word) more pronounced (such as a hooked nose, or double chin).
Here are photo examples under harsh lighting (with only one light) of each of the five lighting patterns:
And here are some key things to note about certain patterns:
Butterfly Lighting (Paramount) Short, medium, or long depending on shadow size
Loop Lighting Short, medium, or long depending on shadow size. Short is the most popular. Be careful with long that it doesn’t become rembrandt.
Profile Lighting Have a bit of a loop lighting pattern. See only one eye.
Broad Lighting Not a good lighting pattern for most people. Be careful that the mouth doesn’t have a dimple-shadow, causing a “spilt milk” effect.
When lighting, also try to make sure that you have a white specular in the eyes, known as a catchlight in photography. This is what makes the person seem alive, as the eyes are the most interesting thing about a portrait, because they are what connects the viewer to the image in the end.
And that is pretty much it when it comes to the basics of portraiture. The only other thing to be worried about is the expression on your subject’s face, but that’s easily controlled by having a good expression on your own! Remember, if you’re upset and unhappy, chances are your subject will be too!
How this will work:
1. Take a photo using the above information.
2. Create a post in the following format:
3. Reshoot after receiving feedback, correcting and improving on things mentioned to you in critiques.
4. Repeat step 2 [and 3 as needed/desired].
To get us started, here is a portrait I did a while back.
Click for a larger version.
This is loop lighting.
Portraits are probably one of the most difficult things to do right, because there are so many little things that can go wrong. But more than that, it’s because so many photographers feel they either aren’t people-persons, or because they freak out about posing and how to do it.
Let me share some words of wisdom from one of my professors. He told me this: “There’s no need for a class on posing. Simply think about what’s comfortable. And then, pretend to be the opposite sex for a day, and see what might be comfortable for them. The poses will come.”
This doesn’t work for everyone, but the idea is there. People, in a non-fashion/commercial setting, just want to be comfortable.
Here’s my advice to you though, if you want some more dynamic poses. Think of the body like a skeleton drawing. An artist who draws the human figure knows what I’m speaking of, but let me explain. When you start a drawing of a human figure, it’s nothing but lines and shapes; Rectangles, circles, and triangles. If you think of the human body like this when you’re trying for poses, you come right back to three very basic principles of photography: lines, form, and shape.
Posing is only one half of the technical equation though to portraits. The other half is lighting. There are five different types: split, rembrandt, loop, butterfly, and profile.
To properly use them, in most cases, you want to use what’s called short lighting. This means that the shadows formed on the face are closer to the camera and the viewer. To put them on the opposite side is known as broad lighting, and it can cause some unsightly effects, and will make any deformities (for lack of a better word) more pronounced (such as a hooked nose, or double chin).
Here are photo examples under harsh lighting (with only one light) of each of the five lighting patterns:
And here are some key things to note about certain patterns:
Butterfly Lighting (Paramount) Short, medium, or long depending on shadow size
Loop Lighting Short, medium, or long depending on shadow size. Short is the most popular. Be careful with long that it doesn’t become rembrandt.
Profile Lighting Have a bit of a loop lighting pattern. See only one eye.
Broad Lighting Not a good lighting pattern for most people. Be careful that the mouth doesn’t have a dimple-shadow, causing a “spilt milk” effect.
When lighting, also try to make sure that you have a white specular in the eyes, known as a catchlight in photography. This is what makes the person seem alive, as the eyes are the most interesting thing about a portrait, because they are what connects the viewer to the image in the end.
And that is pretty much it when it comes to the basics of portraiture. The only other thing to be worried about is the expression on your subject’s face, but that’s easily controlled by having a good expression on your own! Remember, if you’re upset and unhappy, chances are your subject will be too!
How this will work:
1. Take a photo using the above information.
2. Create a post in the following format:
Critique of the photo above yours, or photos if you so desire.
Your photo
Any specs or additional information about your photo you would like to share.
3. Reshoot after receiving feedback, correcting and improving on things mentioned to you in critiques.
4. Repeat step 2 [and 3 as needed/desired].
To get us started, here is a portrait I did a while back.
Click for a larger version.
This is loop lighting.
