6. Taking a portrait
1. Introduction
I would like to introduce a few tips for taking a picture of the people close to you, such as your family and friends, so that the resulting portraits look like the ones in magazines or ads. Just by observing a few simple shooting guidelines, the portrait will be much improved. Try to play the role of a model or photographer without being shy.
2.Selecting a background
Where you take a portrait is very important. A photo of a person taken in the center of an urban city and a photo taken in a park with many green trees not only create different moods, but also change the impression of the subject dramatically due to the different backgrounds. This is the first tip-it is important to check what appears in the background.
Let's find the most frequent causes of a failed photo.
<01>
An all-too-common portrait. Why is not satisfactory?
<02>
This photo looks like a so-called portrait.
The reason why <01> looks dull is that the person in the frame is too small and the face is at the frame center. Centering the face is basic to take portraits, but elements other than the subject make up the most part of the frame because the camera is held horizontally. As a result, this portrait does not look very interesting.
A person is longer vertically. Let's take a portrait with your camera held vertically and by enlarging the subject. The resulting photo will have a simple background and will look much better.
The larger the portrait subject, the better
A picture is a rectangular frame within which part of a visible scene appears. Of course, you cannot see any element lying out of the frame. This point determines the quality of a photo.
Keep in mind that only the necessary elements should appear in a photo frame. A portrait must be taken so that the person looks attractive, therefore, elements other than the person should be hidden as much as possible, which is a tip to taking portraits.
<03>
Portrait taken in front of an old-fashioned Japanese house. The house, not the person, makes up a major part of the picture.
<04>
The person is enlarged and attractive.
<05>
The person is further enlarged and more attractive. The wall on the background makes the viewer imagine an old-fashioned Japanese house.
Different backgrounds give a different image of a person
Changing the position of the subject or the camera will result in photos with different backgrounds. Try taking a portrait while changing the background, if you have the time to experiment.
You will be surprised at how different elements appearing in the background will change the personality of the subject.
It is important to use a variety of photographic techniques, but it is also important to select a background that emphasizes the sense of the person in the photo.
<06>
Green background. It gives the impression of spring or summer (though I took this photo in winter).
<07>
Wood toy in a park. It presents a healthy image, like a sport in the fall.
<08>
Modern building. It gives an urban impression.
3.Zooming and aperture adjustment
Brightness adjustment via exposure compensation and color adjustment based on white balance are basic operations common to all kinds of photography. In addition, zooming and aperture adjustment are essential to portraits.
Using the zooming function well makes more attractive the proportions of the subject.
The further the aperture opens, the more the background is blurred.
Make sure you thoroughly understand how to use each function and its effects.
How to use the zooming function
Using zooming function of a zoom lens changes the shooting area. Turning the lens to the wide-angle side (Wide/W) or to the telephoto side (Tele/T) makes the shooting area wide or narrow, respectively. In other words, the wide-angle mode reduces the subject size, while the telephoto mode enlarges it. Please be sure to know that turning the lens to the telephoto side has almost the same effect of trimming a part of the screen if your camera is held in the same position.
<09>
If a picture is taken in the same position, then
<10>
The wide-angle mode captures a wide area and reduces the subject size.
<11>
The telephoto mode captures a narrow area and makes the subject larger. Namely, the center area of <10> is trimmed.
Shooting from a distance in the telephoto mode is a basic portrait technique!
If you take a picture of your friend or family without paying special attention, the distance between the subject and camera is likely to be one to two meters. This is the distance permits normal communication. However, do you know that this will result in a subject with a big head? Try to enter the telephoto mode and take a photo far from the subject. You will be surprised at how attractive are the proportions of the subject in the resulting photo.
<12>
Get close to a subject and take a photo in the wide-angle mode.
<13>
Take a photo from a distance in the telephoto mode.
<14>
Near shooting in the wide-angle mode presents an unexpectedly big-headed subject. The large area appearing in the background is an eyesore.
<15>
Far shooting in the telephoto mode gives a professional portrait. The background is simple.
The larger the aperture opens, the more the background is blurred
Turning the mode dial to the A position (priority is given to the aperture) and setting a small f-number blurs the background. It makes the subject more attractive by making its back ground more blurred, so this technique is often used for portraits. The image program mode "Portrait" automatically sets these parameters. Using the flexible programming function of the program (P) mode provides the same settings with flexible programming function. If you want to blur the background further, increase the distance between the subject and background, and enter the telephoto mode.
<16>
Set a small f-number in the A mode.
<17>
Even if the background is in focus in the AUTO mode,
<18>
Setting a small f-number blurs it.
4.Camera orientation
Basically, a portrait is taken with a camera held vertically, and the face and body of the person included in the frame.
After you master this basic technique, change the camera position and composition. Next, I would like to describe simple tips on camera orientation and trimming.
Camera orientation for taking a full-body picture of the subject
Many people take a portrait in the standing position. However, this makes the subject look big-headed because the camera position is too high. This tendency is enhanced as you get closer to the subject. To get a portrait showing the subject with balanced proportions, you must basically hold your camera at a level between the breast and the navel. Shooting from a lower position makes the head look smaller and the legs longer.
<19>
I took this photo from a slightly high position. The head is big and the legs are short.
<20>
I took this photo at a level between breast to navel.
<21>
I took this photo holding the camera in a low position. The head is small and the legs are long.
Camera orientation for taking a picture of the face of the subject
When looking up or down at a person's face, you feel its expression change, which holds true for photography.
A shot taken from a high position makes a subject look up at the camera. As a result, the subject looks lovely or delicate. On the other hand, a shot from a low position makes the subject look down at the camera, which gives the viewer the impression that it is being overpowered by the subject. Remember that a difference in camera elevation can change the nuances of the photo significantly.
<22>
Photo taken from a high position. It makes the subject look lovely.
<23>
Photo taken at the mouth level. It makes the subject look friendly.
<24>
Photo taken from a low position. It makes the person look strong.
Taking a picture of a person who is partly offscreen, arouses the viewer's imagination
Basically, a portrait is taken so that the whole subject including its head and body is in the frame. However, a violation of this principle-part of the head or body lies offscreen-results in photos like ones appearing in magazines or ads.
Showing the whole subject is ordinary, but the way the subject is trimmed reflects the photographer's personality.
<25>
The whole subject is in the frame, which is good but not fun.
<26>
The subject is trimmed, resulting in an impressive portrait.
<27>
The face occupies one side of the frame, which presents a very powerful image.
Finally
When taking a portrait, you may become nervous. However, using the tips introduced in this issue one by one you should be able to relax. In addition, show the resulting photos appearing on the LCD monitor to the subject and exchange ideas with each other, which makes photography a much more pleasant pursuit.
