Joss

Simplecharacterportraitsmakeforgreatimages.Withaclosecrop,eyecontactandanendearingsmile,theviewerimmediatelyconnectswiththesubjectandisabletoidentifywithhim.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),200ISO,1/640secatf/3.2.

ARODEDWARDSPHOTOGRAPHYE-BOOK.

Copyright©RodEdwardsPhotography2014.

Revisedandupdatedin2014byRodEdwardsPhotography.

ISBN978-0-9929110-1-0(kindle)

Previouslypublishedinhardbackandpaperbackby

David&CharlesPublishers(F+WPublicationsInc.)

FirstpublishedintheUKin2008

FirstpublishedintheUSin2008

ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2823-1hardback

ISBN-10:0-7153-2823-9hardback

ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2824-8paperback

ISBN-10:0-7153-2824-7paperback

Textandphotography©RodEdwardsPhotography2014.

RodEdwardshasassertedhisrighttobeidentifiedasauthorofthisworkinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct,1988.

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,byphotocopying,recordingorotherwise,withoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.

VisitRodEdwardsPhotographywebsite:www.rodedwards.co.uk

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FollowRodEdwardsPhotographyonTwitter:https://twitter.com/rodedwardsphoto

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CONTENTSINTRODUCTION

CAMERAS

LENSES

LIGHTINGANDACCESSORIES

COMPUTERSANDSOFTWARE

DESIGNINGTHEIMAGE

WORKINGWITHLIGHT

PHOTOGRAPHINGPEOPLE

TOPTENPHOTOSHOPTECHNIQUES

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

RodEdwardsisoneoftheUK’sleadingphotographers,specializinginpeopleandplacesimagery for the commercial publishing, advertising, design and corporate areas of thephotographicindustry.

He has photographed many fascinating subjects around the world, and even had thehonour of personal portrait sittings with HM The Queen Elizabeth II and her husbandHRHTheDukeofEdinburghfortheirOfficialSandringhamHouseGoldenJubileeGuide.

His client list includes BBC, Shell, Texaco, Google, Campbells, Visit Britain, TheNational Trust, Microsoft, Ordnance Survey, Orange, Samsung, The AA, The RNLI,Reader’s Digest, Sainsbury’s, HSBC, Saab, Ford, Archant and Future Publishing, FujiFilm,KodakandmostoftheBritishnewspapers.

Hisframedphotographicprintsandcanvaseshavebeenretailedaroundtheworldbythelikes of John Lewis, Argos, Habitat, Homebase and B&Q and his limited editionexhibitionprintsaresoldthroughexclusiveonlinegalleriesbesidethelikesofartistssuchasPeterBlakeofTheBeatles’Sgt.Pepper’sLonelyHeartsClubBandalbumcoverfame.

HeisarespectedmemberoftheAssociationofPhotographersinLondonandhasbeenaregular contributor to the UK photographic press, including Advanced Photographer,Practical Photography, Photography Monthly, Digital Photographer and ProfessionalPhotographermagazines.

For more information and further examples of Rod’s imagery visit his websitewww.rodedwards.co.uk.

Youmayalsoliketofollowhimon…

Rod Edwards Photography Facebook Fanpage :

https://www.facebook.com/rodedwardsphotography

RodEdwardsPhotographyTwitter:https://www.twitter.com/rodedwardsphoto

INTRODUCTION

WhenIsatdowntostartwritingthisbookIaskedmyself,exactlywhatisitthatmakesagoodportraitphotograph?Anyonecanshootaportrait,evenwithverybasicequipment,sowhatisitthatmakesonepicturebetterthananother?Theseareverydifficultquestionsto answer as there are no definitive responses, but there are various ways in which aphotographercancaptureaperson’suniquecharacterandcreateanimagetobeproudof.Thisbook isnot intended toshowadvancedandcomplicatedstudioor location lightingtechniques,butitwilldemonstratehowyoucanachieveprofessionalresultsinanumberofsimpleandeasy-to-masterways.

TheOxfordEnglishDictionarydefinesaportraitas,‘alikenessofaperson,especiallyoneshowingtheface, that iscreatedbyapainterorphotographer,forexample.’However,aportrait (from the French verb portraire, to portray) should transcend a mere physicallikeness.Itshouldalsorevealpersonalitywithouttheneedforwords.Aportraitisaboutconveyingmood – be it happiness, sadness, strength or vulnerability – but itmust alsocreateanemotional response in itsviewers, so that theyask themselvesmoreabout thesitter:whoisthisperson,whatistheirstory,andwhatweretheythinkingaboutwhenthephotowastaken?Notwopeoplearethesame.Weareallindividuals,eachwithourownuniquecharacterandstrengthsandweaknesses.Evenidenticaltwinsaredifferent–theymaylookthesame,butthesimilarityisonlyskin-deep.Thisindividualityiswhatneedstobecaptured inaportrait; the trueexpressionof self iswhatdifferentiatesagood imagefromabadone.

StationMaster

Agoodportraitwillcapturetheinnerpersonalityofanindividualaswellastheirphysicallikeness.Tobeabletodepictthisyouwillneedgoodpeopleskillsaswellasfamiliaritywithyourequipment.

Canon,24–105mmf/4zoomlensat65mm(standard),100ISO,1/60secatf/5.6.

LIGHTINGThequalityoflightinaportrait(indeedinanyphotographicimage)isveryimportantandshouldnotbeoverlooked.Thebest landscapephotographershave learned that the idealtimes to shoot great landscape images are during the so-called ‘magic hours’ aroundsunriseandsunset,andthiscanalsobetrueofgoodpeoplepictures.Thechangingmoodsofnaturallightcanbeusedasatooltoconveyyourmessage.Inasimilarmannertoanartistchoosinghisbrushesandcolourpalette, thephotographercanselect theeffect thequality of light has on the contours of the subject’s face – quite literally paintingwithlight.

Professionalphotographers react todifferent lightingconditions inaconsciousway,butfor someone who knows little about light and its characteristics, this is more often asubconscious reaction. However, if you can learn to read the way light plays upon asubjectandbegintorecognizehowitschangingqualitiesaffectyouremotionalresponses,youwillsoonbecomeamasteroflightbothinthestudioandonlocation.

Daylight is perhaps themost beautiful andmost emulated of all types of light. Studiophotographers the world over spend a great deal of time, effort and money trying torecreatetheelusivenatureofthislightondemand,sothattheycanworkwhentheweatherisinclementandinamorecontrollableenvironment.Butthebestthingaboutnaturallightisthatitischeap!Withtheaidofsomecameraandcomputertechniques,daylightcanbemanipulatedandcontrolled inan infinitenumberofways toproducewonderful images.Yes, it can be simulated, but unless you want to spend a small fortune on expensiveequipment, studio space and running costs, you should not forget the flexibility andconvenienceofhumbledaylight.

Thatbeingsaid,studiolightingisalsoanimportantpartofthephotographer’sarsenal.Itisreliable, consistent and adaptable – but to get the best from it you need to know yourequipment.Takethetimetotrydifferenttypesofreflectorsandattachmentsandlearnthesubtledifferencesbetweenthem,asit’sonlybyunderstandingthisthatyouwillbeabletofully master them. Without a great deal of experience, studio equipment can producerather humdrum results. Toomany high-street studio photographers just attach a large,plainsoftboxorumbrellaandblastawayattheirsitter,producingflat,uninspiringimagesthat are floodedwith toomuch light. Remember that shadows also play a vital part inproducingstrikingphotographsthatwillcaptivatetheviewer–theyarethesilencesinamusical score; they are thewords in a poem that are left unsaid;when light is the yin,shadowsaretheyang.

Maya

Byshootingpeoplearoundsunriseandsunset,youwillbeabletomakethemostofthesoft,warmnaturallight,whichwillresultintrulyatmosphericimages.

Nikon,70–200mmf/2.8zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/4.

COMPOSITIONEquallyasimportantaslightandshadowisgoodcomposition.Thisisanelementthatisoften disregarded by amateurs who rush to take snaps, but it is essential to any goodphotograph, portrait or otherwise. Despite there being some readily acceptedcompositional rules, inreality there isnorightorwrongwaytocomposeapicture.Theintricaciesofgooddesigncannotbetaughtinafewsentences,butasyougainconfidenceyou will begin to appreciate well-balanced images, and use the basic rules to youradvantage.At times,youmaywant tobreakaway from theseconventions toproduceamoredaringimage,butthiswillcomewithexperienceandanobjectiveanalysisofyourownwork and that of other photographers. Above all, what you choose to say shouldcomefromwithin,sorelyonyourinstinctsandyourpersonalvisiontodevelopyourowncreativestyle.

Lea

Youdon’tneedexpensivelightingequipmenttoshooteye-catchingpeopleimages.Justnaturaldaylightwithitswide,softpaletteofcolour,contrastandtonewilloftenbeenoughtocapturearrestingshots.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),ISO100,1/500secatf/4.

CAPTURINGCHARACTERWhen shooting a portrait, you are trying to record in just two dimensions the three-dimensionalsubjectinfrontofyou.Butyoualsowanttotrytocaptureafourthdimension– theirpersonality.Todo this,youneed toaskyourselfwhatyouwant tosayabout thesitter. Do youwant to capture the beauty and femininity of awoman, portray aman’sstrengthandmasculinity,orrevealtheinnocenceandexcitementofachild?Whateveritisyouwanttoconvey,asaphotographeryoumustmakeobservationsandjudgmentsaboutyour subject – theway they dress, theirmannerisms, expressions, facial features, bodylanguage and physiognomy.Learn to read and interpret these signals and youwill findyourselfinapowerfulpositiontotakegoodportraits.

Finally,andperhapsmostimportantly,comesyourownpersonality.It’snotjusttechnicalabilitybutalsopeopleskillsthatmakeagoodportraitphotographer.Everyonewillhavetheirownwayofapproachingportraitsessions.Somewillusetheircommunicationskillsto help the subject to relax; others might find the sound of silence brings out thepersonalityoftheirsitter.Somephotographersprefertheirmodeltosmileorlaugh,whileothersfavouramorethoughtful,pensiveexpressionto try tocapture the innernatureoftheirsubject.

Sometimesyourbestimagewillbethefirstframethatyoutake,andatothertimesitwillbethelastphotooftheafternoonwhenyoufinallyseethatyou’vemanagedtogetyourshot.Withpracticeandpatience,all theseabilitieswillbecomeintuitiveandyou’llstopthinkingaboutyourcameraandjuststarttakingfantasticimages.

So,howdoyougoaboutcapturingthiselusivegreatportrait?Theaimofthisbookistogiveyoualargenumberofprofessional tips thathavetakenmeyearsofpractice,manyhoursoffrustrationandmanyfractionsofsecondsofexposurestolearn.Ican’tpromisetoteachyoueverythingthatthereistoknowaboutportraitphotography,buthopefullythisbookwillbeanexcellentguide,soreadonandyou’lllearnhowtophotographpeoplelikeapro..!

Robert&Grace

Thebestportraitscommunicatetheemotionsofthesubjectsinthem.Alwaysaimtoconveythemoodofyoursittersandcapturethatparticularmomentintime.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),200ISO,1/250secatf/8.

CAMERASIthasneverbeeneasiertotakegreatpeoplepicturesthanitisnow.Afewyearsago,whenmostprosusedslow-speedtransparencyfilm,nailingthatelusiveshotwassomethingofablackart.Youhadtorelyuponexpensiveequipment,awealthofexperienceandalittlebitofgoodluckandjudgmentthrownin.Itwasn’talwayspossibletoassesstheeffectofstudioflashuponyoursitterandevenlesssotojudgewhetheryouhadperfectlyexposedtheframe.However,withtheadventandaffordabilityofgoodqualitydigitalcameras,thisisnowwithineasyreach,asimagescanbeinstantlycheckedontheLCDscreen.

Today’s digital cameras also offer many other benefits over their film counterparts.Featuressuchasfastautofocus,automatedexposuresystems,built-inflash,sophisticatedprogram modes, vibration reduction and high capture rates all make for a much lessbumpy ride on the road to taking fine portrait photographs.Right now,we’re at a timewhendigitalhascompletelyreplaced35mmfilmandisabletostandupandbecounted.Withinminutesofreleasingtheshutter,theimagescanbedownloadedtoyourcomputer,retouchedandprintedout,readyforthefamilyalbumorforsharingviatheInternetwithyourfriendsallovertheworld.Digitalphotographyhasnowcomeofageandthisbookwillteachyouhowtomakethemostofit.

TheCanonEos1Dx

The‘fullframe’flagshipofthecurrentCanondigitalSLRrangeisthe18MPEOS-1Dx.Itisreliableandreassuringlyexpensive,asitisbuilttocopewiththerigoursaprofessionalphotographerwillputitthroughonadailybasis.

THEDIGITALSINGLELENSREFLEX(DSLR)ThemostimportanttoolforaportraitphotographerisadigitalSLRcamera.Ifyouwantalmostunlimitedflexibilitywithsettings,perspectivesanddepthof field (areaof focus)thereisnorealalternative.Whileitisquitepossibletotakegoodportraitswithasimplecompactcamera,youwilloftenfindyourselffightingagainstthecamera’sfullautomationandthiswilllimitbothyourcreativefreedomand,ultimately,thesuccessofyourimages.

WithadigitalSLRandasmallselectionofreasonablypricedlenses,youhavefarmorecontrol over exactly how the final imageswill lookwhen they come straight from thecamera. You can use different lenses to produce a variety of creative effects, such aspowerful perspective distortionwith a superwide-angle lens, or strong compression offeaturesandasmoothlyblurredbackgroundwithlongerlenses.WithadigitalSLR,youalsohavetheability tochooseexactly theeffectyouwantandhowthefinal imagewillappear,byselectingtherightlensforthejobaswellasthedesiredaperture,shutterspeedandexposuresettings.DigitalSLRsalsoallowyoutolookthroughtheactualtakinglens,decidewhatyouwant tofocusonandseeexactlywhatyouarephotographing,whereaswithadigitalcompact,youmaygetanastysurprisesuchas improperfocusorparallax

error,where the lens sees something different towhat you saw through the viewfinder.With so many lenses, accessories and so much versatility, a digital SLR is a realphotographer’scamera,which,withalittleskillandknowledge,willdeliverhigh-qualityimagesthatwillhelprealizeyourphotographicvision.

DigitalSLRsarealsogreatforcommunicatingideasandexperimentingwithnewdigitaltricks and techniques. All of these benefits add to both the success of your creativeworkflowandtheamountoffunyoucanhavetakingthephotosinthefirstplace.

NikonD7100

TheNikonD7100isthetopoftherangeDXcroppedsensor‘prosumer’camerathathasover24MPandbridgesthegapbetweenproandconsumerdigitalSLRs.

RESOLUTIONManyphotographersgetover-excitedaboutpixelcounts,butyoudon’thave to spendafortuneonhigh-endprofessional specificationcameras tobe able to achieve impressiveresults.Withagood-qualitylens,digitalcameraswithanythingover12megapixels(MP)shouldprovidegoodenoughquality toprinton thecoverofVogue,oranyotherglossymagazineforthatmatter.Pro-speccamerasdohavehigherresolution(moremegapixels)andarebuilttowithstandthedailyknocksthey’llgetfromabusyworkingpro,butthisis

theonlymajordifferencebetween theseandmoremodestlypriceddigitalcameras.Thehigherthepixelcount,thegreatertheimageshouldbeabletowithstandenlarging–evena12MPcameracaneasilyprintup toA4 (29.7x21cm/11.x8.in) at300dpi (dotsperinch)andwhenwillyoureallywanttoprintaportraitmuchbiggerthanthat?Evenifyoudo,you’llprobablyfindthesoftnessofinterpolationwillflattertheskintexturesofyoursubjectmore than a super-sharphigh-resolutionpro-spec camera,whichwill emphasizeany imperfections. If you are intending to sell your work and absolute resolution isparamount,thenapro-specmodelwillbemoresuitable,butforday-to-dayphotographsamodest,lightweightandinexpensivedigitalSLRwillbemorethanadequate.

SonyA58

Sonyhavealsoenteredthe‘prosumer’digitalcameramarketwithfinequalityandveryaffordabledigitalSLTSonyTranslucentMirrorcameras.ThisA58boasts20MP,AutoPortraitFramingmodeandcomeswithan18–55mmlens.

PentaxX-5

Pentaxhaverecentlyintroducedtheveryaffordablehybridor“Bridge”camera–thePentaxX-5.Ithas16MP,afixedlensthatzoomsfromawideangleequivalentof22mmtoasupertelephotolengthof580mm–coveringalmostallyourportraitlensneeds.Ingeneral,mostmoderncamerashavesomanyclever,electronicfeaturesthattheycanalmostallbegreatstartercamerasforportraits,aswellasotherareasofphotography.

Whatever camera you decide to buy,whether it’s aDSLR, a hybrid or even a compactcameraormobilephone,agoodprophotographercanstill take interestingportraitsandpeople photographs. It’s a matter of using your imagination and a little creativity –somethingyousimplycannotbuy(soit’sniceandcheap!)

MAKESANDMODELSAll of the mainstream digital camera manufacturers produce great pieces of kit. MypersonalpreferenceisforNikonandCanondigitalSLRs,as theyhaveprovedtobe themarketleadersandcontinuetopushthequalityandcapabilityoftheirproductswitheverynewmodel they introduce.Othermanufacturers such asOlympus, FujiFilm,Panasonic,SigmaandnowSonyalsoproduceexcellentdigitalcameras.Whateverbrandyouchoose,thequalitythat’savailabletodaywouldhavebeenintherealmsofhugelyexpensiveprodigitalcamerasjustafewyearsago.

Admittedly,it’softenhardkeepingpacewiththespeedofadvancingtechnology,andnewcamerasbecomeoutofdatequitequickly,butdon’tbetakeninbythemarketingploysofthemanufacturerswhotrytoenticeyouwithshinynewbitsofequipmentthataresureto

guaranteeyoubetterpicturesandyourplaceindigitalValhalla.Evenwithasecond-hand,entry-level digital SLR, some imagination and the skills that this bookwill teach you,you’llfindyourselfmakinggreatimagesinnexttonotime.Itreallyisacaseof‘it’snotwhatyou’vegot,it’swhatyoudowithitthatcounts.’Forthisreason,inthecaptionstothephotographsinthisbookI’veresistedthetemptationofstatingwhichmakeandmodelof camerawas used – it really isn’t important. Just enjoywhichever camera you have,becomefamiliarwithhowitworksandstopsufferingfromequipmentangst.

Mrs.Woods

Itreallydoesn’tmatterwhatkindofcameramakeormodelyoubuytoshootyourpeoplephotos.Justalittleimaginationandsomecreativityisfarmoreimportantthanthelatestpieceofdigitalkit.Quiteoften,olderdigitalcamerasandlensesfromebaycanbearealstealfromthebargainbucket!

Canon,85mm(shorttelephoto),ISO200,1/125secatf/5.6.

SENSORSIZENext we come to the full-frame or cropped sensor debate for digital portraits. Somephotographers(likemyself),swearbythefull-framesensorasithasmorerestrictivedepthoffield,butthisobviouslyhasitsprosandcons.Ontheplusside,shallowdepthoffieldcanbeidealforportraitswhenyouwishtothrowbackgroundsoutoffocus.Ontheotherhand,croppedsensorscanachievesimilardepthoffieldwithaslightlylongerlenswhilestandingfurtherbackandopeningyouraperturebyaboutoneandahalfstops.Addtothisthefactthatyousometimesmaynotevenwanttoshootatwideaperturesforlimitedfocusandyou can see that thedifferences are largely academic.Cropped sensor cameras andeven bridge / super-zoom digital compact cameras are capable of rendering excellentresultsatveryreasonableprices.Don’tspendyourtimefrettingoverequipment–spendyourtimetakingpicturesandpolishingupyourphotographicskills!Thetruthisthatmostmoderncamerasareperfect for takinggreat imagesand themost importantpieceofkityoucanbringwithyouonashootisyourimagination.It’sthisthatwilldistinguishyourworkfromothers’andmakeyourpeopleimagesstandoutfromthecrowd.

One final point: since lens, aperture and shutter speed are such an integral part of theprocessoftakingphotos,Ihavesuppliedthetechnicalinformationtomanyoftheimagesin thisbook.Thiswillhopefullyhelp to illustrate thedifferenteffects that thesecameraandlenssettingshaveonthefinalimage.

CropFactors

Thisimageshowstheeffectivecropfactorsofvariousdigitalcameras.Thepicturewastakenwithan85mmfull-framecamerawithzerocropfactor.TheboxesshowtheCanon1.3x,theNikonDX1.5xandtheCanon1.6xfieldofviewusingthesameeffectivefocallengthlens.

Tori&Richard

Whatevercamerayouareshootingwith,therealsuccessofyourportraitimagesislessaboutyourcameraresolutionandmoreaboutyourpeopleskills,creativityandimagination.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/5.6.

LENSESWhenitcomestoselectinglensesforphotographingpeople, thegoodnewsisthattherearenorightorwronglenses,justthebestlensforthejobinhand.Effectively,thismeansthattherearenohard-andfastrulesforportraitphotography,butit’simportanttochoosethecorrectlensfortheeffectthatyouaretryingtoachieve.Inmywork,Inormallyuselensesrangingfrom16mmthroughto300mmonafull-frame35mmdigitalcamera.TheexactlensIchoseforaparticularshotdependsupononthesubject,thebackground,thecircumstancesandtheperspectiveeffectthatIamaimingforineachshot.

Ifyouareshootingwithasmallsensorcompact/hybridcameraoraDSLRwithacroppedsensor,dobareinmindthatthefocallengthstatedinthephotodescriptionsrelatestofullframeDSLRcamerasonly. However, to try and keep things simple using the manydifferentcameraformatsandcropfactorsavailable,I’vealsoaddedthe type of lens used in each shot - such aswide angle, standardlens, short or long telephoto etc. Thiswill hopefully help you tolearnthebesttypeoflensforeachshot,andthenyoucanselectasimilartypeoflensforyourownparticularcamera.

WIDEANGLELENSESLensesrangingfrom16–35mmonafullframesensorcamera,(approx.10.5–24mmonacroppedimagesensor)areperfectfordramaticperspectivesandenvironmentalportraits,whenit’simportanttoincludesomeofthebackground.

Photojournalists frequently use lenses in this focal range to depict their subject in adramaticway,while also including some of the surroundings, as it all helps to tell thestory and communicate what the photographer is trying to say.Wide-angle lenses alsohaveaninherentlylargedepthoffield,meaningagreatdealcanbekeptinfocus,andtheshorterfocallengthallowsforslowershutterspeedswithouttheriskofcamerashake.

Aswide-anglelensesexaggerateperspective,theycanbeaverypowerfulwayofcreatingimages with an unusual feel or sometimes even a surreal quality when reality isn’tnecessarilyatoppriority.

Due to the optical characteristics ofwide-angle lenses, they tend not to provide a veryflattering perspective for more traditional-style portraits. Since it’s often necessary to

moveinclosetoyoursubjectinordertofilltheframe,theresultingimagesaresusceptibleto perspective distortion and facial features tend to become overemphasized. Anindividualwithalargenosewon’tthankyouformovinginclosetothemwithashortlens,astheirnosewilllookevenbiggerinthefinalimage,andyou’llsoonfindyourselfstruckofftheirChristmascardlist.Unlessthisistheeffectyou’reafter,alwaysusewide-anglelenseswithsomedegreeofcaution.

Bargoed

Awide-anglelenscanbeusedtoexaggerateperspectivefordramaticeffect.Itisperfectforenvironmentalportraits,suchasthisshotofaWelshharpist.

Nikon,14-24mmf/2.8zoomlensat17mm(superwideangle),160ISO,1/125secatf/13.

STANDARDLENSESLensesintherangeof35–75mm(approx.24–50mmonacroppedimagesensor)aregreatfor creating imageswith a farmore natural look than awide-angle or a long telephotolens.Standardlensesdon’texaggerateperspective,nordotheycompressit,andthefieldofviewtheyproduceisverysimilartoourowneyes–meaningthatwhatyouseethroughtheviewfinderislargelywhatyouwillgetinthefinalimage.

Lenses within this focal range, or standard 50mm lenses, are frequently used byprofessional portrait photographers, as they enable them to shoot full-length portraitswithouthavingtobetoofaraway.Theyalsoavoidtheneedtohaveanoversizedstudiospace,asyoucanstayclose toyoursubject.Personally, I loveshootingwithastandard50mm lens as it allowsme towork quicklywith no nasty surprises or distorted facialfeatures.

SirSam

Imagesshotonastandardlensofaround50mmproduceafieldofviewthatlargelyapproximatesthatofthehumaneye,andhaslittleperspectivedistortion.

Nikon,50mmf1.4(standard),100ISO,1/500secatf2.8.

SHORTTELEPHOTOLENSESLensesintherangeof75–135mm(approx.50–90mmonacroppedimagesensor)areinmanyways considered to be the ideal length ‘portrait’ lenses. They allow a reasonabledistance between subject and photographer (without having to shout) and, due to theopticalcharacteristicsof telephoto lenseshavingshallowerdepthof field, theygiveyoutheability toblur thebackgroundandconcentrate theviewer’s attentionon the subject.Short telephoto lenses also allow you to close in to frame the head and shoulders andmaintainanormalperspectivewithoutexaggeratingfacialfeatures,therebyflatteringthesubject.Lensesinthisfocalrangealsotendtobereasonablylightandquicktooperateandthis usually translates intobetter images. I loveusing lenseswithin this focal range formanyofmyportraits,astheydeliverpleasingresultswithfewcomplications.

Olivia

Shorttelephotolensesareanideallengthforthemajorityofconventionalportraitphotographs.Theyallowyoutothrowthebackgroundslightlyoutoffocus(toisolateyoursubject)buttheydonotmakethephotographertoofarawayfromthesubjectsothattheyhavetoshout!

Canon,85mmf1.2(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/1000secatf2.

MIDTOLONGRANGETELEPHOTOLENSESFinally, lenses in the range of 135–300mm (approx. 90–200mm on a cropped imagesensor) can also be good for producing flattering portraits as they help to compressperspective.Thisisaveryusefultrickasitgivesyoutheabilitytoshortentheappearanceofalargernoseandworksintheoppositewaytothedistortionprovidedbyashorterorwide-angle lens. Longer lenses are ideal for candid shots as they permit you to keep agooddistancefromyoursubjectandhopefullytakethepictureunnoticed.

The optical characteristics of a longer lens also let you blur a distracting backgroundwithout using very large apertures. A 300mm lens at f/5.6 for a head-and-shoulderscompositionwill usually throw a distracting background nicely out of focus.However,when using longer lenses, remember to shoot at a fast enough shutter speed to avoidcamerashake–imagestabilizationandvibration-reductiontelephotolensescanbereallyusefulhere.Ifyouhaven’tgotthisluxury,agoodruleofthumbistoremembertoshootata shutter speedwhose reciprocal is as fast (or faster than) your lens’s focal length. Forexample,whenusinga300mmlenstryandshootat1/300secorfastertoretainpin-sharpimages.Alsorememberthatwhenusingzoomlensesyoumustshootatthereciprocalofthelongestfocal length,not thelengthyouareshootingat,sowhenusinga70–300mmzoom,alwaystryandshootat1/300secorfasterandup-ratetheISOifnecessary.

Catherine

Shorttelephotolensesintherangeof85–105mmareoftenknownasportraitlensesastheyprovideaverypleasingperspectiveandlimiteddepthoffield.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8(shorttelephotolens),400ISO,1/500secatf/4.

ZOOMSV’SPRIMELENSESOver recent years, the humble prime lens has become rather overshadowed by theconvenience and low cost of standard zoom lenses. Admittedly, technical advances inopticshaveallowedmodernzoomlensestomatchandsometimesevenexceedthequalityofafixedprimesuchasa50mmor85mmlens,butifyouchooseyourlenswisely,you’llfindaprime lenswill reallybenefit thequalityofyour final images.Another importantpointtomakeabouttheselensesisthatthey’rearealpleasuretoworkwith.

Duetotheirsimpledesign,primelensesalwayscomewithsuper-fastmaximumaperturessuchasf/1.2–f/2,meaningalovely,brightviewfinderimagecomparedtof/4–f/5.6,whichis more common in standard zooms covering a similar focal length. /Although you’llrarelyuseaprimelensatitsmaximumaperture–asfocusneedstobecriticalanddepthoffield is so shallow – you will find that if you close down a couple of stops to f/4 orsmaller,yourimageswillbesobitinglysharpthatyou’llneedtohandlethemwithleathergloves.Onceagain,unlessyoudohavearealaddictiontosuper-fastmaximumapertures,youwon’tneedtospendagreatdealofcashonagood-qualityprime.A50mmor85mmwith amaximum aperture of f/1.8will improve your photography somuch that you’llwonderhowyouevermanagedwithoutone.Addtothisthefact thatmanyprimeshavecircularapertureblades,whichproducelovely,soft,out-of-focusbackgrounds–aneffectcalled‘bokeh’.Theonlydrawbackwithusingaprimelensisthatinsteadofzoomingtochangethesizeofthesubjectinyourframeyou’llneedtouseyourlegstomovebackandforth,butultimatelythiswillbeabenefittoyourwaistline!

Jenny&Mackenzie

Midtolongtelephotolensesintherangeof135–300mmaregreatforcompressingperspective,isolatingyoursubjectagainstabackgroundandallowingyoutoremainatacomfortabledistance.

Nikon,70–300mmf/4–f/5.6zoomlensat300mm(verylongtelephoto),400ISO,1/500secatf/5.6.

LIGHTINGANDACCESSORIESIt’s perfectly possible to take great people photographs with the absolute minimum ofequipment, using just natural light. However, if you want more flexibility, considerinvesting in some relatively affordable lighting and some simple accessories.Youdon’thavetospendafortunetosetupyourownhomestudioandbydoingso,you’llhavetheopportunitytoshootinallweathers,evenwhenit’scoldanddarkoutside.Alternatively,ifyouwant to add an extra dimension to your locationwork, a list of really useful itemsfollows…you’llsoonbegintowonderhowyouevermanagedwithoutthem.

INTHESTUDIOOver the past few years, large studio lighting manufacturers such as Elinchrom andBowenshavedecidedtoproducegood-qualitystudiostarterkitsforlessthanthecostofadecentdigitalSLR.Thesekitsaregreattowhetyourappetiteandtoplayaroundwithuntilyoudecidethetimehascometoupgradetoamoreadvancedsystem.Thesehomestudiostarter kits are fully compatible with the whole range of professional light alteringaccessoriesincludingsoftboxes,umbrellasandreflectors.

Awholebookcouldbewrittenonstudiolightingandaccessoriesalone–indeedseveralhavebeen–buthereisalistofusefulitemsthateveryhomestudiophotographershouldconsider:

Softbox–forsofteningthelighttoappearmorelikewindowlight.Thesecomeinvarious shapesand sizesbut a simple squareonewouldbe ideal– thebigger thebetter(withinreason).Umbrella–fordiffusingthelighttoresembleadirectsoftlight.Thisalsoincludesshoot-through umbrellas and those with silver or gold interiors to change theintensityandcolourofthelight.Flashheadreflectorsandattachments–allwithsubtlydifferenteffectsof lightquality.Tostartwithyoumayliketotryasimplestandardreflectorthatisnottoowide and uncontrollable so as to flood your sitter – remember shadows areimportanttoo.Barndoors/honeycombs,snootsandspots–allhavetheirownusesanddifferenteffectsonlight.Ifyoudodecidetoplayaroundwiththese,keeptheset-upsimpleuntilyoubecomemorefamiliarwiththeireffect.

Agoodlight/flashmeter–ifyou’reworkingindoorswithstudioflashequipmentthisisausefulaccessory.Manymodernmeterscanmeasurebothambientlight(i.e.daylight) as well as flash light and some can evenmeasure the ratio of flash todaylight.Backgrounds – personally I dislike the backdrops that are so overused by high-streetportraitstudios.TheyareOKincertaincircumstancesthough,andtheplaincoloured ones can be used to great effect, but on thewhole I like to use simplewhite,blackorgreybackdropsandchosetoover-orunder-lightthemdependingonthedesiredeffect.

ElinchromD-LiteOneRXSoftboxKit

ThisflashkitisanaffordableintroductiontostudiophotographyandiscompatiblewiththewholerangeofElinchromlightingaccessories.

Flashgun

TheCanonSpeedlite600EX-RTdedicatedflashgunisahigh-poweredflashthatslipsintotheon-camerahotshoetoprovideahigh-qualityportablelightingsolution.

LastoliteTri-GripsAndReflectors

Lastolitemanufacturesallkindsoflightingaccessoriesthatwillhelptoimproveyourpeoplephotographs.TheTri-Griprangeissimilartothestandardreflectorrange,butcanactuallybeheldbythephotographerwhiletakingthepicture.

Michelle

Ahomestudiocangiveyoumorecontrol,flexibilityandconveniencethananoutdoorlocation.ThissimplestudioportraitwastakenusingjustonerearhairlightandasoftboxfromtheElinchromD-LiteOneRXkit.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat135mm(midrangetelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/4.

ONLOCATIONIt is,ofcourse,possibletotakeyourhomestudiooutdoorsandshootonlocationwithasuitableportablepowersource,butthistechniqueiscumbersome,riskyandoftenrequiresseveral willing assistants. However, professional results can be achieved with theminimumamountoffussandexpense.Herearetheitemsthatyouwillfindinvaluableinyourquestforshootingeye-catchingpeopleimagesoutsidethestudio:

Portable flashgun – strangely enough, flash can be really useful outside in fulldaylightandevenmoreusefulinharshsunlight.So-called‘fill-flash’techniquescanbeaconvenientwayoffillingintheshadowswithasmallblipofflash.Thishastheeffectof lowering localizedcontraston thesitterandmeans that skin texturesarelesspronounced,shadowsarenotasdarkandyou’llevencreatecatch-lightsinyourmodels’ eyes.Thebuilt-in flashonmanydigitalSLRs is sometimes sufficient forthis technique though, which saves you having to carry extra kit – ideal, forexample,whenyouaretryingtoshootcandidportraitsinurbanlocations.Rayflash ‘ring flash’ adaptor – this particular lightmodifier can produce reallyinteresting professional fashion-style results at a very cheap price. Until a cleverCzechphotographerinventedthisitem,togetaringflasheffect,youneededtobuyaveryexpensiveandpowerfulflashheadthateitherpluggedintothemainssupplyorranoffaheavy-dutybatterypack.However,thislittledeviceweighsonly500g(1lb)andsimplyattaches toyourportable flashgun. Itgivesoffaverysoft light that isalmost shadowless, as the flash is bounced around a collection of internal prismsbeforeitisemittedinaringoflightaroundthelens.Reflectors–panelreflectors(asopposedtostudioflashheadreflectors)canbeusedtomodifythequalityoflightbothonlocationandinthestudio.Themostcommononesarewhite,silverorgold incolourand theyhave theeffectofbouncing lightbackintotheshadowsandproducingagenerallymoreflatteringlook.I’mabigfanofLastolitefoldablereflectorsandmanyoftheimagestakeninthisbookwouldnothavethesamefeelwithoutthem.Lastoliteproducesawholerangeofdifferentsizedreflectorsthatcansimplybetwistedtofoldthemawayintoaverylightandportablebag.Youcanofcoursejustuseasheetofcardorpolystyrenetogetasimilareffect,butforthefewpenniesreflectorscost,theyareworththeirweightingold.Flashgun accessories – Viewfinder Photography has recently introduced severalusefullightingaccessoriesthatcanbeattachedtoyourportableflashguntomodifythelight.Thesenewproductseffectivelybridgethegapbetweenstudiobasedflash

and handheld portable flashguns, with snoots, reflectors and diffusers. Eachaccessorywillmodifythelightinadifferentwayandwilladdenormousvariationtothequalityandfeelofyourflashimages.

OTHERACCESSORIES

Tripod–inmyexperience,photographingpeopletendsnottolenditselftotheuseof a tripod. They are not only heavy, but can also restrict movement, therebyhinderingworkflowandproducingmorestagedandset-upresults.Whenusingflashin a studio, shutter speeds tend to be high enough not to warrant the need for asturdy tripod andwhen outdoors, I like to be free tomovewherever Iwant. Forthesereasons,Irarelyuseatripodinmyportraitwork.Filters – in thepast, theuseofglass filters towarmup, softenorcreatevignetteeffects in portraits was quite common. However, with digital cameras andPhotoshoptechniques,it’seasiertoaddalltheseeffects(andmanymore)whenyougetbacktothecomfortofhome.Theeffectscanalsobedoneandundonewiththeclickof amouse so there is no longer theneed toget everything exactly right incameraatthetimeofshooting.Thishasbeenbadnewsforthefiltermanufacturers,but great news for photographers who can now play around with effects on thecomputeruntil completelyhappywith the results.Adobearen’t theonly softwaremanufacturers to produce filter-effect applications though; you may also like tocheckoutDxOFilmPackandTiffenDFX–bothprovidevarious film/filter typeeffects that have been reverse engineered to simulate the use of traditionalphotographicmaterials.Lens shades – when shooting portraits both indoors and out, stray light canintroduce lens flare, which can cause unpleasant and distracting ‘hot spots’.Although most new lenses have effective anti-flare coatings, this should not bereliedoncompletely.Agood-qualitylensshadeisanexcellentaccessorytohaveatyourdisposal–andinfactmanylensescomewithafactoryfitshadeasstandard.

RayFlash‘ringflash’adaptor

TheratheringeniousRayflashadaptor,byFlagheadPhotographic,attachestoyourportableflashgunandsimulatesamuchmoreexpensivestudioringflasheffect.

Flashgunaccessories

ViewfinderPhotographyhasrecentlyintroducedsomeoriginalandusefulattachmentsthatfitontoyourportableflashgunandgiveyouextracontroloveryourlighting,suchasthesecleversnootsandreflectors.

Lauren

ThislocationportraitwasshotwithahandyLastoliteTri-GripSunlitereflectortoaddwarmthtothemodel’scomplexionandtofillintheshadows.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/125secatf/4.

COMPUTERSANDSOFTWAREImage-manipulationsoftwarehascomealongwayfromtheearlydaystothepointwhereit cannowbeused as an important tool to extendyour creative abilities andworkflow.Longgonearethedaysofbeingstuckinasmall,smellydarkroomwithjustaredsafelighttoseewith…theelectronic revolution ishereand longmay it stay.Hoursspent in thecramped confines of the darkroom processing prints have now been replacedwith justminutesinfrontofyourcomputerandwithonlyafewclicksofthemouse.

It doesn’t matter how flashy or expensive your computer system is, or exactly whatversion of sophisticated software you’ve got – you must never underestimate theimportanceofhavingagoodstrongimagetobeginwith.Noamountofcomputerwizardryisgoingtosalvageapoorlyexecutedphotograph,sotrytobeginwithacorrectlyexposed,well-composedand imaginative imageanddon’t just relyuponyour computer to try tocreateyourmasterpieces.

MACORPCWithoutwishingtostirupawasp’snest,whetherit’sanAppleMacintoshrunningOSXoraPCrunningWindows,ultimatelyyou’llbeabletogetmuchthesameresults…you’lljusttakeaslightlydifferentroadtogetthere.I’vebeenusingAppleMacssincetheyeardot,whencomputerswerestillbeigeandnerdswerestillhavingsleeplessnightsworryingabouttheMillenniumBug.Itwasasteeplearningcurvewiththeolderoperatingsystems,butwhenAppleeventually introduced the firstversionofOSX in2001, computers justseemedtobecomesomuchsimpler.NowthatMacshaveIntelprocessors,theycanevenrunPCapplicationstoget thebestofbothworlds.Idohavetoadmit tohavingaslightbiastowardsthesebeautifullydesignedandengineeredmachines,andinnearlytenyearsofusingone(severalinfact),Macshaven’tletmedown.IfthereisoneAchillesheelitisthat they tend tobemoreexpensiveand, if thingsgowrong, it’snot as easy to findanapprovedApplerepairerasit isaPCengineer.Nevertheless, theyaresowellmadethattheyrarelydogowrong.

No doubt, you will have already have made your own personal choice for your ownreasons, andwith a bit of technical knowhow, youwill be able to utilize technology toproducesome inspirational imagesnomatterwhatcomputeryouareusing.However, ifyouwanttousethemostup-to-datedigitalcameraswithbigfilesizesandhighmegapixelcounts,youwillneedtohaveadecentspecmachine.Itdoesn’thavetobethetopmodel,

but one with a fast processor, meaty graphics card and plenty ofmemory (RAM)willincreaseyourproductivityandenjoymentnoend.Trytogetthefastestmachineyoucanafford,withasmuchRAMasyoucanlayyourhandson,anddon’tforgetthatnomatterhow much you’ve already got, you’ll never have enough hard-drive space. High-resolution,layered16-bitdigitalfileseatupmemorysotrynottoskimphereoryou’llbeforeverhungryformore.

One final point to note, over recent years Solid State HardDrives (SDD’s) are slowlybecomingmoreaffordableandthereforemorepopular.ThesedifferfromstandardSATAHard Disk Drives (HDD) as they have nomoving parts and aremuch,much faster ataccessingdata.Theyare alsomore robust, so they tendnot to fail asoften asold stylespindleharddrivesandcanusuallyretaintheirdataevenifyoudropyourlaptop.Overthenextfewyearsexpecthybriddrives(suchasAppleFusionDrives)toalsobecomemorepopular. These drives are a combination of the cheaper SATA hard drives and moreexpensiveSSDharddrives.Workingtogether,theycanprovidethebestofbothworlds–fastaccesstorepeatdata(SSD)andslower,butlargerstoragecapacity(HDD).

iMac

Applehasalwaysbeenattheforefrontofdesignandtechnology.Thenew27”iMacincorporatesanIntelprocessorthatenablestheusertoworkwithbothMacOSandWindowsapplications.

ADOBEPHOTOSHOPTheremustbeveryfewpeopleouttherewhoeditdigitalimageswhohavenotheardofAdobePhotoshop.Ithastakenthemarketbystormandisgenerallyconsideredtobetheindustry standard and has become synonymous with digital photo editing. Othermanufacturers have tried to compete and do things their own way, but if there is oneapplicationofchoicefordigitalimagemanipulationithasgottobePhotoshop.

When used by a skilled operator, Photoshop and all its features are limited only byimagination.It’sanincrediblycomplicatedtoolthatseemstogetmorepowerfulthemoreyoulearnaboutbit.Tobetruthful,unlessyouareaprofessionalphotographerwhoneedstobe at thevery forefront of digital production, youwill probablynever reallyneed to

change to the latest full version of Photoshop, and you will still be able to produceamazing results with the basic version called Adobe Photoshop Elements. This is afantastic application with a simplified interface and a wealth of creative abilities. Justabout all themain componentsof its biggerbrother are incorporated into a smaller andmuchmoreaffordablepackage thatdoesnot compromiseonqualityorusability. Ifyoucan’taffordthefullPhotoshopsoftware,tryAdobeElementsandI’msurethatyouwon’tbedisappointed.

However, throughout this book I generally refer to Adobe Photoshop as it is themostpervasive editing application on the market, and most photographers have access to arecentversionofit.Don’tevenfretifyouhaveanolderversionbecausetheupdatesoverthelastfewyearshaven’tbeenthatmonumentalandthetechniquesarestillthesame.

FILEFORMATSPerhapsoneofthemostimportantbitsofinformationyouwillbenefitfromlearningistoalwaystrytoshootyourdigitalpicturesinRAWformat–notTIForJPG.Ifyouwanttotweakyourimagesonthecomputer(andifyourcameraallowsit),RAWfilesarethewaytogo.Thisformateffectivelyproducesadigitalnegativethatcapturesthefullcapacityofyourcamera’ssensorandwillallowyoutoobtaintheverybestqualityfromyourdigitalfiles.ThedownsideisthatthefilesizeisgenerallythreeorfourtimesthatofaJPG,soyour cardswill fill up quicker and the burst ratewill slow down too. Tome, this is acompromisethat’sworthmakingasIneedtogetthebestthatIcanfrommyequipmentand I like to tweakmost ofmy imageson the computerwhen I get back to the studio.RAWfilesarefarmoretolerantofexposureerrors,whilefactorssuchaswhitebalance,sharpness and contrast can all be adjusted later – ultimately giving you far greaterconsistencyandmuchbetterresults.

ToprocessRAWimages,youneedtoopenthemupinaRAWconverterprogrambeforeimporting them in to the imagemanipulation software such as Photoshop. This can bedone in the camera manufacturers own raw processing software such as Canon DPP(Digital Photo Professional) and Nikon Capture NX2. Alternatively, there are variousother raw file converter applications such as Apple Aperture, Capture One, CorelAfterShotPro.

Personally, I find Adobe’s own solution to be by far the best and the most intuitivewhetherit’susingAdobeBridge(viaPhotoshop)ortheverypopularAdobeLightroom.Ifpossible,alwaysedityourRAWfilesin16-bitcolourmode.Thiseffectivelydoublesthe

file size but also greatly improves the amount of colour data that is available whileworkingonthedigitalfile.There’snoneedtosaveorprinthefinalimagein16-bitmodeasitwilleatupyourhard-drivespacenoend,butwhileworkingontheimages,alwaystrytokeepthefull16bitsofdataasthiswillgiveyoumaximumqualityandhelptomaintainasmoothhistogramintheLevelsdialog.

AdobePhotoshopCCor“CreativeCloud”iscurrentlythemarketleaderindigitalimage-manipulation software. It does involve a monthly subscription to ‘the creative cloud’makingitoutofreachformanyamateurs.However,youwillbeabletoproducesimilareffects in anolder versionofPhotoshopor themore affordableAdobeElements,CorelPaintShopProX5,oreventheamazingandfreeGIMPimageeditingapplications.

May I introduce to you the incredible GIMP! This is a completely free imagemanipulationsoftwarethathasmuchincommonwithAdobePhotoshop(apartfromthepricetag!) It’s multi platform so it works on both Macintosh and Windows operatingsystemsandisagreatintroductiontodigitalphotoretouchingforthoseofyouonarealtightbudget.

ADOBELIGHTROOM

TheAdobeRAWConvertion engine inLightroom allows for very precise control overyourimagesbeforetheyareworkedoninPhotoshoporyourimageeditingapplication

DIGITISINGFILMIfyouwanttodigitallyenhancesomeoldfilmnegativesortransparencies,youwillneedascanner to convert the filmdata to adigital file.Asdigital technologyadvances, priceshavetumbledandqualityhassoaredfordesktopfilmandflatbedscanners.Adecentfilmscanner can give professional results from a correctly exposed and developed negative,andwith abit of practiceyou shouldbe able toproducehigh-quality scans that canbeprintedtoA4(29.7x21cm/11.x8.in)at300dpiorevenlarger.

Dedicatedfilmscanner

ThePlustekOpticFilm8200iSEFilmScannerisanidealwaytoturnyourslidesornegativesintodigitalfilesforPhotoshopdigitalmanipulation.

PRINTINGIfyouwanttoprintoutyourdigitalphotographsforthefamilyalbum,aframeorperhapsevenexhibitions,youwillalsoneedtoinvestinadecentcolourphotoprinter.Mostoftheproductsonthemarketoffersuchexcellentqualitythatit’sdifficulttodifferentiatethefinalprintsfromonemodeltothenext.Thisisgreatnewsfortheconsumer,asitmeansyou

reallycan’tgofarwrongwithwhicheveroneyoudecidetopurchase,andprintersthatwouldhavebeenenormouslyexpensivejustafewyearsagoarenowwithineasyreachofeventhetightestbudget.Watchoutforreplacementinkcoststhough,astheseconsumablesareoftenwheremanufacturersmakemuchoftheirmoneyabovetheinitialhardwarecosts.

MONITORCALIBRATIONAll makes and models of monitor displays are different and have their own colourcharacteristics.Youonlyhave to lookat thehuge selectionofTVscreens inyour localelectronics store to see just howmuch the picture varies fromoneTV to the next, andcomputer monitors are no different. If you want consistent results, it’s important tocalibrate your monitor. There are numerous devices available to help with this task,ranging from cheap and very basic to expensive complete colour-profiling systems, buteven the simpleoneswill improve theconsistencynoend.These ‘spyders’, as theyareknown, attach to the screen and the supplied software runs an application that emitsdifferentcoloursonthedisplay.Thesecoloursarethencomparedtoabenchmarkcolourchart and the differences are corrected to create an industry-standard colour profile foryourmonitor,sothatyourimageswilllookthesameonallcorrectlycalibratedmonitors.ModelsmadebyGretagMacbeth,X-RiteandColorvisionarehighlyrecommended.

TheX-RiteColorMunkiSmileenablesyoutocorrectlycalibrateyourmonitorforaccurateon-screencoloursataveryreasonableprice.

BACKINGUPFinally,andsomethingthatmustnotbeoverlooked,istheimportanceofstoringandbackingupyourdigitaldata.Ifyou’veeverbeenunluckyenoughtoloseyourimageswhenoneofyourharddriveshasgonedown,you’llhavelearntaveryvaluablelesson–alwaysbackupyourfiles!IkeepacopyofmyRAWfilesinthreedifferentplaces:onamainharddrive,onaback-updriveandongood-qualityDVDs.Callmeparanoidifyoulike,butIlearnedthehardwayandonly

wishsomeonehadsharedthisgemofwisdomwithmebeforeIlosthundredsofimagesandcountlesshoursofwork.Backupyourdataandthenbackupyourback-up!

Christina

ApplicationssuchasAdobePhotoshoporElementsallowyoutorecreatetraditionalphotographiceffectsdigitally.Thiscross-processedlookcaneasilybeachievedwithjustafewclicksandiscompletelyadjustable.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/60secatf/8.

DESIGNINGTHEIMAGEA strong composition and good design are all-important in portraiture.While therelevance of subject and the use of light will add to the aesthetics of an image,ultimatelythesuccessofthefinalphotographwillbeheldtogetherbyhoweffectivelythe image is designed.This chapter helps to demystify the art of shooting strikingportraitsbyexplainingtherelativelysimpletechniquesandproceduresthatcanbeutilizedwhileworkingonlocationwithyourcameraandthenbackathomeonthecomputer.Oncemastered,thesebasicskillswillbringatrulyprofessionalelementtoyourpeoplephotographs.

Ellis

Designandcompositionarecriticalfactorswhenitcomestocreatingoutstandingimagesofpeople.ThisengagingportraitdemonstratesthestrengthofatightcropandtheeffectivenessoftheGoldenRuleofThirds.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/5.6.

FRAMING&POSITIONINGYOURSUBJECT

Correctlyframingandarrangingyoursubjectinyourphotographisthefirstimportantstepinthedesignofyourimage.Beforeyouevenstartthinkingaboutpressingtheshutter,youshouldfirstbecarefullyconsideringwhereyouwanttoplaceyoursubject.Makesurethattherearenotelephonepolesorsuchlikeappearingtosproutfromthebackoftheirhead,and that anything incongruous to the success of your image is skillfully hidden behindyour subject. By making minor alterations to your own position and your subject’slocationwithintheframe,youshouldbeabletoproduceawell-composedimagewithastrong form, clean lines and a distinct shape – all the vital ingredients to a successfulportrait.

VenetianGondolier

Thisimagewascomposedtoensureacleanseparationbetweenthesubjectandtheshapesandtonesofthebackground.BeforeIevenapproachedthegondolier,Ihaddecideduponthelens,thebasiccompositionandeventhepositionofhishandsinthefinalimage.ThismeantthatIwouldtakeupverylittleofhistime,andalsoallowedmetoworkundermyownsteamwithouthavinganimpatientsubjectwaitingforme.Thefinercompositionaldetails,suchastheplacementofhishatunderthearchwayinthebackground,wereonlydecidedonceIhadstartedtoworkwiththesubject.Ichosetopositionhimcentrallybetweenthetwowindowstocreateastrongsymmetryintheimage,andbyplacinghismidtonedfaceagainstthedarkarchtheperfectframewascomplete.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),160ISO,1/250secatf/4.

PhotoshopFocus

Togiveyourimagesamoreclassicalorvintagefeel,convertthemtoblackandwhite(seepages128–9)andtonethemwithawarmbrownsepiausingImage>Adjustments>ColorBalanceanddialinginsomeredandyellowtothehighlights,midtonesandshadows.Toconcentratetheviewer’sattentiononthesubject,applyadarkvignettetotheedgesoftheimageusingtheBurntool.ThisisanoldtechniquethatwasoftenusedinthetraditionaldarkroomandcannowbeeasilymimickedinPhotoshop.Tobringbacksomeshadowdetailtolow-keyportraits,dodgethemidtonesonyoursubject’sfaceusingtheDodgetool.Set theRangetoShadowsorMidtonesandusea lowExposureof2-5%tohavemorecontrolovertheeffect.

BLURTHEBACKGROUND

Whenthebackgroundbehindyoursubjectisalittledistracting,whynotblurittoisolateyour subject andmake themstandout?Thiscanbeachieved in-camera inanumberofdifferent ways, including shooting with a long lens of around 200–300mm and / orshootingatwideaperturessuchasf/2.0–5.6.Inadditiontothis,thecloserthesubjectistothecamerathemorethebackgroundwillblur.Bycombiningallthreetechniques,you’llbe surprised at just how easily a distracting background can be turned into a smoothtransitionofcoloursandtones–creatingaperfectbackdropforportraitswithimpact.

Ella

Thisalmostcandidshotwastakenonabeachinearlyautumn.Thebrightpinkhatcontrastswellagainstthemutedyellowofthesandandthepaleblueofthesky.Usingalongtelephotozoomlenssetataround200mm,withawideapertureoff/4,andwithEllawithintalkingdistance,thebackgroundhasblurredbeautifullytocreateastrongandcleancomposition.Thelittlegirlhasbeencaughtwithawonderfullynaturalexpressionofexcitementandhappinessonherface,andthecatchlightsinhereyesfromthelowsunbringhergleefulexpressiontolife.Don’tbeafraidtoshootplentyofframestomakesurethatyoucatchthat‘decisivemoment’.Shootnowandeditlater.

Nikon,70–200mmf/2.8zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/500secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Toachievethiseffectdigitally, thebackgroundcanbeselectedandthenblurredusingoneofthemanyPhotoshopBlurfilters–mypersonalfavouriteisGaussianBlur(Filter>Blur>GaussianBlur).Acleanselection around the subject can be tricky and time-consuming, so getting the shot right in-camera ismuchquickerandeasier.Ifthebackgroundisstilldistracting,cleanitupinPhotoshopwiththeClonetoolandHealingBrushtocreateaseamlessbackdrop.Thesimplerthebackgroundthecleareryourmessagewillbe.Pumpup thecolourSaturationorClarity inyour rawconversion software.Thiswillproduceahigherqualityimageasyouareworkingwiththeoriginal‘digitalnegative’ratherthantheprocessedimagefile.If the colours in the image are too cool, addwarmthby editing thephoto inPhotoshopwith Image>Adjust>Hue/SaturationdialogandusetheMasterdropdownmenutoselectYellows.Thisisahandytiptoaltertheapparentwarmthofthenaturallightevenwhenshotatmiddaywhentonesarecooler.

SHOOTFROMUNUSUALANGLES

Alwaysshootingfromeye-levelcanleadtorepetitiveanduninspiringshots.Instead, trycomposing the image from amore unusual angle,whichwill add drama and impact toyourshot.Youcouldtrylyingonthefloorandshootingupwardstogetaworm’s-eyevieworperhapsgetyour subject to reclineagainst an interestingbackgroundand shoot fromdirectly overhead.Hopefully eitherwaywill comeupwith something eye-catching andoutof theordinary. Ifyoudochoose toshoot fromanalternativeviewpoint,makesureyouaren’tlookingupyoursubject’snostrilsandcheckthattheyarecomfortablewiththewhole idea. Digital cameras are great for communicating ideas with your subject andcreatingavisiontogether,asyoucanshowyoursitterexactlywhatyouhaveinmindbyreplayingimagesontheLCDscreen.

Karen

Thisshotwastakeninabusyparkinacitycentrewhereitwasdifficulttofindagoodcleanbackdrop.Asitwassummerandthegrasswascoveredwithdaisiesitmadesensetousethesestrongcoloursforafunyetsomewhatkitschmodelportfolioshot.Karenhasgreatteethwithoutanyfillingssoitseemedrighttoshowoffthisattributeintheimage.Theshotwaslitwithnaturaldaylightonly–noadditionallightsorreflectorswereused–keepingitniceandsimple.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/125secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Whenincludingflowersinyourpictures,makesuretheyareperfectspecimens.Ifnot,usetheClonetoolto replace any that have been nibbled by caterpillars with pristine new ones. It’s surprising how anyimperfectionscanweakenyourimage.Warmtherawfileupintheconvertersoftwarebytweakingthecolourtemperatureslideruntilyouarehappywiththeeffect.Thisnegatestheneedtouseawarmingfilteroverthelens,therebykeepinglenssharpness/resolutiontoanabsolutemaximumandreducingtheweightofyourkit.EyesandteethcanbequicklylightenedusingtheDodgetoolwithasoftbrushtogiveamorecommerciallook.Youcanalsousethetechniquedescribedonpages136-137formoreintricatecontrol.Pumpupthecoloursaturationbyaround+20toaddtothealmostsurrealfeelofthefinalimageandtomakeitvisuallybolder.Aslightcrossprocessedfilmeffectcanalsoaddtothevisualimpactbyusingthetechniquedescribedonpages138-139.

ZOOMINFORIMPACT

RobertCapa, thecelebratedwarphotographer,once said, ‘Ifyourpicturesarenotgoodenough,you’renotcloseenough.’The1.5xcropfactorofmanydigitalcamerasmeansit’spossibletozoominreallytighttofilltheframewithyoursubject’sexpression.Suchclosefocushasinherentlyshallowdepthoffield,sobeextracarefulandtakeyourtimetomakesureyougetthefocusspot-on.Inalltypesofportraitsit’scrucialtofocusonthesubject’seyes.Ifdepthoffieldisreallyshallowandyoucankeeponlyoneeyesharp,makeittheone that isclosest to the lens.Filling theframewith thesubject’s face isalsouseful forremoving a distracting background and can be a useful technique to employwhen youneedtoshootastrongportraitinapoorlocation.

Mackenzie

Thiscandidshotseemstoencapsulatetheinnocenceandwonderofyouth.Itshowsapure,naturalandslightlyambiguousexpressionthatcanonlybecaptured,notcreated.Ifyouaskatwo-year-oldchildtoposeforyou,theendresultwillbestaticandstaged,nottomentionfrustratingtoarticulate.Youneedtobefastandfamiliarwithyourequipmenttomakesureyoudon’tmissthemoment–don’thesitateoryou’llmissitjustbythinkingaboutit.Iusedalongtelephotolensatitsmaximumextensionof300mmtocapturethisimageonafull-framedigitalcamera.Itwasnotaparticularlyfastlensinlight-gatheringtermsanditwasalittleslowtoauto-focus,butwithsomepracticeandskillIwasabletogettheshot.Theminimumfocuswasaround1.5m(5ft)away,soIzoomedintofilltheframeformaximumimpact.

Nikon,70–300mmf/4–5.6zoomlensat300mm,(verylongtelephoto),160ISO,1/250secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

Convert colour images to black and white using Image > Adjust > Desaturate or by adding a nondestructive adjustment layer Image>Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>BlackAndWhite.AdjustmentLayersdogeneratealargerimagefilesize,butit’sfareasiertochangetheeffectlaterwithoutsacrificingthequalityoftheimage.Retoucheyestomakethemwhiterandtomakethemstandout.Inablackandwhiteimage,theviewerisalwaysdrawntowardsthehighlightsorlighterareasfirst.Photoshopmanipulationshouldideallybecarriedoutin16-bitmodetotrytoretainasmuchcolourandtonal information aspossible.Whenall themodificationshavebeencarriedout, only then shouldyouconvertto8-bitmode,halvingthefilesize.

TILTYOURHORIZON

In landscape or architectural photography, a level horizon is often paramount to thesuccessoftheimage,butinportraiturekeepingeverythingstraightislessofaconstraint.Remember that compositional rulesarenever set in stoneandaremade tobebroken ifyou feel confident enough. It’s important to consider the effect of the horizon on thecomposition and design, but placing it down the centre of the frame at an angle oftenworks well. A tilted horizon adds a certain tension to the picture by creating drama,dynamismandbyinjectinglifeintoanotherwisestaticcomposition.Aslongasthebasicelementsarewell-balancedintheoverallcomposition,thistechniquecanproducestrongimageswithacontemporaryfeel.

Richard

Thisimage,shotforayoungdancer’smodelportfolio,breaksmanyofthebasicrulesoftraditionalcomposition,butstillworks.Admittedly,I’vepositionedthesubjectintheright-handsideoftheframeandobservedtheGoldenRuleofThirds,butthehorizonisangledtoaddextraimpact.Thedancer’sbalancingskillswerebroughtintoplaybygettinghimtoperformahandstand.Thishelpedtocreateanunusualportraitthatrevealsalittlemoreabouttheindividualandhischaracter.Amedium-lengthtelephotolensandawideraperturewereusedtoisolatethesubjectbyslightlyblurringthebackground.

Mamiya,150mmlens(shorttelephoto),FujiReala100ASAfilmratedat64ASA,1/500secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

This imagewas actually shot on good old fashionedmedium-format colour negative film,whichwasscanned in at 2,400dpi to create a 120MB16-bit digital file.When scanning colour negative film it’simportant to set the correct filmprofile in the scanning software.Silverfast byLaserSoft Imaging, forexample,hasdozensofbespoke filmcurvesandsettings thatmake iteasy togetwell-balancedcolourscansfromadesktopscanner.Sometypesandbrandsoffilmscanbetterthenothers,andit’ssomethingofatrial-and-errorprocesstoworktowardsconsistentlygettingtheresultyouwant.A slight bluegradient canbe added to skies to inject a little colour.While this couldbedoneusing agraduated filter in-camera, it’s easier to get the desired effect inPhotoshop.Duplicate the backgroundlayer (Layer>DuplicateLayer),soas to leave theoriginal image intact, thenaddagradientusing theGradienttoolandselectingacolourfromtheSwatchespalette.Finally,fadethelayerOpacitybacktogettherightdepthofcolour.Ialsochosetokeepthenaturalcoolhueoftheopenskyatmidday.UsuallyIwarmmyimagesuptoaddmake themmorepleasing to theeye,but sometimes it’sgood todo somethingdifferent. In this case Iaddeda littleblueusingImage>Adjust>PhotoFilterBlueCoolingFilter(80)witha lowDensity toavoidstrangeskintones.

KEEPITSIMPLE

Theimpactofanysuccessfulphotographisoftenstrengthenedbykeepingitsimple.Iftheimageiscomplicated,messyandwithoutafirmvisualmessage,itwillbevisuallyweakandnotgrab theviewer’s attention.Whendesigning the image inyourmind, aprocessmanyphotographerscall‘pre-visualisation’,tryandhaveafirmideaofhowyouwantthefinishedimagetolookandthenyoucanworktowardsthisgoal.Takeoutanythingintheshotthatdoesnothelpstrengthenthemessageyouaretryingtoportray-asit’sjustnotneeded.Thisincludeskeepingthebackdropcleanandsimple,keepingthecolourschemesimpleandharmoniousaswellaskeepingthecompositionsimple,boldandtight.Ialsofind that by keeping my equipment simple, I can concentrate on capturing the subjectratherthanbeingdistractedbymycomplicatedkit.ThisisanotherreasonwhyIfavourasimpleprimelenssuchasa50mmstandardlens,an85mmshorttelephotoportraitlensorinthiscasea135mmtelephotoportraitlens.Theygiveawonderfulbrightimageinyourviewfinderandallowyoutoconcentrateoncapturingthesubjectratherthanzoominginandouttofindtherightfocallength.Allthisaidsinsuccessfullycapturingtheimageyouwantandtakinggreatportraits.

Maya

Thisdelightfulphotoofayounggirlatthebeachhasaverysimplelookandfeel.Thesimplecoloursallworktogetherwithalimitedpalette,andbyburningoutthebackground,itcreatesasimplewhitebackdropforaverynaturalsunlitportrait.The135mmmidrangetelephotoportraitlenssimplifiedthewholetakingprocessandallowedmetofocusmyattentiononthesubjectbythrowingthebackgroundoutoffocus.Directeyecontactimmediatelyencouragestheviewertoconnectwiththesubjectandthewideaperturefocusescreatesashallowdepthoffieldthatjustkeepstheeyessharpandeverythingelsesoft.

Canon135mmf2lens(midrangetelephoto),ISO100,1/800secatf2.8.

Photoshopfocus

IaddedsomeextrablurtotheportraitbyusingtheBlurToolandawide,softbrush.Thisisbestdoneonaseparatelayersotheeffectisnondestructive,caneasilybeundoneandtheopacitycanbechangedtofinetuneyourfinallook.Whitebalancecaneasilybesetinanimagelikethisbyclickingontheplanewhitebackgroundwiththewhitebalancetoolinyourrawconvertersoftware.Personally,Ithenliketowarmuptheimagealittlebyincreasingthecolourtemperatureaswarmportraitsusuallyaremorepleasingtotheeyethancoolerones.To clean up the whites of the eyes simply select the Dodge tool from the toolbar, select a very lowexposurefortheHighlightsandbrushovertheeyes.Becareful,asthisiseasytooverdoandcaneasilyendinaveryunnaturallookingportrait.

USEAWIDEANGLELENS

Wide-anglelensescanbeusedtogreateffectinthedesigningofcertaintypesofportraits.Due to the inherent optical characteristics of awide-angle lens, they tend to exaggerateperspectivebyemphasizingtheforegroundandcreatingastrongsenseofdepth.Thiscanbeespeciallyusefulwhenshooting‘environmental’portraitsasit’spossibletophotographboth the subject and the location and, by doing so, the imagewill tellmore of a storyabout thesitter.Whileawide-angle lenscanbeaverypowerful tool, itdoesneedtobeusedwithsomecautionanda little thought.Wide-anglesaregreat fordramatic images,buttheyarenotsogoodwhentryingtoproduceaflatteringportrait.Usedcloseup,theycancreateunwantedperspectivedistortion,whichcouldmeana somewhat alien-shapedheadorabulbousnose;somethingyoursitterwillnotthankyoufor.

EricTheReedcutter

Thisportraitofareedcutterwithhiswoodenscytheusesa28mmlenstodramaticallyenlargethesharpbladeofhishandmadetool.Thestrongperspectiveeffectrunsfromthebladeedgeintheimmediateforegroundtothedistantreedbeds,whichsweeparoundthebackofthesubjectcreatingastrongsenseofplaceandrevealingtheenvironmentheworksin.It’softendifficulttojudgetheexacteffectofawide-anglelens,astheperspectiveissodifferentfromyournormalday-to-dayvision.It’sthereforeagoodideatothinkaboutwhateffectyouwanttocreateandthenselecttherightlensforthejobwhilelookingthroughtheviewfinder.

Canon,24–105mmf/4zoomlensat28mm(wideangle),100ISO,1/60secatf/16.

Photoshopfocus

Convertcolourimagestoblackandwhite,thenaddasepiatinttogiveatraditionalfeelusingTechnique4onpage128-129.Digitaldarkroomsarefarmoreconvenient(andfar lesssmelly!) thantheoldstylewetdarkroomsweusedtosulphurtonephotographsin.UsetheBurntooltoburnintheskyareaandtheforegroundwithasoftbrushataround10-25%Exposureto spotlight your subject, almost like an actorwould be lit upon a stage. This valuable, old fashioneddarkroomtechniqueisoftenforgotteninthedigitalworld.Ifthelightisquiteharsh,exposetheimagewithplentyofshadowdetail(sothesubject’seyesdonotgoblack beneath his hat)while still retaining full detail in the highlight areas. If this is not possible in-camera, select the area with the Lasso tool, feather the selection (Select > Feather), then use theShadows/Highlightdialog(Image>Adjustments>Shadows/Highlight)toachievetherightbalance.

USEATELEPHOTOLENS

Intheoppositewaytohowawide-anglelensexaggeratestheperspectiveinanimage,alongertelephotolenscanbeusedtocompressthedepthplane.Lensesintherangeof75–135mm(50–90mmona cropped image sensor) areoften referred to as ‘portrait lenses’andarefavouredbyphotographersfortheveryflatteringeffecttheyhaveonthemajorityofsubjects.Theyalsoallowareasonabledistancebetweenthephotographerandthesitter,makingtheprocesslessintrusiveandintimidating,whilemaintainingatightcomposition.Atelephotolensofaround200–300mmcanbeusedtocompresstheperspectiveofyoursubject’sfacialfeatures.Thiscanbeaveryusefultechniquetoemployifyoursitterhasaparticularlyprominentnoseorjawline,asthelongerlenswillhelptotaketheemphasisoffitanddisguiseitsomewhat.

Michelle&Ellis

ThisimagewastakeninthestudiousingasmallElinchromsoftbox.Theshallowdepthoffieldandclosefocusofalongtelephotolenshashelpedtosoftentheoverallappearanceoftheshotwhileconcentratingtheviewer’sattentiononthebaby’seyes.Thelenshasalsoallowedastrong,closecropthataidstheoveralldesignoftheimageandeliminatesmostofthebackground.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/4.0.

Photoshopfocus

Duetolimiteddepthoffield,atelephotolenswillthrowmuchofthesubjectoutoffocus,butyoucansoftenpartsoftheimagefurtherwithsomeadditionalGaussianBlur.JustselecttheareawithaMarquee,FeathertheSelectionanddialintheamountofblurthatachievesyourdesiredeffect.TheoftenforgottenBlurToolisalsoaneasywaytoaddadditionalimagesofteningtoyourdigitalphotograph.Forasensualsubjectsuchasthis,tweakthecolourbalanceintheRAWconvertersoftwaretoaddextrawarmth.Thiswillgivetheskintonesaslightlytannedlookthatmakestheimagefeelmoreintimateandinviting.ThiscanalsobedonewithaPhotoFilteradjustmentlayer(Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>PhotoFilter)andanorangeWarmingFilter(85).Whenworkingatmaximumaperture,beawareof thefact thatyouarepushingyour lens to itsopticallimits. I like to correct any lens imperfections in the Adobe Camera Raw Lens Corrections Tab andEnableLensProfileCorrections.The application should read the digital imagedata and automaticallycorrect anyprofileddistortion, colour aberrations andvignetting. This can alsobedone inPhotoshopusingtheFilter>LensCorrectiondialogue.

USEACCENTCOLOURS

The use of strong colours can be a powerful way of composing visually compellingimages.Juxtaposingboldshadessuchasreds,bluesandgreenscancreateconcordanceordiscordanceinashot,therebygeneratingacertainmoodortension.Thisisawell-knownandoften-triedtechniquethatcanbecomealittletiresomeifusedtoooften,sowhynottrysomethingslightlydifferent?Byusingcoloura littlemorecautiously–perhapsasingleaccent shade or tone – it’s possible to emphasize your subject just as effectively. Thesubtleuseofmutedcoloursinanimagewithasplashofadiscordantcolourcanprovetobeanequallysuccessfulwayofcreatingaphotographwithastrongandvividcomposition– sometimes less really ismore. This technique can be just as usefulwhenworking inblack and white. Instead of using bright primary colours, try placing contrasting tonestogether,suchasblackagainstawhitebackgroundorhighlightsagainstamidtonegrey.

Rachel

Thismodelportfolioshotcombinestheseprinciplesinacolourimagewithalmostmonochrometones.Icouldhaveaddedabrightredhatoranotherprimarycolour,butthatseemedalittletooobvious,soIchosetouseablackhatagainstthepalecolouredwallandspiralstaircase.Theboldwhitelineofthemetalstaircaseleadstheeyefrombottomleftuptowardsthemodelandfurtherenhancesthecomposition.IshotsomeimageswithhersmilingbutintheendIpreferredthemorepensivelook.

Nikon,70–200mmf/2.8zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/2.8.

Photoshopfocus

SelectingaCloudywhitebalancesettingin therawconvertersoftwarewillhelptowarmupotherwisecoldtones.Watchoutforheavyshadowswheneverthefaceiscoveredasyoucanlosedetailandthoseall-importantcatchlights.Ifyoursubject’sfaceisslightlytooshadowedbeneathahat,select thefacewiththeLassotool,feathertheselectionandthenusetheShadows/HighlightsdialogwiththeShadowrecoveryamountsettoaround10%tobringbacksomedetail.Theedgesoftheoriginalimagewerealittledarkduetothelongfocallengthandwideapertureonafull-framecamera causingvignetting.This can easilybe remedied inAdobeRawConverterby setting theautocorrectLensProfileormanuallychoosingLensCorrectionandslidingtheAmounttoaround50.

USESELECTIVEFOCUS

Selective,ordifferential,focusisaverypowerfulin-cameratechniquethatwillhelpaddstyle and finesse to your images. The effect is largely achievedwith a combination ofclose focus, wide aperture and long lens. Although a similar result can be created inPhotoshop,it’slong-winded,fiddlyandmuchmoredifficulttoproduceanatural-lookingimage.Anotherfactorthatcanhelptocreatedifferentialfocusisdigitalsensorsize.Depthoffieldbecomesgreaterthesmallerthesensor:itishardertothrowyoursubjectofffocuswithsmallersensors.Thisaccountsforwhysomeprofessionalphotographersliketoshoottheir portraits usingmedium-format digital backs, as it gives them greater control overwhatisandisn’tinfocus–averyusefulcreativetool.DXsizeorcroppedsensorshaveevenmoredepthoffieldatagivenfocallengthandaperture,soitbecomesevenhardertouse the selective focus technique. With all this in mind, if you want your subjectbackgroundtobeunsharp,youmusttrytouseacombinationofthesefactorsandthenalittlebitofPhotoshoptrickerytoo.

Tamsyn&Ali

Thisimagewastakenaspartofamagazinefashionshoot.Emphasiswasplacedonthefemalemodelintheforegroundbyselectingawideapertureonafull-framecamerawitha135mmlensatf/2.8.Iwantedtothrowthemalemodelinthebackgroundoutoffocus,soIhadtousethedepthoffieldpreviewbuttonandtheLCDscreentochecktheeffect.OnlywhenIwashappywiththedegreeoffocusdidIcommencewiththeshoot.Ialsoaddedaslighttilttotheimagetomakeitlessstaticandgiveitmoreofareportagefeel,almostasifitwereacandidimage.Canon,135mmf2.0lens(midrangetelephoto),200ISO,1/500secatf/2.8.

Photoshopfocus

Mostoftheselectivefocuseffectshouldbegeneratedusingin-cameratechniques.However,ifyoufindthatthebackgroundcouldbenefitfromalittlemoreblur,useaSelectiontooltoroughlyselecttheareayouwantinfocus,featherthisselectionwithawideradiusandtheninvertitSelect>InversethenaddGaussianBlurwitharadiusof5pixels.Theamountofblurneededwilldependupontheresolutionoftheimage.YoumayalsoliketotrysomeoftheotherBlurfilterssuchasLensBlur,butbearinmindthatsomeofthesemorecomplexfiltersmakeextrademandsonyoursystem’smemoryandprocessor.Ialsochosetoincreasethetonecontrastcurvealittletoaddimpact.Image>Adjust>Curvesisaverypowerfultooltoalterthelook,contrastandcolourofyourimages.IusuallykeeptheDefaultChannelsettoRGB,butthereisalsoplentyofroomforexperimentationbyusingthedropdownmenuandselectingoneofthepresets.

COMPOSITIONRULES

Oneofthemostimportantconsiderationstoanygreatportraitphotographiscomposition.Astrong,graphiccompositioncanbethedifferencebetweenyourphotographsuccessfullyconveyingitsmessageornot.Aconsideredcompositionissooftenoverlookedinportraitphotographyandthiscanleadtoweakimagesthatlackvisualimpactanddonotholdtheviewers attention. The inexperienced photographer can become so preoccupied witheverything else that little thought is given to a strong, graphic composition and theresultingimagejustdoesnotwork.Whilsttherearemanyrulesofcomposition,oneofthemostimportantisTheGoldenRuleOfThirds.Yourphotographshouldbevisuallydividedinto a ‘noughts and crosses’ grid and themost significant part of the image should beplacedwherethehorizontalandverticallinescross.Visually,thisshouldaidthecreationofeye-catchingimagesthatarewellbalancedandfullofimpact.

GordonTheDalesman

Thisisasimple,yetvisuallyarrestingenvironmentalportraitofalocalcharacterinhisnaturalsurroundings.The“GoldenRuleOfThirds’wascarefullyconsideredwhencomposingtheimage.Thesubjecthasbeenplacedoffcentreandroughlyalongtherightverticallineintheimaginary‘noughtsandcrosses’grid.Bycomposingthisway,ithascreatedaslighttensionthatsubconsciouslystrengthensthevisualimpactoftheshot.Thefarmtoolshavealsobeenplacedoffcentretotheleftsideoftheframetobalancetheshotandleadtoanimagethatisfullofimpact.

Canon,70-200mmzoomat110mmlens(midrangetelephoto),100ISO,1/1250secatf5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Iintroducedasubtle,dark,‘LowKey’vignettearoundthesubjecttoconcentratetheviewer’sattentiononthesitter.ThiswasachievedbymakingafeatheredovalselectionusingtheEllipticalMarqueeTool,thenreducing themidtoneswith theLevels slider on anAdjustment Layer. It is the reverse process to the‘HighKey’VignetteTechnique7intheTopTenPhotoshopTechniques.ByusinganAdjustmentLayer,youcantweakthedegreeofvignetteatanylatertimewithoutsacrificingoriginalimagequality.Adjustmentlayerscaneasilybesavedinyour.psdor .tifmasterfilesbutnotinflattenedjpgfiles.IalsoaddedsomeadditionalwarmthtotheshotusingtheImage>Adjust>PhotoFilter>WarmingFilter(85)at15%.Thiswarmsuptheoverallphotographandalsoaddstothehoneycolourofthelimestonewalls.Thedropdownmenugivesawholechoiceofdifferentfiltercoloursandsavesyouhavingtocarrytraditionalopticalfiltersinyourcamerabag.

CHOSEINTERESTINGLOCATIONS

Althoughportraitphotographsareprimarilyaboutthepeopleinthem,theimportanceandrelevanceof thebackdropmustnotbeunderestimated.Todesigna really strong image,it’snecessarytothinkaboutalltheelementsthatwillappearintheshotandensuretheyaddto thestyleandfeelof thefinal image.Forexample,withacolourphotograph,askyourselfwhether the shades are concordantordiscordantwithyour subject.Withblackandwhite images, thinkaboutwhether the toneswillworkwithoragainstyour subjectandwhethertheywillsupportyourcreativevision.Aboveall,donotincludeanythinginthe frame that will be distracting or will not add to the message that you want tocommunicate;andkeepitsimple.Theseprinciplesapplyequallytoworkonlocationandinthestudio.

BriefEncounter

Forthisimage,IwasaskedbyVisitBritaintorecreatethefarewellscenefromtheclassicblackandwhitefilmBriefEncounterbutwithamoderntwist.ThelocationwasCarnforthStationinCumbria,England,whichisstillabusyworkingrailwaystation.Imovedafewpropsaroundtoaidthecompositionandprominentlyincludedtheoriginalplatformclock,whichplayedsuchasignificantpartinthescreenplay.Ithenwaitedforthetraintoarriveandhadonlyafewsecondstoshootbeforethepassengersdisembarkedandmessedupthecleandesign.Astandardlenswasusedwithawideaperturetopartiallyblurthebackgroundwhilemaintainingtheintegrityofthecomposition.

Canon,50mmf/1.4(standardlens),100ISO,1/15secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Whenshootingdigitallyyouarefreetochooseeithercolourorblackandwhiteforyourfinalimage.Inthisinstance,Ifelt that itwouldbeinkeepingwiththeoriginalconcepttoconvert thecolourimagetomonoandaddanold-fashionedsepiatone.Thisisanothergreatadvantageofdigitalphotographyovertraditionalfilmphotographywhenweneededaseparatecamerasforcolourandmonochromefilm.Addtoningeffectsonaduplicatelayersothattheintegrityoftheoriginalcolourimageremainsintact.Althoughadditionallayersdotakeupmoreharddrivespace,don’thesitatetoaddlayerstoyourmasterimageasharddrivespaceandmemoryissocheapthesedays.TheBurnTool (set to around 10%Exposure) can be used to add to the atmosphere by darkening themidtoneedgesoftheframe,therebyhighlightingthefocalpoint.MakesureyoukeeptheProtectTonesboxtickedtominimizecolourshiftswhendodgingandburningyourimageandtominimizesclippinginthehighlightsandshadows.

MIXCOLOUR&MONOCHROME

Oneofthewonderfulthingsaboutshootingdigitallyisthat,aslongasyoushootinRawformat,everythingiscapturedwithfullcolourdata,whichmeansyoucanalwaysdecidetoconvert it toblackandwhitewhenyougetback to thestudio.Thiswasnotpossiblewhenusingfilm–youhad todecideonwhether toshootcolourorblackandwhite in-camera. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve shot an artistic image in black andwhite and then been asked for it in colour… all very frustrating. But this problem issolvedinthedigitaldarkroom,asevenifanimageisshotoncolourfilm,it’spossibletoscan it, digitize it and then change the colour image to black andwhite.A particularlyinterestingeffectcanbecreatedwhenmixingbothcolourandmonochromeandthiscanquiteeasilybedonewiththeuseoflayersandmasksinPhotoshop.Theuseofasplashofcolourinanotherwiseblackandwhiteimagehelpshighlightimportantpartsoftheshotandleadstheviewer’seyetothefocalpoints.

QualityRoseCampaign

ThisimagewasshotforVisitBritaintoillustrateanadvertfortheirQualityRoseaccommodationawards.Itwasphotographedonaratherflatanddullwinter’sdaywherethecolourtemperatureofthelightwascoolanduninspiring.Icouldhaveusedablipoffillflashtobrightenthingsup,butitmighthaveruinedthesoftromanticatmospherethatwascreatedhere,soinsteadIdecidedtoturnitintoablackandwhite.TherosesweresuchapassionateredthatIchosetokeeptheircolouranddesaturatetherestoftheimage,apartfromtheQualityRosesigninthebackground.Blackandwhiteoftenworkswellondullandovercastdayswhenthecolourofthelightislessthanideal.

Nikon,50mmf/1.8(standardlens),200ISO,1/200secatf/4.2.

Photoshopfocus

ThereareoftenseveralwaystoachievethesameresultinPhotoshopsoyoucanpickandchosewhatevermethodyouprefer.Oneway toachieve thisdualcoloureffect is toDuplicate theoriginalBackgroundcolour imageon toasecond layerLayer>New>LayerFromBackground.Next,Desaturate thisnewduplicatelayerImage>Adjust>DesaturateandcarefullyerasethepartthatyouwanttokeepincolourwiththeErasertool.Useasmall,relativelyhard-edgedbrushand100%Opacityformaximumcontrol.Thiswillerasethetopmonochromelayertorevealthecolourlayerbeneath.Evenmore control can be obtained by using LayerMasks. Just duplicate your background image (asabove),butinsteadofusingtheErasertool,useaLayerMasktopaintinthebackgroundcolour.Layer>LayerMask>RevealAllanduse theBrush tool tocarefullypaint thebackgroundcolourback.MakesureyousettheForegroundcolourtoBlackanditwillrevealthecolourimagebelow.Ifyoumakeanyerrors you can easily switch the Foreground colour to White and paint back the mask to hide yourmistake.Iliketoworkat200-300%magnificationwhendoingdelicateworkasitisfarmoreaccurate.Aslongasyouarecareful,anysmallerrorswillthenbeunnoticeablewhenprintedorviewedonscreen.

SHOOTLONGEXPOSURES

Oneof the greatest appeals of photography as an art form is that the camera is able tocapture justa fractionofa secondand freeze that specialmoment in time.This iswhatdefines our more traditional photographic preconceptions, but why not try and stretchthese creative limitations to produce something more exciting? Using longer exposuretimesyoucanmakeanimagethatexplodestheboundariesofconventionalphotographyand reaches into the realmsof impressionisticart.The techniquecanbea littlehit-and-miss, as you cannot predict exactlyhow the imagewill look, but this is another reasonwhyadigitalcameraissuchausefultool–youcanreplaytheimageontheLCDscreenjust secondsafter theshutterhasbeen released.Thiswillgiveyou instant feedbackandallowyoutofine-tunethepreciseshutterspeedtocreatetheeffectyouareafter.

OtisGrand

Thisimageofthefamousbluesguitaristwasshotonaverydarkstagethatwaslitbycolouredgelsfromthestagelightswithverylittleambientlight.IhadshotseveralframeswhereItriedtofreezetheaction,butevenat3,200ISOandwitha24–105mmimage-stabilizationf/4zoomlens,theexposureswerearound1/15sec.Usingafasttelephotolensandshootingataroundf/2didnothelpeither,asthedepthoffieldwasveryshallow,anditwastrickytotracktheenergeticguitarist.Portableflashwouldhaveruinedtheambience,soinsteadIdecidedtosetthesensorsensitivityto200ISOandtryamuchlongerexposure.Thesubjectblurseemedtohelpconveythelifeandpassionofhisperformance.Thelighttrailscreatedbythemovementcouldnotbepredicted,soIshotplentyofframes.

Canon,24–105mmf/4zoomlensat75mm(shorttelephoto),200ISO,1/2secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

WhenshootinglongexposuresorhighISOspeedsbeawareofDigitalNoise.Thisis‘electronicgrain’thatisgeneratedwhenthelightlevelsaretoolowtoeasilyrecordthesceneandthecamerahastoamplifythe digital information. Most modern digital cameras have very little noise unless you are shootingexposureslongerthanafewminutesorshootingatextremelyhighISO.Ifdigitalnoiseappearstobeaproblem,itcanoftenbeimprovedbyplayingwiththeslidersintheDetailtabinAdobeCameraRaworusingtheFilter>Noise>ReduceNoisedialogueinPhotoshop.It’sverymuchacaseofexperimentingwiththesettingstoachievethelevelofreductionyouarehappywithastoomuchnoisereductioncansoftenandblurtheimage.Thebiggeryourdigitalimagesensorchip,thelowerthedigitalnoise.Fullframecamerashavealargersurfaceareatocapturethelight,andhaveinherentlylowernoisethansmallersensorchipdigitalcameras.

USESHAPES&LINES

Manyinexperiencedphotographersforgetthatconsiderablethoughtshouldbegiventothebasic design of all their portraits. While people photography is about portraying thecharacterofyoursubjectinyourimages,reallygoodportraitureshouldgobeyondthis.Bycarefullycomposingyourshots,youwillbeable toproducevisuallycompellingimagesthat transcendbasicportraitureandcanbeidentifiedas trueworksofart. Inorder todothis,yourimageswillneedtodisplayanunderstandingofthebasicrulesofcomposition.ThisincludestheGoldenRuleofThirds,strongshapesandsymmetry,linestoleadtheeyearoundtothepictureanddiagonals toadddramaandtensiontoyourshot.Gooddesignskills can be learned and oncemastered, effective compositionwill become easier andmoreintuitive.

TomMackie

ThisshotoffellowphotographerTomMackieusesshapes,lightandstronglinestoleadtheviewer’seyearoundtheimagetowardsthesubjectposedonaspiralstaircase.UsingtheGoldenRuleofThirds,heispositionedinthelowerrightsectionoftheimage,creatingaperfectlybalancedcomposition.DuetotheverylowlevelsofavailablelightIneededtosetalongexposure,sothisisoneoftherareinstanceswhereIusedatripod.Thesubjectisalsopositionedwithinalargetriangularshape,whichaddsdynamismtotheshotandframeshimperfectly.

Nikon,14-24mmf/2.8zoomlensat24mm,(wideangle)320ISO,1secondatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Always tryandshoot in rawmode(rather than jpg),as it’seasier tocorrect thecolourcastsgeneratedundermixedsourcelightingconditionsinyourrawconversionsoftware.Thisscenewaspredominantlylit by fluorescent light, which caused a strong green colour cast when theWhite Balance was set toDaylight.Whenworkingincolour,tryandsettheWhitebalancetothepredominantlightsourcethatisilluminatingyoursubjectsfaceandskintones.Thiswillallowyoutoachievethemostnaturallookingresults.Ifallelsefailsandthereareconflictinglightsourcesandcolourcasts,convertyourportraittoblackandwhite.

WORKINGWITHLIGHTPhotographyistheartofpaintingwithlight.Theimportanceofthequalityoflightmustneverbeunderestimatedinyourportraitwork.Whetherthelightissoft,hard,coldorwarm,itscharacteristicswillallhaveanenormousbearingonthesuccessofthefinalimageandthemessageitconveys.Oftenforgotten,butofequalimportance,istheconverseoflight–shadow.Tobeasuccessfulphotographeryoumustusethesubtleintricaciesofbothlightandshadowtohelpsculptyourvisionandcreatethedesiredatmosphere.Ultimately,itistheunderstandingandmasteryofthiscraftthatwill make you a better photographer and make your images more than meresnapshots.

Jenny&Mackenzie

Youdonotneedtospendafortuneonexpensivestudiolightingequipmenttoachievefabulousphotographsofpeople.Naturaldaylight,withallitssubtlecolours,tonesandvariations,canproducetrulybeautifulresults.

Nikon,70–300mmf/4–5.6zoomlensat300mm(verylongtelephoto),400ISO,1/500secatf/5.6.

USESOFTLIGHT

Whenshootingoutdoors,harshdirectionalsunlightcancauseareasofdeepshadowthatspoilthemoodofaportrait.Instead,tryshootinginthesoftlightofopenshadetocreatediffuselylitimages,whichwilloftenprovemoreflatteringtoyoursubject.Whenshootingin the shade, the mild, almost shadowless quality of light is gentle on skin tones andtextures and gives a similar effect to using a huge overhead softbox in a studio set-up.Professionalstudiophotographersfrequentlytrytoemulatethistypeoflighting,butthisnaturalsourceofdaylightistherealthing,andbetterthanthat…it’sfree.

Lauren

Thisimagewasshotusingsoft,naturallightinopenshadecastbynearbybeachhuts.AwhiteLastolitereflectorwasalsouseddirectlybelowthemodel’sfacetobouncelightintotheshadows,toaddcatchlightstohereyesandtosoftenthelightevenfurther,resultinginaveryflatteringportrait.However,sincethemainlightwascomingdirectlyfromthecloudless,blueskyabove,theimagewasalittlecoolandneededsomewarmingup.Thiscaneitherbedonein-camerawithamildwarm-upfiltersuchasan81A,oritcouldmoreeasilybedonedigitallyinpost-production.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),200ISO,1/250secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Toreduceacoolbluecolourcast,warmuptheimageinoneofseveralways.First,youcouldincreasethetemperatureofthewhitebalanceintheRAWconvertersoftwarebyshiftingtheslidertotheright.Ifyouare not shooting in RAW, instead try using the 81A Photo Filter effect in Photoshop CS6 (Image >Adjustments > Photo Filter). Or, if you are using Photoshop Elements, by enhancing it in theAdjustColourforSkinTonesdialogandjustadjusttheDensityslider.Removeanyblemishesonyour subject’s skinwith theClone toolandHealingBrushandenhance theeyesusingtheDodgeandBurntools.Amildcross-processedeffectcanbeaddedusingaCurvesadjustmentlayer(Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer > Curves), and bending a slight ‘S’ shape in the tone curve, which darkens the shadows andlightensthepalefacetones.

USEWINDOWLIGHT

The subtle and delicate quality of light that awindow can transmit is perfect formanytypesofportraits.Onanovercastday,windowlightiswonderfullydiffuseandhasaveryflatteringeffectonskin tonesandtextures.Theresultingimageswillhaveanaturalandtimelessqualityabout them thatnootherkindof indoorportrait canmatch.Bestofall,windowlightisfreeandwhentheconditionsareright,absolutelynoadditionalequipmentisneeded.However,onabrightsunnydayyouneedtotakecare,aswindowlightcanbesomewhathigh-contrast,anditcanbedifficulttobalancethedarkshadowsofaninteriorwiththebrighthighlightsofthewindow.AlwaysreviewtheimageontheLCDscreenandtweaktheexposuretoobtainthebestresults,rememberingtoholddetailinthehighlightsofyoursubject’sface.Don’tincludetheactualwindowintheimage,asitwillmorethanlikelyburnoutandruintheshot.Instead,goforaclosercropoftheheadandshoulders.Ifyoufindthecontrastisstilltoogreat,tryusingasmallLastolitereflectortobouncelightbackintotheshadows.Alternatively,youcanusesomethingassimpleasalargepieceofwhitecardtoachieveasimilareffect.

Emily

Thisisafineexampleoftheuseofwindowlightonanovercastwinterafternoon.ThesofttonesofEmily’sskinarecapturedinaverygentlewaythatemphasizesherprettinessandfemininity.Byclosinginonherfaceandensuringthatherskintonesarecorrectlyexposed,I’vebeenabletoproduceabeautifulandalluringportraitthatcouldnothavebeenbetteredinanexpensivestudio.

Canon,50mmf/1.2lens(standard),200ISO,1/160secatf/2.

Photoshopfocus

Light from a north facing window will often have a very high colour temperature of around7000K(Kelvins).Ifyouhaveusedthistypeoflight,youwillprobablyfinditneedsalittlewarmingupintherawconversionsoftwaretoproduceapleasingeffect.Invariably,warmercoloursinportraitsaremoreflatteringandromantic.Ideallystyleyoursubjectshairattheshootingstage.However,youmystillfindyouhaveoverlookedafewstrayhairstrandsthatcanbedistracting.UsetheClonetoolandHealingbrushtoperfectthelook.LightenthewhitesofeyeswiththeDodgetoolsettoHighlightsandasmallExposureofaround5%tokeeptheresultsfromlookingtoofalse.

USEAREFLECTOR

Whileambientlightprovidesawholehostofopportunitiestoproducestunningportraits,unmodifiednaturallightcansometimesberestrictiveandwillneedalittleextrahelp.Inthe studio, you can adjust your light source by filtering, using various attachments andfine-tuningthequantityaswellasthequalityofthelight.However,whenusingdaylightonlocation,thisflexibilityissomewhatlimitedandtheuseofafewportableaccessoriescanmaketheworldofadifferencetoyourresults.Lightingadd-onscomeinmanyshapesandsizes,but I find therangeofproductsmanufacturedbyLastolite tobeunparalleled.They are high quality, lightweight, affordable,well designed and can be folded up intosmallbagsforeaseoftransportation.Light-modifyingaccessorieswillallowyouatleastsomedegreeofcontrolovertheambientlightandwillbringatrulyprofessionaltouchtoyourpeoplephotographs.

Jenny

Thisimagewastakeninthelateafternoonsunofamidsummer’sday.Thelightwaslargelyfromtheleft,sothiscreatedratherharshshadowsontheoppositesideofJenny’sface.Iusedamedium-sizedwhiteLastolitereflectortobouncesomelightbackintotheshade,therebysofteningtheglowthatwashittingherface.This,alongwiththereflectivequalityofthesand,helpedtocreateabeautiful,naturalportrait.

Nikon,70–300mmf/4–5.6zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),400ISO,1/250secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

Draw the viewer’s attention to the subjectwithout being too obvious using a loose vignette. RoughlyselectthesubjectwiththeovalSelectiontool,thenfeathertheselectionby250pixelsandinvertit.ThencreateaLevelsadjustmentlayer(Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Levels)andslidethemidtonesslidertoaround0.85todarkentheselection.Themodelhadverypaleskin,soIchose toaccentuate thisbysubtlycleaningup thewhitesusing theDodgetooltogiveheranalmostporcelainlook.AnyminorimperfectionscanbetidiedupwiththeClonetooltocreatetheperfectsimplebackdropthatdoesn’tdistractfromyoursubject.

USELATEAFTERNOONLIGHT

Thequalityofnaturallightchangesfromhourtohour,daytoday,seasontoseasonandlocation to location.As a general rule of thumb, the last couple of hours before sunsetgenerate a beautiful, soft, all-enveloping light that can be incredibly flattering to yoursubject.Thisisthetimeofdaythatmanylandscapephotographerscallthe‘magichours’,as the long shadows and warm colour temperature will often transform an otherwiseneutralsubject.Ifyoucangetupearlyenough,youwilloftengetasimilartypeoflightfirst thing in themorning, butwhile a landscape never gets tired and grumpy,manyofyour human subjects will and so early-morning shoots can be somewhatcounterproductive. Far better to use the late afternoon hours to bathe your subject in agoldenglowthatwillmakeyourportraitswarmandcompelling.

Eva

ThisshotwastakenforafashionshootintheCaribbean.Thehardequatorialsunhadjustbeguntosinklowintheskyandtheshadowsweresofteningastheycrawledalongtheedgeofthesandybeachandfellbehindthepalmtrees.ThiscreatedtheperfectgoldenlightthatreallyshowedoffEva’ssuntannedskin.Iusedashorttelephotolenstocreateanappealingperspectiveandtohelpthrowthebackgroundpleasantlyoutoffocus.Italsoallowedmetobecloseenoughtothemodeltodirectherwithouthavingtoshout,butbefarenoughawaynottobetoointrusive.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Iftheshadowsonyourmodel’sfacearealittleharsh,roughlyselectthefacewiththeLassotool,featheritSelect>Modify>Feather>andbringbacksomedetailwiththeShadow/Highlightdialog.Youcanapplythisdigitalshadowrecoverytechniquetothewholeimage,butherethebold,directionallighthelpstosculptthecontoursofthemodel’sfigure.Thisistheadvantageofdigitalediting–theadjustmentscanbefarmorepreciseandcorrectionsappliedlocallywithoutaffectingthewholeimage.Tohelpcreatetheperfecttropicalbeachidyll,usetheClonetoolandHealingbrushtoeraseanyunsightlyfootprintsinthesand.

SHOOTCONTREJOUR

Contrejour (from the French for ‘against the day’) is a common term for backlighting,whichcanbeaverydramaticandparticularlygraphiclightingtechnique.Youcanuseittosilhouette your subject and give them a beautiful, almost angelic aura. Since a backlitphotographnaturallycaststhefaceinshadow,italsohastheeffectofsofteningthelightthat is hitting the face, making it particularly suitable for portraits. When shootingoutdoors in direct sun, strong backlighting can be used to add separation from yourbackgroundasitworksinthesamewayasusingahairlightinthestudio.Becarefulthatitdoesnotfoolyourcamera’slightmeterintounderexposingtheimagebycheckingthehistogramontheLCDscreen.Iftheimageisunderexposed,theweightofthehistogramwill be largely clumped to the left of the graph, which means you will have to applyexposurecompensation.

Alicia

Thisshotwastakenatfirstlightwhentheautumnaldewwasstillburningoffundertheearlymorningsunshine.IusedaLastoliteTri-Grip’goldenreflectortobouncethelightbackintothesubject’sfaceandgiveanoverallwarmfeeltotheimage.Thereflectoralsohelpedtoreducethecontrastbetweenthehighlightsandtheshadowsandallowedmetorecordabeautifulfull-tonedimageandavoidacompletesilhouette.Ialsochosealowviewpointtoisolatethesubjectagainsttheblueskyandgivethedandelionseedsacleanbackdroptofloatagainst.

Nikon,50mmf/1.8lens(standard),100ISO,1/1000secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Whenworkingwithimagesthathaveaverybroadtonalrangeorhighcontrast,Isometimesprocesstheraw image in ProPhoto RGB colourspace and then later convert to Adobe (1998) for print or SRGBcolourspaceforwebuse.ProPhotoRGBhasalargercolourgamutanditholdsmorevisibledetailthanalternativecolourspacessomoresubtledetailisretainedinthehighlights.Ifyouarecarefulwith theexposure, imagessuchas thismayrequire littleadditionalPhotoshopwork.However,youcanalwaysusetheHighlightssliderinyourrawconvertertocontrolthelightestpartsofthe image.Youcanalsopullbacka lotof extradetailbyusing the Image>Adjustments>Shadows /Highlights>Highlightsslider.Thisworksbyusinginformationfromtheseparatecolourchannels(Red/Green/Blue)torecreateburntouthighlightdetail.Make sureyou shoot several frames and copyandpaste in a fewextra seeds fromseparate images toperfecttheshapeofthesprayastheyarebeingblownfromtheflowerhead.

SHOOTINLOWLIGHT

Whenthelightlevelsstarttogetlow,don’tjustpackupyourcamerabagandgohome–workwith the light rather thanagainst itandyoucouldberewardedwithsomeunusualandmoodyimages.Withmodern,highqualitydigitalcamerasandfastimage-stabilizinglenses, you can produce arresting images that would have been almost impossible toobtain handheld a few years ago. Image-stabilization or vibration-reduction lenses willallow you to shoot at shutter speeds around 3 stops slower than a normal lens with asimilarfocallength.Theyalsoallowyouthefreedomtomovearoundyoursubject,ratherthanhavingtobetieddowninonespottoaheavytripod,whichoftenhinderscreativity.Trytoresistthetemptationtoreachforyourflashgun,asastrongburstofunnaturallightcandominatethesceneandmaywellruintheatmosphere.However,ifyoudodecidetoilluminateyoursubjectwithablipoffillflash,youcouldtryatechniquecalledslow-syncflash. This involves setting a slow shutter speed on your camera to correspond to theavailablelightandfiringaburstofautomaticflashtofreezeyoursubject.Thistechniqueisparticularlyusefulwhenyoursubjectismovinginlowlight.

CathedralCandles

ThisshotofthevergerlightingthecandlesforevensonginanoldMedievalEnglishCathedralisfullofatmosphere.Astrongburstofon-cameraflashwouldhaveruinedthemood,asitwouldhaveremovedthedeepnaturalshadows.Ishotatthelongerendofastandardzoomandswitchedtheimagestabilizeron,allowingmetohandholdatmuchslowerspeeds.Ialsouppedthesensitivityto800ISOandshotwiththeaperturewideopentogatherasmuchlightaspossibleandtofurtheravoidcamerashake.DuetothelongerlensandshallowdepthoffieldIhadtochoosebetweenfocusingontheverger’sfaceorthecandle.Astheshotwasmoreabouthisactionthanhisface,Ichosetokeepjustthecandlesharp.

Nikon,24-120mmF4VRzoomlensat105mm(shorttelephoto),800ISO,1/8secatf/4.5.

Photoshopfocus

SetthewhitebalanceintherawconvertersoftwaretoDaylighttokeepthecandleslovelywarm,yellowglowandtohelpretainthenuancesoftheambientlight.ShootingatahighISOusuallyintroducesunwantednoiseintoyourimages.Youcanreducesomeofthenoise by playing with the Luminance & Colour sliders in your raw converter software. Personally, IusuallykeepmydigitalcameraadvancedsettingsonAutoNoiseReductionasthisseemstoalwaysgivethebestresults,especiallyatslowershutterspeeds.YoucanalsosoftentheeffectofnoiseartefactsbyclickingFilter>Noise>ReduceNoise.Thisisareallyusefulfilterbutitrequiresalittleexperimentationtoobtainthebestresultsoneachindividualimageasnotwoimagesareeverthesame.

USEMIXEDLIGHTSOURCES

Digitalcamerasaresensitivetothecolourtemperatureofdifferentlightsourcesinmuchthe sameway that film is.However, you don’t always have to shoot imageswith yourcamerasettobasicAutoWhiteBalancetogetthemosteffectiveresults.Sometimesyoucan add atmosphere by shooting with the camera’s white balance set to Daylight andmixinginsupplementaryartificiallightsourcesthatwillwarmuptheimageandaddtheirowneffects.Tungsten,halogenandsodiumvapourlightingburnsatamuchlowercolourtemperaturethandaylight,sobyaddingtheselightsourcestoanimagethatislargelylitby daylight, youwill get a slightlywarmer shot, demonstrating strong atmosphere andmood. Digital cameras are more flexible than film, as the prevailing light source cansimplybedialledinandthewhitebalancesetin-cameraortweakedintheRAWconvertersoftware. Thismeans that the colour temperature can be customized to each individualimage,ratherthenhavingtousespecialfilms,complicatedcolourtemperaturemetersandcolour-compensating filters.One point to note is that fluorescent lighting tends to burnwith anunpleasantgreen tint,which looksunattractive inpeoplephotographs, so try toavoidusingthisinyourportraitwork.

Rachel

Thisimagewasshotforthemodel’sportfolioand,sincewe’dfoundsuchagreaturbanlocation,wedecidedtoshootsome‘punky’photosandmixthelightsourcesforaddedimpact.Thesubwaywasalittledarkbutpredominantlylitbyambientlightwithseveraladditionalsodiumvapourspotlights.IchosetoplaceRachelunderneathoneofthesetogivesomestrongdirectiontothelighthittingherface,andshothandheldwithmylenswideopen.ByshootinginRAW,Ihadtheoptionofadjustingthewhitebalanceintheconvertersoftwaretogetthedesiredeffect–inthiscase,IsetDaylightandreliedupontheartificiallightsourcetoaddextrawarmthtotheimage.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),400ISO,1/125secatf/2.

Photoshopfocus

I strongly recommend working in a darkened room with a colour calibrated monitor to produceconsistentlyhighqualityresults.Ambientlightfromawindowchangesthroughoutthedayandwillaffectyourperceptionofcolouronyourmonitor.Thesame is true ifyou leave the lightbulbonas tungstenindoorlightbulbshaveaverylowcolourtemperaturethatwillgiveafalseimpressionofthecolouronyourscreen.Forbestresults,shootRAWfilesratherthanJPGswhenyouencountermixedlightsourcesandtweakthecolourtemperature/whitebalanceintherawconvertersoftware.IfyoudoshootJPGs,thefinalimagescanstillbefilteredinPhotoshoptoreduceunpleasantcolourcastsbycreatingaPhotoFilteradjustmentlayer.Chooseanorangefiltersuchasan85(orLBA)towarmanimage,orabluefiltersuchasan80(orLBB)tocooltheimageLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>PhotoFilter>CoolingFilter.The final effect can thenbe fine-tunedusing theDensitypercentage slider andtweakeduntilyouarehappywiththefinalresult.

SHOOTSILHOUETTES

The first silhouette portraits – shadow profiles cut from black paper –were created byEtiennedeSilhouetteinParisinthe16thcentury.Theywereacheaperalternativetomoretraditionalformsofportraitureandyetstillallowedthesitter’scharactertobedepicted.Inphotography, a silhouette is sometimes all that is needed to suggest an individual’spersonality,butbecausetheviewerhaslessinformationtogoon,theymustlookalittlecloser toglean thesubject’semotions,whichcanaddanexcitingelementofmystery toyourpictures.Whenshooting silhouettes, a strongorgraphic shape is always importantandtheoutlineneedstoberecognizable.Exposure-wise,shootingintothesuntoproduceasilhouetteisquiteeasy–youjustrelyuponthecamera’sinternalmetertocalculateit.However,when the sun is not actually in the shot, itmaybe necessary to underexposeslightlytoreducethedetailintheshadowsfurther.

Silhouette

ThisshotofapolicemanbeneathabeachumbrellaintheCaribbeanreliesuponboththesilhouetteeffectandstrongcolour.Iusedthelong300mmendofatelephotozoomlenstocloseinonthiscandidportraitandcountedonthe1.5xsensorcropfactortoproduceanextrareachof450mm.Iwaiteduntilthemanfaceddirectlyaheadtocreateaprofileandthenshotafewframeswithvaryingexpressions.

Nikon,70–300mmf/4–5.6zoomlensat300mm(verylongtelephoto),100ISO,1/1250secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Whenshootingintothesun,theimagecansometimeslookalittlebleachedoutandlackingincolour.YoucanaddasunsetfeelbycreatingaPhotoFilteradjustmentlayerandchoosingawarmingfilter(85)withaDensityofaround50%.Thishasasimilareffecttousingtraditionalscrewonglass‘sunset’filterbutisfarmorecontrollableusingPhotoshoporanalternativeimageeditingsoftware.Digitalcamerasareabletocapturealotofdetail–inthiscaseinthesubject’swhiteshirt.Togetatruesilhouetteeffect,tweaktherawimageintheconversionsoftwaretoloseshadowdetailoradjustCurves(Image >Adjustments > Curves) to increase the contrast and gain the optimum result in your imageeditingsoftware.BurninanyunwanteddetailusingtheBurntoolset toa lowOpacityofround5%.IalwayscheckthePreserveTonesboxtoreduceanychangesincolourtheadditionalexposuremayhaveonthefinalimage.

USEFILLFLASH

Oneoftheproblemswithshootingportraitsoutdoorsisnotthatthereistoolittlelight,butthat sometimes there is just toomuch.Harsh direct sunlight causes deep black shadowareasthatholdlittledetailandcreatesunflatteringportraits.Theanswerissimplytofillinthe shadows with a small blip of light from your built-in flash or a hotshoe mountedflashgun.

Untilrecently,fillflashwasasomewhatcomplicatedtechnique.Itwasnecessarytoworkoutthecorrectambientexposureandthensetyouron-cameraflashguntoemitoneortwostops less light to create a pleasing result. However, digital SLRs now do this for youautomatically.Justdecideupontheapertureyouwantfordepthoffield,turntheflashtoAuto, and thecamerawill calculate thecorrect exposure ratio.Youmay find thatwhenyouwanttoshootatawideaperture,theambientexposureissometimesfasterthanyourcamera’smaximumsyncspeed.

Forexample,shouldyouwishtoshootatf/4indirectsunlight,yourshutterspeedmaybearound1/1000sec–muchfaster thanyourcamera’sstandardflashsyncspeedofaround1/125–1/250sec.Ifthisisthecase,switchtoFastFlashSyncorHighSpeedSyncandyouwillbeabletoshootatspeedsuptoyourmaximumshutterspeedwhilestillusingyourflashgun. Remember that, because of the way High Speed Sync works, you will loseeffective flash power the faster the shutter speed you choose – so stay close to yoursubject.

Darcie

Thisshotwastakeninstrongsunshine.Theshadowsonthegirl’sface,hairanddresswereverydeepandlackeddetailduetothehighcontrast.Ithereforemountedaflashgunontomycamera’shotshoeandfilledintheshadowswithaquickburstoffillflash.SinceIwantedtothrowthebackgroundlargelyoutoffocusIchoseawideapertureonmytelephotolensandsetthecameraandflashguntoHighSpeedSync.Thisallowedmetoshootatamuchfastershutterspeedwhilemaintainingcreativecontrolovertheshallowdepthoffield.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat135mm(midrangetelephoto),100ISO,1/750secat

f/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

For amorenatural result, use theClone tool to touchout any small secondary catchlights in the eyescausedbytheflashgun.Manyprofessionalphotographersprefertojustseeonecatchlightintheeyesasthisrealisticallymimicsthesinglelightsourceofthesun.Whenworkingoutdoorsandunderpressure,youmayfindyouneedtocleanupstraystrandsofhairthathavebeenblowninthewind.ThisisaneasytaskwiththeClonetoolandHealingBrushandtakesjustafewminutestocreateprofessionalqualityresults.Themoreyoupracticethemoreproficientandfasteryouwillbecome.Togivetheimageamoresummeryfeel,increasethewarmthintherawconvertersoftwarebydialinginahigher colour temperature. On this image I chose 65000K(Kelvins) which is a subtle increase on thestandard5500K(Kelvins)ofthemiddaysun.

USERINGFLASH

Theuseofringflashextendsfromclose-upandmacroworktoforensic,fashionandevenportrait photography.Ringflash emits a flat, soft, all-enveloping and largely shadowlesslight,whichisalmostthree-dimensionalincharacter.Thisisgreatforimageswherefulldetailisrequiredandwheretheshadowswouldnormallygetintheway–oneofthemainreasons it’s popularwith crime scene photographers.More recently, ringflash has beenused in rock and pop, fashion and portrait photography because of the uniquecharacteristicsofthelightthatitgenerates.Thenatureofringflashisverydistinctiveanditcannoteasilybeemulatedinanyotherway.Becauseofthis,itseemstogoinandoutofvogue,butitcanalwaysaddanextradimensiontoyourimages.Powerfulringflashusedtobeexpensiveandsowasonlywithinthereachofprofessionalphotographers.However,a more convenient and cheaper alternative is now available in the form of a‘RayFlash’adaptor (see page 20). This relatively affordable accessory attaches to yourhotshoeflashgunandgivesarealisticringflasheffect.

Linda

Thisshotincorporatesamixtureofdaylightandringflashfrommyhotshoemounted‘Rayflash’.Idialedin+2stopsexposurecompensationonmyflashguntoincreasethepowerandeffectoftheflashasitwashardlynoticeablewhensetonautoexposure.Theringflashlightenstheshadowstocreateasoft,almostshadowlessspreadoflight,whichisperfectfordelicatebeautyshotsofwomen.TheflashalsobreathesalittlelightintoLinda’seyestogivethemmoredetailandalittlemorelife.Ringflashbalancestheratiooflighttoshadowandthereforereducescontrast,soquiteoftenverylittleneedstobedoneattheimageprocessingstage.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/250atf2.

Photoshopfocus

Whenworkingatnearminimumfocusdistance(inthiscase0.95m),it’simportanttoeliminateanylensperspective distortion as this can change the shape of your subject’s face. This correction is easilyachievedusingoneoftheautocameraandlensprofilesinyourrawconversionsoftware.However,makesurethiscorrectionisswitchedonasit’snotnormallyactivatedbydefault.ChoosetheLensCorrectiontabandEnableLensProfileCorrections–youwillimmediatelyseetheeffectthatdistortionhasonyoursubject’sface.IusedtheBlurTooltoaddadditionalsoftnesstotheimageandconcentratetheviewersattentiononthesubject’seyes.Alarge,softedgedbrushgivesthemostnaturalresultsthatwillblendinwithexistinglens‘bokeh’orblur.Add extrawarmth in portraits using the colour temperate slider in the raw conversion software, or bysetting‘Cloudy’whitebalance.Portraitsnormallylookmuchbetterwithawarmercolourpalettethanacoolerone–especiallyoncloudydays.

MIXFLASH&DAYLIGHT

Whiledaylightinallitsvariousformscancreateawiderangeofeffects,mixingdaylightwithportableflashopensupevenmorecreativepossibilities,limitedonlybyhowmuchyou can carry and howmuch youwant to experiment.By varying the ratio of flash todaylight,youwillbeabletocreatealmostlimitlesseffectsinyourphotographs.Thiscanrangefromasmallblipofon-camerafillflash,whichjusthelpstolightentheshadows,totheportableandmuchmorepowerful locationflashunitssuchastheElinchromRangerQuadraRXHybrid,whichcantakenumerousreflectorsandevensoftboxes.Simpleflashequipmentisrelativelyaffordableandwithineasyreachofamateurphotographers.It’snotvital tohaveall theseextragizmostobeabletoproduceeye-catchingphotosofpeople,buttheyarefuntoexperimentwithandwillhelpwidenyourrepertoireoflightingeffects.

Catherine

Thisimagewasshotforthemodel’sportfolio.Itmixesflashwithambientlightataround60percentflashto40percentdaylight.Iusedanoff-cameraflashgunwithaLastoliteEzyboxHotshoesoftboxattachmenttobrightenupthemodel’sfaceandintroducecatchlightsinhereyes.Byunderexposingthedaylightslightly,theblueskyandseahasbecomemorevividandalmostlookslikeapaintedstudiobackdrop.

Mamiya,150mmleafshutterlens(shorttelephoto),FujiReala100ASAfilm,1/250secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

Thisimagewasshotoncolournegativefilmandthenscannedin.Whenscanningfilm,it’simportanttotrytoretainasmuchinformationintheimageaspossible,andthismeansscanningthefilmwithalowcontrastsettingthatmaymakeitlookalittleflat.However,oncethedetailisthere,youcanmanipulatetheimageinPhotoshoptocreatetheresultyouareafter.I like to scan the image in at thehighest bit depth the software allows.Thiskeepsmostof the colourinformationduringtheimageprocessingstageandmaintainsthehighestquality.Onlyreducetheimagedownto8bitswhenyouhavefinishededitingandarereadytosendtoprintortheweb.A slight cross-processed look helps to pump up the contrast and saturate the colour. This is easilyachievedusingaCurvesadjustmentlayerandbendingaslight‘S’shapeinthetonecurve–lighteningthehighlights anddarkening the shadows.Someof thenon standardPresetsgive interesting results at theclickofyourmousesodon’tbefrightenedtoexperiment.

CREATEAHOMESTUDIO

Thecostofgood-qualitystudiolightingequipmenthasfallendramaticallyinrecentyears.This is great news for anyonewishing to practice their portrait skills indoorswhen theelementsoutsideareprovingtobelessthanfavourableforlocationwork.Whenthinkingaboutcreatingyourownhomestudio,themorespaceyoucanhavethebetter,soaspareroomwithahighceiling,orperhapsevenawarmgarage,wouldbeideal.Manufacturerssuch as Elinchrom, Bowens and Lastolite produce introductory kits that include flashunits,softboxes,umbrellasandstands,andinsomecasesevenafreeinstructionalDVD.Thesekitsareperfecttogetyoustarted,allowingyoutokeepthingssimplewhileyougetto grips with the basics. Alternatively, use your home as the setting for your actualphotoshootanddecorateyourroomwiththesamecontrolasinarealprofessionalstudio.Thegreatthingaboutworkingindoorsina‘studio’environment,isthateverythingisfarmorecontrollableandyouarenotfightingagainsttheweatherandelementsinthesamewayasyoudo‘onlocation’.

Paulina

Ifyoudon’thaveroomforahomestudio,whynotuseyourexistingroomsasthesettingforyouractualphotoshoot.Thisboudoirstylephotowasshotinareallocationbedroomusingsomesimplesatinsheets.Ifyourmodelisinexperienced,theywillfeelfarmorecomfortableintheirownsurroundingsandyouwillgetmorenaturalresults.Inadditiontothis,youwillalsohavetheaddedcontrolandflexibilityofstudiolightinginasimpleandconvenientlocation.InthisphotographIjustusedasimpletwolightsetupwithanElinchromD-LiteRXOnekitandtwosoftboxes.Onesoftboxwasaimedatmysubjectsface(45degreestoherleft,andtheothersoftboxwasaimedatthebackdroptokeepthelightlevelsuniform.Thesecondsoftboxaimedoverthebackofthesubjectsheadandshoulderstoactasa‘hairlight’.)

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/250atf1.2.

Photoshopfocus

Whenshootingyour subject closeupat averywideaperture andwith a telephoto lens, depthof field(focus area)will be very shallow. It’s important to calibrate your camera and lens using the advancedAutoFocusMicroAdjustmentfeatureifyourcamerahasone.Thiswillhelptoensureafarhighercriticalfocussuccessratethananuncalibratedsetup.When shooting glamorous images of women, it’s important to take your time retouching all obviousimperfectionsusingtheClonetoolandHealingbrush.Almosteveryonewillbenefitfromalittletenderlovingcare inPhotoshopandyour imageswill lookmoreprofessional as a result.YearscaneasilybetakenoffyoursubjectbyreducingtheappearanceofwrinklesusingTechnique2onpage124-125butdousewithrestraint.Withgreatpowercomesgreatresponsibility!Whenspaceisatapremium,it’ssometimeseasiertoaddblurinPhotoshoptogivetheimpressionofalonger telephoto lens.Youcaneitheruse theBlur toolormakeasimpleselectionwith theLasso tool,featheritandaddGaussianBluronanewlayerfornondestructiveediting.

USEASINGLESTUDIOLIGHT

Youdon’tneedtospendagreatdealofmoneyonlightingequipmenttotakegreatportraitphotos.Asyouhaveseen,naturallight,inallitsmanyshapes,qualitiesandformscanbeusedtocreateendlessstylesofimages,butdon’tbeafraidtoexperimentwithbasicandaffordable studio lighting too. Many professional photographers use very complicatedstudiosetupswithaplethoraofdifferentlightsrangingfromtungstentohalogentoflash,withalltheiraccessoriesandpersonalgizmos.However,evenwithasinglestudiolight,alittle imagination cangoa longway. In fact, someprofessionalphotographersprefer tousejustonemainlightsourceasitmimicsthesun.Byusingasimplesinglelightsource,it’spossibletoproducesomemasterlylightingeffectsonashoestring.

ThePhoneCall

Thisshotusesjustasinglelow-poweredElinchromD-LiteOneRXstudioflashunitwithastandardreflector.Iplacedthelightslightlybehindthemodeltotheleftandateyelevel,enablingmetobacklightthewispsofcigarettesmoke.Usingasinglestronglightsourcecreatescontrastyandatmosphericshadowsthatadddramatothesimplecomposition.Byrestrictingthelightandcarefullyplacingtheshadows,thefinalresultcreatesahighlyeffectivefilmnoirelook.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/2.

Photoshopfocus

Burn in around the edges to create a dramatic vignette effect. The original image had a great deal ofshadowdetailthatwaspickedup.Thiswascausedbylightspillagearoundthesmallbedroomwhichalsohadalowceiling.Youcanreallyaddlifeandpunchtoyourimagesbyselectivelydodgingandburninginareas of your image. Ideally do this on a duplicate layer to maintain the integrity of the originalbackgroundimage.To further concentrate the viewer’s attention on the model, blur the background ever so slightly byselectingthemodel,invertingtheselection,featheringandapplyingalittleGaussianBlur.AddasmallamountofDiffuseGlowforeffectbyclickingchangeImage>Filter>DiffuseGlowtoFilter>Distort>DiffuseGlow.Youwillneedtoconverttheimageintoan8bitfilefrom16bitstoaccessthisPhotoshopfilter.

USEHARDLIGHT

More often than not, pleasing portraits are created using a large, soft lighting set-up,which,aswe’veseen,canbeveryflattering–particularlyforfemalesubjects.However,theoppositeisoftentruewhenphotographingmen,asaharderlightsourcemaybebettertoshowoffstrongmasculinefeatures.Thishardlightcanbefromanambientsourcesuchasdirectsunlight,oritcanbecreatedinthestudiowithvariousaccessories,reflectorsandlighting attachments.Hard lightingwill emphasize shape, textures and contours, so it’sgreatforshowingoffmuscledefinitiononyoursubject’sbodyandfordepictingcharacterinhisface,byaccentuatingchiselledcheekbonesandastrongjawline.

Oliver

Thisimage,shotforthemodel’sportfolio,usedonlyoneElinchromD-LiteOneRXstudiolight,whichwaspositioneddirectlyaboveandwasfittedwithaconicalsnootattachment.Thesnootconcentratedtheintensityofthelightintoastrong,narrowbeam,creatingdefinition,shapeandstrongsymmetrytohisverymanlyfeatures.Thehardlightcombinedwithdirecteyecontactproducesaveryboldandlucidcharacterstudythatcommunicatesthesubject’sstrength,determinationandconviction.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/60secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Convertcolour images toblackandwhiteandthenselect the irisesof theeyesusingtheLasso toolorwithaQuickMask(seeTechnique8).Onceyouhavecarefullyselectedtheeyes,createahue/saturationadjustmentlayerLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Hue/Saturation.Renamethisnewadjustmentlayer‘Eyes’ and then ensure you click theColorize box.Now just playwith theHue /Saturation /Lightensliders until the desired colour is achieved. This adjustment layer is totally no destructive so you caneasilychangetheiriscolouratanytime.Tosimplifythedesignandcomposition,burnintheshadowswiththeBurntoolandeliminateanyexcessdetail in the background andhair. It’s oftendifficult to eliminate flash spillage in small studios so theBurntoolcanbeareallifesaverwhenyouwanttoloseunwanteddetail.Addmore drama andwhiten your subject’s eyes using theDodge tool set to around5%andwith theRangesettoHighlights.

TRYATRI-FLECTOR

This product will add real distinction to your home studio portraits. The Lastolite Tri-flectorisalightweighttriplereflectorthatcanbepositionedexactlywhereyouneedit,tolightenshadowsonyoursubject’sface.Whenlitfromaboveandwhenpositionedbeneaththe sitter’s chin, this butterfly-shaped device also has the added advantage of creatingincrediblehalfmooncatchlights inyour subject’s eyes,which reallybrings them to life.TheTri-flectoralsocreatesasoftwrap-aroundlightingeffectthatisfullyadjustableandisespecially flattering for female portraits. This accessory is unique in its flexibility anddesign, and is portable and ultralight – making it a must-have for any budding studiophotographer.

Jodie

Thisimageconsistsofquiteabasiclightingset-up.Iplacedalargesoftboxabovethegirl’sheadandjustinfrontofherfaceandIangledthisboxintotheTri-flectorbelow.Thiscreatedawonderfuldirectionallightingeffectwithsoftshadowsandthetrademarkcatchlightsinhereyes.Ialsochosetoaddasecondlightbehindherandtomyleft,whichfiredstraighttowardsherhairtobringherblondelockstolifeandtoseparateherfromthegreybackground.Finally,Iaddedsomemovementtoherhairwithalargedesktopfanblowingintoherfaceforastylishlookthatwouldnotlookoutofplaceinaglossymagazine.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),160ISO,1/125secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Shoot inRAWmode and convert to black andwhite by desaturating the colour image using Image>Adjust >Desaturate. Thismethod allows you to keep 16 (or 8) bit tonal detailwhich holds farmorecolourinformationthanconvertingtoaGreyscaleimagewithlowerbitdepth.Moderncomputersareabletoprocessmillionsofcolourssomakesureyoumakethemostoftheadvancedtechnologythatisnowatourfingertips.WhiteneyesandremoveanyskinimperfectionswiththeClonetoolandHealingBrush.Thismakesforapolishedbutnaturalprofessionallookandfemalesubjectswillreallythankyouforyourefforts.TryaddingabluetinttogiveimagesamorecontemporarylookbyclickingImage>Adjustments>ColorBalanceandadding+15bluetothemidtones.OralternativelytryImage>Adjust>PhotoFilter>Blueandchangetheintensityofthebluebyusingthesliders.

PHOTOGRAPHINGPEOPLEOneof themost important skills that anyportraitphotographermust learn isnottechnical, but social. Your interaction with your subjects will have an enormousimpactonhowwellyourealizeyourcreativevision.Whenworkingwithpeople,youmustalwaysremainprofessionalandtreatthemhowyouwouldliketobetreated.Ipersonally hate having my photograph taken and much prefer to be behind thecameratheninfrontofthelens.Perhapsthisgivesmeanadvantage,asIameasilyabletoempathizewithmysubjectsandmakethemfeelmoreatease.Allpeoplearedifferent and they come in all shapes, sizes, characters anddispositions – it is thisindividuality that makes people such a fascinating subject to photograph, andportraituresucharewardinggenretomaster.

Alex&Jenny

Tobeabletocapturethoserealandspecialmomentsthatexistbetweenyoursubjects,youneedtobeabletorelaxyoursittersandgenerateafeelingofcomfortandunderstanding.Peopleskillsarejustasimportantasphotographicability.

Canon,70-200mmzoomat90mm(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/400secatf5.6.

WORKINGWITHPROFESSIONALMODELS

Although using a professional model is more expensive than just photographing yourfriends,youwillfinditismoneywellspent.Experiencedmodelsareconfidentinfrontofthecameraandrequirefarlessdirectionthanamateurs.Takingthisroutewillmeanmuchmoreprofessionalresultsandyoushouldalsolearnagreatdealintheprocess.Ifyoucan’tstretchtothecostofhiringanestablishedmodel, tryusinga‘newface’fromyourlocalmodelling agency. New faces are buddingmodels who are keen to build up their ownportfolio,andwillacceptphotographicprintsbymeansofpayment.Thisisusuallyawin-winsituationastheywillcostlittleornothingandwillbeasenthusiastictocreategreatimagesasyouare.Theagencywhosupplythemodelwillalsogetfreshpicturesfortheirbrochure orwebsite, all ofwhichwill lead tomorework for all concerned.To achievereally first-class fashion or portfolio images you should also consider working with amake-up artist and hair stylist on a similar basis. This is the most economical way ofachievingthehighestquality imagesaswellasbeingakeyopportunity todevelopyourskillsandconfidenceasanewphotographer.

Emily

Thisportfolioimagecameaboutthroughteamwork.Myself,anewmodel,atalentedstylistandanambitiousmake-upartistallworkedtogetherinbrainstormingideastoproducesomereallystrongshots.Naturallightfromawindowwasusedtolighttheimage,aswellasasmallreflectortobouncesomelightbackintoherface.

Canon,85mmf/1.2lens(shorttelephoto),400ISO,1/1250secatf/2.

Photoshopfocus

Whenshootingindoorswithavailablelightandlargeapertures,yourimagewillhaveacertainamountofnaturalblurthat’sinherenttotheopticsofyourlens.However,Iliketoaddextrablurtoconcentratetheviewers attention onmy subjects face. This is easily achievedwith theBlur tool ormake a featheredselection using the Lasso tool and then try one of themany Photoshop Blue Filters. Each one has adifferentlookandfeelwhichwillbedifferenttothenaturallensblurthatwascreatedincamera.With theaidofagoodmake-upartist,your imagesshould require less retouchingwork.However, theCloneandHealingBrush toolscanbeused tocleanupanystrayhairson faces thatyoudidn’tnoticeduringtheshoot.AddsparkletothecatchlightsintheeyesbylighteningthemwiththeDodgetool.

CAPTUREFAMILYMOMENTS

Whetheryou’reshootingphotographstosharewithothersorjustforyourself,ifyoucancapture those special family moments, you’ll be able to treasure them for a lifetime.Digital photography and new technology hasmade capturing perfectly exposed fleetingexpressions insharpfocuseasier thaneverbefore.Modernautofocus is fasterandmoreprecise than any photographer is, and with the aid of fast frame rates, catching thatdecisive moment has never been so easy to achieve. Don’t be frightened of shootingplentyofframes,asthistypeofphotographyisasfast-pacedasany.You’llbenefitfromhandholdingthecameraandmovingquicklytokeepupwithyoursubject–soforgetthetripod.Thistypeofshotisbestkeptunstagedasthiswillleadtofarmorepleasingresults,butfromtimetotimetrytocatchtheattentionofyoursubjectssothatyougetdirecteyecontact,whichwillhelpcommunicatetheiremotionstotheviewer.

Kate&Ella

Thisshotperfectlycapturestheharmonythatexistsbetweenmotherandchildandcouldneverhavebeensetup.Itrequiredfastreflexestocapture,andplentyofenergytokeepupwiththeaction.Iusedalong200mmlenstoproduceatightcropthatfillstheframeandgivesthephotographitsfullimpact.Therewereseveralsimilarimagestakenwithinseconds,butthisonestandsoutabovetheothersandcapturesthespecialbondbetweenthesubjects.

Nikon,70-200mmf/2.8zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/1000secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Whensavingyour imagefiles, I like to retainallmyadjustments, layers,masksandchannelssoIcanchangethematalaterdate.Thiswillcreatealargerimagefile,butallowsfarmoreflexibility.Personally,Iprefer tosaveamasterPhotoshop .psdfilebutmanyphotographers tryandsavesomediskspacebysavingaTiffile.Tifsareagoodalternativeastheyallowyoutokeepthelayersbutaresmallerinsizeand completely lossless (unlike JPG files). You can compress the Tif file further by checking LZWCompressioninthesaveimagedialogue.Ifyoudohavetosaveyourfileasajpg,thenensureit’ssavedasfewertimesaspossiblewithaslittlecompressionaspossibletomaintainthequalityoftheimagefile.Openup the shadows in the facewith the Image>Adjust>Shadows /Highlightsdialoganda smallAmountofaround10%.Addextrawarmthintherawconvertersoftwarebyincreasingthecolourtemperatureslider,toaddextracolourdepthtothealreadywarmnaturallight.YoucanalsoaddmorewarmthtotheyellowlightintheimagemyincreasingthesaturationwithImage>Adjust>Hue/SaturationandbychangingtheMasterdropdownmenutoYellow.

SHOOTLOCALCHARACTERS

Partof the excitement andadventure in travellingwithyour camera isnot just thenewplaces that you see, but also the interesting people that you will meet. These localcharacterswillhelptoaddanewflavourtoyourportfolioandofferupawholerangeofnew and rewarding subjects to photograph. This applies equally to your overseasadventuresastoyourtravelsclosertohome.Thecharactersthatyoufindonyourforayswill all have their own personalities and will echo the cultures and influences of theirlocale. Ialwaysfind itbest to tryandgain theapprovalofsubjectsbeforeIphotographthem,unlessI’mafteramorecandidapproach.Trytolearnafewwordsfromtheregionaldialect so you can communicate your intentions and remain courteous at all times.Thefinalpoint torememberis thatyourownsmilegoesa longwaytowardsbreakingdowntheinitialbarriersofcommunication.

Caballero

ThisimageofaratherdistinguishedoldSpanishgentlemanwasjustcryingouttobetaken.Hewassittingonaquietbenchontheedgeofabusymarketsquare,watchingtheworldgoby.Hisstylishyetphlegmaticmannerwascapturedbymakingeyecontactwiththecamera,butthisonlylastedafewsecondsbeforehisattentionwaned.Youoftenonlygetonechanceatthistypeofshot,sotrytothinkaboutwhatyouwantbeforeyouapproachyoursubject.

Nikon,28–105mmf/3.5–4.5zoomlensat60mm(standard),200ISO,1/180secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

WhenIoriginallyshotthisstreetportrait,IhadverylittletimetoshootthisoldSpanishgentleman.Iwasrushingmycomposition,soIdecidedtoleaveplentyofdeadspacearoundmysubjectanddothefinalcroplaterinPhotoshop.SinceCS6,AdobehavecompletelyredesignedtheclassicCroptoolandit’snowmuchimproved.IliketoensurethatIhaveDeleteCroppedPixelsuncheckedinthetooloptionatthetopof thescreen.Thisallowsme toexperimentwithdifferentcroppingformatsandshapesas theoriginalimagedata isneverdeleted. Ifyouclick the small ‘Gear’ icon, itwill reveal somegreatnewoverlayswhichcanhelpaidyourcomposition.Finally,thenewCroptoolasnowhasahandyStraightenfunction,justclickyour imageanddrag themousealonga lineyouwant tobestraightandPhotoshopdoes therest.If you are unable to throw the background out of focus in-camera, roughly select the subject inPhotoshop,inverttheselection,featherselectionandthenapplysomelensblurFilter>Blur>LensBlur(orGaussianBlur.)Forthisimage,Icroppedincloserandinterpolatedthefilebackto50MB(approximately29.7x42cm/11½x16½inat300dpi).Thiswillinevitablydegradetheabsoluteresolution,butinthiscaseitcreatedamuchbetterfinalimage.

CREATECHARACTERSWITHYOURKIDS

Photographingkidsisveryentertaining,andsoyourpicturesshouldtrytoreflectthis.Oneofthebestwaystoconjureupthissenseoffunistocreatecharacterswithchildren.Withthe use of props, outfits and some carefully chosen accessories, you should be able tocreatearecognizabletheme,perhapsevenimitatingafamousiconorasuperhero.Whilesomepeoplemayfindthisapproachalittletoosugary,theimagescreatedshouldcertainlyhave the ‘Ahh’ factor, and be firm favourites in the family album. This type ofphotography requires a sunny disposition to keep the kids smiling and the wholeexperiencefun,aswellassuper-fastreactionstocapturethosefleetingmagicalmoments.

Ellis

Thisimageofsix-month-oldEllishingesonthehumoroushatandhiscomicalappearance.Theshootwasalotoffun,withhismotheramusingElliswhileItriedtocaptureallhisdifferentfacialexpressions.Theresultisanendearingimageandagreatcharacterstudy.Averybasichomestudioset-upusingjustonesoftboxandawhitesheetasabackdropwasallthatwasrequiredforthisshot,butitwascrucialtocreateawarm,invitingenvironmentforthebabytofeelcomfortablein.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat135mm(midrangetelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

IfyouareunabletoworkinRawfileformatoryourcameradoesn’tsupportit,mostdigitalcamerasallowyou to chose a custompicture style that is specifically for portraits and people photography. Standardpicturestylescanbeverycontrastyandsaturated,notwhatonenormallywants for flatteringportraits.ThewidertonalrangethatisavailablewithPortraitmodesisalsokindertoskintonesandimperfectionsandsimilartoshootingwitholdfashioned“Portrait”colournegativefilms.Addasoft-focuseffect tohigh-key imagessuchas this,aswellasa littleDiffuseGlow.Playwith thesettingstocreatethedesireddegreeoffiltrationandeliminateanygrain.YoucanalsoexperimentwiththedigitalsoftfocusfiltereffectexplainedinTechnique6onpages132-133.UsetheClonetooltocleanupanyblemishesonthesubject’sfacetoensureaprofessionallookingresult.Onceagain,it’sthetinydetailsthatmatterandEllishaddribblealldownhisnose!

KEEPYOURSUBJECT’SHANDSBUSY

Whenphotographingnon-professionalmodels,you’lloftenfind thatyoursitterwill feeluncomfortable about being in front of the camera. In order for your subjects to looknatural inyourphotographs, theymust feel relaxed,and it’syour job to tryandachievethis.Oneaspectofpeoplephotographythatisoffrequentconcerniswhattodowithyoursubject’shands.Ifyoursitter isfeelinganxious,you’llbeabletoreadthisintheirbodylanguage and this in turn will be translated to your photographs. To remedy this, it’simportant to try tokeepyoursitter’shandsbusyandpose theirbody inawaythat theyfeelcomfortablewith.Thiscansometimesmeangivingyoursubjectsomethingtoholdontoorperhapsevengettingthemtosliptheirhandsintotheirpockets.Bydoingthis,yoursubjectwillfeelmoreateaseandtheresultingimageswilllookfarmoregenuine.

EricTheFisherman

Thisphotographofaseafishermanstandinginhisoldwoodenboatisafineexampleofthistechniqueinaction.Hefeltawkwardabouthavinghispicturetaken,andtookconsiderablepersuadingtoallowmetoshoothim,buttheweatheredcharacterinhisfacewastooappealingtoresistcapturing.Afterafewminutesofconversationtobreaktheice,Ipositionedhiminsidehisboatandgothimtoresthishandsontheside.Thisgavehimafarmorerelaxeddemeanourandhisalmostheroicstancerewardedmewithadefinitivecharacterstudy.

Mamiya,55mmf/2.8lens(moderatewideangle),KodakT-Max100ASAfilm,1/30secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Thisimagewasshotontraditionalblackandwhitefilm,thenscannedincolourwithaflat,lowcontrastfilmprofile toretainfulldetail fromtheshadowareas to thebrighthighlights in thesky.However, it’ssometimes hard to retain delicate highlight detail in a very contrasty negative that has beenoverdeveloped. If you find you are losing detail in brightest areas, try scanning in colour slide /transparency / positive mode and then inverting the image in Photoshop. Your scanner will almostcertainlyhaveahighenoughDmax(colourdepth)foracontrastynegative,it’sjustamatteroftrickingthehardwareintoextractingdetailfromthefullrangeofthescanningsensor.Digitalimagesareverycleananddisplaynofilmgrainliketraditionalblackandwhiteemulsions.Togiveyourdigital imagesaremorenostalgic look,youcanplaywithPhotoshopFilter>AddNoisedialogueandremembertochecktheMonochromeoptionsboxtoavoidunwantedcolournoiseappearinginyourblackandwhiteimage.Toadddramatoskies,burnintheskywiththeBurntoolwiththeHighlightssettoaround20%andalargebrush.

INTRODUCEACTIONTOYOURIMAGES

It’softenalltooeasytoproducepeopleimagesthatcanlookalittlestaticandfrozen,sowhy not try to introduce some action to your images? Giving your subject somethingphysicaltodoratherthanjuststandingandposingwillhelpthemfeelmoreinvolvedandwill add a sense of fun to the whole shoot. By capturing some movement in yourphotographs,youwill alsobe able toproduce imageswithmoredynamismandgreaterenergy.Whenselectinga suitable shutter speed tocapture thismovement,youwill losesomecontroloverdepthoffield,soit’softenamatterofjugglingtheaperturesettingstoachievearesultyouarehappywith.

Jodie

Thisimagewasshotforamagazinecoveranddemonstrateshowsomeactioncanreallybringthephotographalive.IaskedJodietopedalslowlyalongthepathandthentakeherfeetoffthepedalsandcoasttowardsme.HerexpressionofhumourandenjoymentwerecapturedperfectlyinthatbriefmomentwhenItrippedtheshutter.Asthelocationalsoplayedanimportantpartintheimage,thesmalleraperturesettingbalancedwithaslowshutterspeedhelpedtoconveythemoodIwanted.Ialsoaddedalittlefillflashtobrightenupthecoloursandbrightenuptheshadows.

Canon,85mmf1.2lens(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/200secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

Ifyourimageisslightlybacklit,tryaddingsomelensflareinPhotoshopforamorecontemporaryfeel.Simplyduplicateyourbackground layerandrender the flare.Layer>NewLayerFromBackground>andrenamethislayer‘LensFlare’.ThengoFilter>Render>LensFlareandtakeyourpick!YoucanusetheErasertoolontheduplicatelayertodeleteanyunwantedflareandusealowerOpacitytoblendtheeffectwiththeoriginalimage.Once again, if you shoot Raw for backlit images you will be able to hold much more detail in thehighlights.Additionalinformationcanbe‘pulledback’fromthecolourchannelsinPhotoshopbyusingtheImage>Adjust>Shadows/Highlights>Highlightsslider.PumpupthecoloursaturationforanevenmoredynamicimagebyaddingaPhotoshopAdjustmentLayerfornondestructiveeditsLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Hue/Saturation.

SHOOTENVIRONMENTALPORTRAITS

Environmentalportraitsarephotographsofpeople in theirnormalplaceofwork,restorplay.Includingthelocationinyourimagewillhelpputyoursubjectincontext,reflectingtheir lifeand illustrating theiruniquestory.This typeofportraitwilloftengiveamuchdeeper insight into the personality, skills and character of your subject and willdemonstrate the complex relationship that exists between them and their surroundings.When shooting an environmental study, try to spend some time getting to know yoursubject.Use this opportunity to learnwho they are,what they do and exactlywhy thelocation is important to them. This familiarity will inevitably lead to a greaterunderstandingofyoursitter,whichwillhelpyoutocreateadefinitiveportraitofthem.Inaddition, once you show more interest in your subject, your subject will show moreinterestinyouandthecamera.

Nib

IfelluponNibbychance.IwasexploringtheLincolnshireFens,lookingforimagesformyportfoliowhenIcameacrossthisintriguinglocation.Theoldtractor-breakersyardechoedallthatwasimportantaboutthisregion,withitsstrongtiestofarming.Thisoldguyappeared,conversationstartedandIsoonrealizedwhatawonderfulsubjecthewouldmake.Atfirsthewasreluctant;hecouldn’tunderstandwhyIfoundhimsointerestingandwhyIwouldwanttotakehisportrait.Alittleflatterywentalongwayandeventuallyheagreedtoafewframes.Isathimwherehefeltmostcomfortable;helithisWoodbinecigarette,andjustwatchedme.Iusedawide-anglelenstocapturehimincontextwithhissurroundingsandfiredoffahandfulofshotsbeforehisattentiondriftedandthemomentwaspast.

Mamiya,55mmf/2.8lens(moderatewideangle),KodakT-Max100ASAfilmratedat50ASA,1/15secatf/8.

Photoshopfocus

Asplittonesepiaeffectcanbeaddedtogiveavintagefeeltothedigitalmonochromeimage.SplitToningisa traditionaldarkroomtechnique that involved removing theprint fromthe toningbathbefore ithastime to change all the tones in the photograph. This effect can be achieved in your raw conversionsoftware by clicking the Split Toning tab and tweaking the sliders or directly in Photoshop by usingImage>Adjust>ColourBalanceandselectingHighlights,MidtonesorShadows.Theoriginal film imagewas shotonslowblackandwhite filmandscanned togeneratea superhigh-resolution digital file.However, even slow films can exhibit a distracting grain at highmagnification,especiallyifahighacutancefilmdeveloperwasused.Thisisanotherareawhereoriginaldigitalimageshave the advantage over traditional materials, delivering images that can withstand high levels ofenlargementwithlittlelossofdetail.Toadddepthtothephotographandtospotlightthesitter,heavilyburnintheimagearoundthecornersandsidesusingtheBurntoolutilisingawellknowndarkroomeffectcalled‘edgeburning.’

CAPTURECANDIDMOMENTS

Sometimes the very best photographs require little organization;this is especially truewhen capturing candid images of children. Recording those special moments from adistancecanleadtoverynaturalphotographsthatwilllookgreatinyourfamilyalbum.Asyoursubjectswillbelargelyunawareofthecamera,theexpressionsyoucapturewillbeuncontrivedandwillcatchyoursubjectsinacompletelyrelaxedframeofmind.Sinceyouwill largelybeadoptinga fly-on-the-wallapproach,youdon’t reallyneed toguideyoursubjects;juststandbackandallowthosecandidmomentstodevelop.Thelessinvolvementyouhave,themorespontaneoustheresultswillbe,butyou’llneedtohavefastreflexesandtheenergytomovequicklytosuccessfullycapturethemwhentheydo.Therealsecretistoallowyoursubjectstobedistractedfromthewholepicturetakingprocessandjustletthemgetonwithwhatevertheyaredoing.

Chloe&Ellie

Thisshotoftwosisterssharingamomentoflaughterhasawonderfullycandidfeel,asit’scompletelyunrehearsed.ThegirlsknewIwastherebuttheyweresoinvolvedwitheachotherthattheywereblissfullyunawareofwhatwasgoingonaroundthem.Thissortofimageoftenbenefitsfrombeingtakenwithaslightlylongerlens,asitwillallowyoutokeepagreaterdistanceandbelessintrusive.Momentslikethisonlylastforafractionofasecondsoyouneedtobereadyforthem,withyourtriggerfingerontheshutterbutton.

Canon,70–200mmf/4lensat200mm(longtelephoto),100ISO,1/500secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

Long telephoto lenses. large apertures and close focus distances really push your camera’s autofocussystemtothemax.Ifpossible,tryandcalibrateyourcameraandlenssetupforthetypeofphotosyouwanttoproduce.It’simportanttogetfocusperfectincameraasthereislittleeventheSharpentoolcandowithanoutof focus image.At thisdistanceandwith thesecamera settings,depthof field (criticalfocusarea)isjustafewcentimeters.Alwaystryandcapturethingsrightin-cameraandverylittlecomputerworkwillbeneeded.Youshouldnottrytorelyonimageeditingsoftwaretomakeupforpoortechniqueormissingthemoment.Addalittlewarmthintherawconvertersoftwaretogiveyourshotsamoresummeryfeel.Ifyourimageisbacklit,asthisis,dialinsomehighlightrecoverytoholdsomeadditionaldetailintheskintoneswiththeImage>Adjust>Shadows/Highlightsdialogue.

POSEYOURSUBJECT

There isn’t a rightway or awrongway to pose yourmodel, but there is away that isappropriate to your subject and to thepurposeof the shot.For example, glossy fashionmagazinesoftenfeaturemodelsposedinawkwardpositionsthatlookveryunnatural,buttheimagesstillworkfortheirenduse.Thephotographersareperhapstryingtoconveyabold or daring statement about their subject and the clothing that they are wearing.However, posing a distinguished old lady in a similar fashion would be inappropriate.Conventionalandmorestaidposesmaylookjustthat–tooconventionalandstaid–soforamorecontemporarylookuseyourimaginationtocomeupwithamoreunusualpose.Inaddition,youcanalsouseposingasatechniquetohide,accentuateorsometimesflatteryour subject’s physical appearance. If you’re photographing a bodybuilderwith a fine,tonedphysique,itwouldn’tberighttoposehiminafemininemanner,butyoushouldusehisassets inaway thatemphasizeshisstrengthandpower…unlessofcourse,youaretrying toconveyhismoresensitiveside.Whateverposeyoudecideon, itshouldreflectthesubject’scharacterandaidtheoverallmessagebehindyourimage.

Joe

Thisisaverymasculineposethataccentuatesthemodel’sgoodlooks,andtheeyecontactdeliversafirmanddirectmessage.Usinghisbarearmstoframehisface,theviewer’sattentionisdirectedstraighttohisfeatures,andtheimaginativeposebringsacreativefeeltotheimage.ItwasnecessarytogetJoetotryseveraldifferentposesuntilwehadachievedtherightlook.IfoundtheLCDscreenwasperfectforcommunicatingtheseideastoJoeandaidedtheprocessenormously.

Canon,70–200mmf/4zoomlensat150mm(midrangetelephoto),100ISO,1/250secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

ConvertimagesfromcolourtomonousingaBlack&WhiteadjustmentlayerLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Black&White.Here thedropdownPresetwas set toGreen.Some traditionalphotographersactuallyusedtoshoottheirblackandwhiteportraitsusingagreenfilteroverthelensasitcangivebetterskin and darker lip tones. Photoshop allows you to playwith the colour sliders to achieve a farmorepreciseeffectthatwaseverpossiblewithfilm.UsetheBurntoolwithalargebrushandasmallExposureofaround10%toburninthehighlightsintheframe,whichwillhelpconcentratetheviewer’sattentionontheface.AddawarmsepiatonebycreatingaColorBalanceadjustmentlayer(Layer>NewAdjustmentLayer>ColorBalance)andthendialinasmalldegreeofredandyellowtotheMidtonesandShadows.

USEPROPSTOTELLASTORY

The use of appropriate props in your people photographs will help to strengthen yourcreativemessageandillustrate thestoryofyoursitter.Propscanalsohelp togivesomecomfort to your subject and make them feel more relaxed in their own environment,occupyingtheirmindandbody,andgivingthemasenseofpurpose.Thiscanonlyleadtomorecrediblecharacterstudiesandultimatelybetterimages.Forsuccessfulphotographs,it’svery important toconsiderwhatyoursubject iswearingandwhether theclothing isappropriate to the overall story you want to tell. Don’t forget that everything in thephotographwillneedtosupportyourstatement,sopayingattentiontoeventhesmallestdetailsisimportant.

RobertTheShepherd

IspottedthisoldshepherdandhissheepdogastwosmallfiguressilhouettedagainsttheskylineasIwasdrivingthroughtherollinghillsofnorthernEngland.Asyougainexperienceasaphotographer,youreyewillbecomesofinelytunedinthatyoucanspotapotentialimageinjustafractionofasecondandevenatagreatdistance–almostlikeaneaglepicksoutitsprey.Istoppedthecarandranupthehillsidewithmycameraandzoomlensslungovermyshoulder.Aftergettingoverhisinitialsurprise,andafterafewminutesofconversation,Ipositionedhimwithhisdogandwalkingstickagainstoneofthedry-stonewallsthataresotypicalofthisregion.Hisweatheredface,oldflatcapandwornclothesalladdtothefeeloftheimageandhelptoportraythistraditionalmaninhis

naturalsurroundings.

Nikon,70–200mmf/2.8zoomlensat200mm(longtelephoto),160ISO,1/250secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Iwanted to bring out a little extra shadow detail inmy subjects face as Iwas unable to use awhitereflector to bounce light into this area. I therefore chose to do this digitally, inAdobeCameraRaw. IselectedtheAdjustmentBrushintheiconmenuabovetherawimagepreviewandmovedtheShadowsslidertotherighttoabout25%.Ithen‘painted’directlyontomysubjectsfaceanduntilIwashappywiththetones.If shootingona relativelydullday, remember towarmup the image in the rawconverter softwarebysetting thewhite balance toCloudy or approximately 6500K(Kelvins).This really brought out a richyellowcolourtotheoverallimagethatworksinharmonywiththeexistingsubjecttones.Toemphasizethesubject,burninthebackgroundalittlewiththeBurntoolsettoaround20%orcreateadark oval vignette with the Elliptical Marquee tool, feather your selection and then create a levelsadjustmentlayer.

CAPTURECHILDHOODINNOCENCE

Kidsareamongthemostfascinating,endearingandrewardingsubjectstophotograph.Ifyouarepatientandhavethetemperamentofasaint,theirinnocence,vitality,charismaandcharmcanleadtosomegenuinelyemotiveimagery.Iftheyareyourownoffspring,evenbetter–theywillbelessshyinfrontofyourcamerathantheywouldbeinfrontofeventhebestprofessionalphotographer.Youwillalsohavetheadvantageofknowinghowtoget the best reactions from your own children,what interests them themost and,moreimportantly,whatboresthemthequickest.Youwilloftenfindthatyoungerkidshavenotdevelopedanyanxietytowardsthecamera,as theydon’tyetfullyunderstandwhat it is.This naivety can lead to very natural pictures, as they have few inhibitions and theexpressions you’ll capture (if you’re quick enough) will be genuine and unposed. Theresultingimagesshouldbejustlyrewardingandrecordthosepreciouschildhoodmomentsforgenerationstocome.

Mackenzie

ThisisanothershotofyoungMackenzieenjoyingherselfatthebeach.Forchildren,theseasidecanprovideanendlessopportunityforfun,learningandexcitement,soit’salwaysagreatlocationtoworkin.Ispentacoupleofhourschasingheraroundtherockpoolswithmycameraassheamusedherselfandexploredawholenewworldofnature.Iusedatelephotozoomlenstoconvenientlyalterthecropineachsituationandsavemyselfalittlelegwork,makingkeepingupwithheralittleeasier.Thisshotwastakenasshekindlyofferedmeashellfromthebeach.Momentslater,shedroppeditinmyopencamerabagfullofexpensiveequipmentalongwithalargehandfulofsand…thankyousomuch!

Canon,70–300mmf/4–5.6zoomlensat250mm(verylongtelephoto),200ISO,1/250secatf//8.

Photoshopfocus

Iwantedtotheeyesonmysubject’seyes,sinceIhadbeenunabletouseawhitereflectoratthetimeofimage capture. I therefore chose to do this digitally inAdobeCameraRaw. I selected theAdjustmentBrush in the iconmenuabove the raw imagepreviewandmoved theHighlights slider to the rightbyabout25%.Ithen‘painted’directlyontoMackenzie’seyestocleanupthewhitesandmakehereyeslookmorealive.Capture‘thatdecisivemoment’!Don’tbefrightenedtoreallyletripwiththemotordrive.DSLR’scannowcaptureseveralframespersecondsomakesureyoudon’tmissthatperfectshot!MakesureyouuseafastCForSDcardifyouwanttomaximizetheburstrateforyourcameraasrawfilestakealongwhiletowritetoaslowcard.IfindIcangetabettermaximumburstratewithmyCanondigitalcamerasifIturnofftheHighIsoandLongExposureNoiseReduction functions in the advancedmenuwhen fast image capture is requiredwithlargerawfiles.

CREATEABOND

Whenphotographingtwopeopletogether,it’salltooeasytocreateatensionbetweenyoursubjects,especiallyif theydon’tknoweachotherverywell.Thisawkwardnessneedstobeovercome,becauseifthesubjectsfeeluneasy,theywilllookuncomfortableinthefinalimage.Togetyoursubjectstorelax,allowthemalittletimetochatwhileyouprepare.Asthey get to know each other, they will hopefully lose their shyness, become morespontaneousandbegintobond.Ifthesubjectsarealreadyfamiliarthenyourjobiseasier–trytotakeadvantageoftherelationshipthatexistsbetweenthem.Thissometimesmeansmovingthemtogethersotheyarephysicallyclose–perhapsholdinghandsorembracing.Whateverwayyouchoosetolinkyoursubjects,ifyoucancreateanobviousconnectionthen the photograph will convey a strong message, and your picture will be far moresuccessful.

Nick&Beth

Themodelsinthisimagehadnevermetbeforeandthiswastheirfirstrealphotoshoot–makingthesituationdoublytricky.However,afterafewjokestobreaktheicetheygenuinelystartedtoenjoythemselves.I’dalreadygotastrongideainmymind’seyeofwhatIwantedcompositionally,soitwasmerelyacaseofcommunicatingmyideasandpositioningthemtogethertocreatethevision.Sometimes,ratherthancapturingyoursubjectlaughingorsmiling,itmaybeappropriatetocreatemoreofasenseofambiguityorenigma.Thiscanforcethesittertoaskthemselvesmorequestionsaboutthesubjectandcanleadtoamoreintriguingimage.Afterall,ifweallknewwhattheMonaLisawasthinking,shewouldn’thavecaptivatedourimaginationsforsomanyyears.

Nikon,85mmf/1.8lens(shorttelephoto),FujiReala100ASAfilmratedat64ASA,

1/500secatf/4.

Photoshopfocus

Theoriginal imagewasshoton35mmcolourfilmthatwasdown-rated(setatslowerASA)fora littlemore shadowdetail. Itwas then scanned the negative in on a desktop scanner at 4,800dpi to create amassive170MB16-bitfile.SinceIwasconvertingthecolournegativeimagetoblackandwhite,creatinganexacttintandcolourmatchprofiletotheoriginalscenewasnotimportantandonelessthingtoworryabout.Convertcolour toblackandwhiteand thendodgeandburn todarkencertainareasand lightenothers.Darkening eyelidswith theBurn tool can help to accentuate eyemake-up andmakes the imagemorestriking.Toneyourimagewithabluetonetogiveitafresh,contemporaryfeel.Thiscaneasilybedoneusinganon destructive adjustment layer by tweaking blue and cyan in the Colour Balance dialogue or byselectingCoolingFilter(LBBor80)inthePhotoFilterdropdownmenu.

SHOOTFUNNYFACES

Itisusuallythephotographer’sjobtotrytocaptureaflatteringportrait,usingimaginationandknowledgeoflightandcompositiontoportraythesubjectinapleasingway,andinamannerthatalsoinspirestheviewer.However,aswithallgenresofart,sometimesit’sfuntobreakthetraditionalrulesandaestheticsandtakeadifferentpath.So,whynottryandcreate a less flattering shot that evokes an emotional response in the viewer in amoreunusualway?This canbe agreat technique to employwhenphotographingchildrenorsubjectswhoarealittlecamera-shyandfeeluncomfortableinfrontofthelens.Byaddingsomehumourtotheportraitsession,youmayfindthatithelpstobreakdownanytensionand formality andwill create amore relaxed and spontaneous photograph.At the veryleast,itwilladdsomefuntothesituation,whichwillmakeitmoreenjoyable,resultinginbetterpictures.

WorldChampion‘Gurner’

Thisimageofa‘gurner’wastakenforapersonalportfolioproject.Itclearlyillustratesthepointthatfunnyfacescanbemoreeye-catchingthanadoptingastandardapproach.Unflatteringportraitsarenotthenorm,butbytakingamoreunorthodoxrouteI’vebeenabletocaptureavisuallystrongphotographthatembodiesboththesitter’scharacterandhisuniqueandindividualtalent.ThehorsebracearoundhisneckhasbeenusedformanyyearsintheannualWorldGurningChampionshipattheEgremontCrabFairtoframethefaceofthecompeting‘gurner’,andisatraditionthatdatesbackhundredsofyears.IaskedAlextopullhisbest‘gurn’andareallifePopeyeappearedbeforeme,producingacaptivatingandhumorousimagethatisafarcryfromaflatteringportrayal.

Canon,85mmf/1.2lens(shorttelephoto),ISO200,1/125secatf/5.6.

Photoshopfocus

ConvertyourimagetomonochromeusingaBlack&WhiteadjustmentlayerwithaGreenpreset.ThispresetoftengiveyourblackandwhiteportraitimagemoreimpactthantheDefaultsettingasitbringsoutsubtledetailintheskintonesandgreeneyes.UsetheBurntoolsettoShadowswithanExposureofaround10%todarkentheedgesoftheimageandconcentrate the viewer’s attention to the face of the subject. The Burn tool can also be used to hideunwanted details and reduce distracting elements in the background. To avoid obvious tonal changeswhenusingtheBurntool,alwaysremembertoleavethePreserveTonesboxchecked.Flattentheimageandaddasplit-tonesepiaeffectwiththeColorBalancesliders;heretheMidtonesweresetto+5Red,–5Magentaand–10Yellow.

PLANYOURPHOTOS

Don’tunderestimatetheimportanceofplanningandstylingyourpeoplepics.Alittlebitofpreparationandthoughtbeforetheshootcanreallypaydividendsandmakeforsomefantasticimages.Bothyouandyoursubjectswillfeelalotmorerelaxedandconfidentifyouarepreparedandreadyforyourphotoshoots.Thismeansfindingtheperfectlocation,sourcingtherightpropsandstylingyoursubjectswiththelookandfeelyouaretryingtoachieve. You really don’t have to spend much money to raise the standard of yourphotographyifyouhavealittleimaginationandcreativity.

All the visual elements in your image need to convey the emotion and mood you arewantingtocreate.It’sthenjustamatterofworkingwithyoursubjecttogeneratetheposesandexpressionsthatyoufeelareappropriatetothephotographyouaretryingtoportray.Themoreorganizedyouare,thelesschancethereisofthingsgoingwrongandthegreateryourchanceofachievingasuccessfulimage.

Good portraits usually require your best organizational skills as well as photographicproficiency.Ensureyouarefamiliarwithyourequipment,asifyougetconfusedandloseyour trainof thought, everyone elsewill do too andyou’ll be indangerof spoiling thewholeshot.Finally,trytomaintainanupbeatatmospheretoyoursession.Thiswillhelptoboost morale, make the whole shoot more fun for everyone involved and achieveprofessionallookingresults.

TheRailwayChildren

ThisimagetookagreatdealofplanningandpreparationtocreatethelookandfeelIwaswantingtoachieve.WesourcedtheWorldWarIIrefugeeoutfitsfromebayforverylittlemoneyandrummagedaroundintheatticfortheoldteddybearsandleathersuitcases.I’dalsofoundthelocationthedaybeforeanddecidedroughlywhereandwhenIwantedtoshootandwherethelightwaslikelytobe.Thelightcamefrombehindthesubjectstostopthemfromsquintingandtoallowamorerelaxedandnaturallookontheirfaces.ItwasthenjustacaseoftryingtoguidethekidsintotheposesandpositionthatIneededfortheshot.Asyoucansee,alltheelementsinthefinalphotographhelptocreateanostalgic,bygonelookthatsummonuptherightmood.Theteddybearsandsuitcasesalsogavethe

kidssomethingtoholdontosotheyfeltmorerelaxedinfrontofthecamerasoweachievedamorenaturalandbelievablelook.

Canon,85mmf1.2(shorttelephoto),100ISO,1/1000secatf2.

Photoshopfocus

I added some steamdigitally using a simple Photoshop technique. I selectedLayer >NewLayer andnamedit‘Steam’andclickedok.IthenaddedablackfilltothisnewlayerEdit>Fill>Contents/Use:Blackandclickedok.IthenchoseFilter>Render>DifferenceCloudstogeneratesomerandomsteaminthetoplayer.Next,IblurredthesteambyFilter>Blur>GaussianBlurwitharadiusofaround50pixels.NowchangethelayermodetoScreeninthelayerspaletteandthiswillpartiallyrevealthebackgroundimagebelowwith a layerof steamon top.Finally, I used theEraserwith amediumsized, soft edgedbrushat50%Opacitytoodeletetheunwantedsteamacreatearealisticeffect.DesaturatethepictureImage>Adjust>Desaturate.ThenIaddedasepiatonetotheimageLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>ColourBalanceandaddedsomeredandyellowtotheShadowsandMidtonesforamorenostalgic1920’sfeel.FinallyIusedtheDodgeandBurntoolsatalowOpacitytosubtlyaltertheblackandwhitetoneswithintheimage.Voila!

TOPTENPHOTOSHOPTECHNIQUESSincethereleaseofthefirstversionofAdobePhotoshopin1990,photographershavebeen able to use digital manipulation to improve their images.With portrait andpeoplephotography, thishasbeenparticularlybeneficial toboth thephotographerandthesitter,as the ideaof lookinga fewyearsyounger,a little slimmeror justatouchmorebeautifulisobviouslyveryappealing.Thistypeofdigitalretouching,or‘airbrushing’,as it’swidelyknow,wasonceused for the imagesofHollywood filmstars,butnow,witha littleknowledgeandpractice,youtoowillbeabletoachieveprofessional looking results thatwill transformyour images forever.Over thenextfewpages,youwilllearntenverysimplyyetveryusefuldigitaltechniquesthatwillhelptoenhanceyourportraits.AswithallPhotoshoptipsandtricks,rememberthatthesemanipulationscaneasilybeoverdone,sotrytousethetechniqueswithalittlerestraint,commonsenseandgoodtaste.

Nude

SoftwarepackagessuchasAdobePhotoshopandAdobeElementshaveopenedupawholenewworldofcreativeopportunities,limitedonlybyyourimagination.

Mamiya,150mm(shorttelephoto),KodakT-Max100ASAfilm,1/60secatf8.

TECHNIQUE1:ELIMINATEBLEMISHESRemoving blemishes such as spots, scars or freckles is one of the easiest digitaltechniquesyoucan learn todrastically improve theappearanceofyoursitter.Thistechniquereliesheavilyon theCloneandHealingBrush tools, so it’s important tomasterthesetoolsproperlytoproduceprofessionalresults.

TheCloneTool–toptips:Thistoolisoneofthefirsttoolsthatanovice‘Photoshopper’playswithasit’ssuchahighimpacttool.Makesureyouexperimentwithall theCloneStamp settings tounderstandhow touse it properlyandtogainthemostoutofthispowerfultool.

Alwaysenlargetheimageyouareworkingontoat least100%(ifnot200%)toallowyou toeditvery specific areasatone timeand toensureyoumake reallyaccuratecloningstrokes.TheMasterDiameterandHardnessofthebrushcanbeadjusted.Ifyouwanthardedges,setahigherHardnessandbeware that repeateduseofasoft-edgedbrushcanleadtounpleasantblurringonyourimage.Play aroundwith the tool’sOpacity and the Flow settings,which allow you tograduallybuildupthefinalresults–helpfulwhendoingdelicateretouchingwork.TheAlignedbox shouldnormallybe checked,but if youprefer to sample fromonespecificareaofyourimageanumberoftimes,uncheckthisoption.TheSamplesettingallowsyoutochoosewhichlayeryousamplefromandgivesyouthemoreadvancedoptionofsamplingfromotherlayersshouldyouwishtodoso–thiscanalsoincludeadjustmentlayersbytogglingthebutton.

TheHealingBrushTool–toptips:TheHealingBrushmatchesthetexture,colour,transparencyandlighting/shadingof the sampled area and should blend the retouched area seamlessly.This oftenmakesitabettertoolforthejobofretouchingskinblemishesthantheClonetool.TheModemenushouldusuallybesettoNormal.However,ifyouareusingasoft-edgedbrush,youcansetthemenutoReplacetopreservethetexture,noiseorfilmgrainatthebrushstrokeedges.Thisshouldavoidtoomuchedgeblurringonyourretouchedimage.TheSourceoptionshouldnormallybeset,asthePatternoptionisnotveryusefulforretouchingindividualskintextures.TheAlignedboxshouldnormallybechecked,butcanbeuncheckedinasimilarwaytowhenusingtheClonetool.TheSamplesettinggivesyoutheoptiontochooseexactlywhichlayeryousamplefromifyourimagehasduplicateoradjustmentlayers.ThePatchtoolisalsounderthesamemenuastheHealingBrushandtheyworkinverysimilarways.However,withthePatchtoolyoucanmanuallysamplealarger,non-circular area with your mouse and then drag it to the required position toreplacetheoriginalarea.TheSpotHealingtoolinPhotoshopissimilartotheothertools,butinsteadofyouchoosingwhichareatosamplefrom,thetoolautomaticallysamplesfromnearbypixels and retouches the area foryou.TheProximityMatch andCreateTexturemenusettingsgiveyoumoreoptions.

Originalimage

Theinitialportraitbeforeanyretouchingwork.

STEP1The teenager in this portrait has somewhat ‘problem’ skinwith a number of spots andblemishesthatcouldgreatlybenefitfromsomenimblemouseworkusingacombinationoftheCloneStampandtheHealingBrushtools.

STEP2Tomake the retouchingwork asperfect aspossible,workon the image at no less thanactualsize,soyoucanreallyseewhatyouaredoing.Thiswayyoucanbesurehowitwillappearinthefinalprint.Selectyourbrushdiameterdependingupontheresolutionoftheimageandtryabrushofmediumhardness(50%)tobeginwith.

Screengrabat100%magnification

Makesurethatyoucanseetheexacteffectofyourcloningandhealing–workatanylessthanactualsizeandyoumayunknowinglyintroducecloningerrorsthatwillbevisibletotheviewer.

Finalimageafterretouching

Oncetheworkhasbeencompleted,yoursubjectwillbedelighted.Justafewminutes’workwithyourmouseandNickisleftwithanear-perfectcomplexion.

TECHNIQUE2:REMOVEWRINKLESPhotoshop makes it easy for you to make your subjects look younger and morebeautifulwith theaidofadigital facelift. Itcosts little, takes justa fewminutes toachieveand,unlikereal-lifecosmeticsurgery,iscompletelypainless!Thistechniquewillworkwondersforyourreputation,andallyourfriendsandfamilywillwantyoutophotographthem.This isanextremelysimpleandeffectivedigitalskill to learn,andcaneasilybemasteredwiththeaidofLayers.

Layers

Trytoimaginelayersasbeinglikestacked,transparentsheetsofglassonwhichyoucanmakenon-permanentchangeswithoutaffectingtheintegrityoftheoriginalpicture(thebackgroundlayer).Youcanapplynumerousspecialeffectstotheselayersincludingdigitalfilters,colour,contrastandbrightnesscorrections,cloningandhealing.AlloftheseeffectsandchangescanbeswitchedonandoffwhenyouclickonthelittleeyeiconadjacenttoeachlayerintheLayerspalette.

Originalimage

Theinitialportraitbeforeretouchingthewrinkles.

STEP1Havingselectedtheimageyouwishtoworkon,youmustfirstduplicatethebackgroundlayertocreateacopylayer.DothisbyclickingthroughLayer>DuplicateLayer.Callthislayer‘Wrinkles’.

STEP2Nowforthefunbit…usingtheClonetoolandHealingBrush(seeTechnique1),slowlyandcarefullyremoveallthewrinkles,linesandblackbagsfromunderyoursubject’seyesand other areas of their face.At this stage, don’t beworried that all this retouching isproducinganunnaturaleffect,asthisisjustthefirstpartofthedigitalfacelift.

Screengrabof‘Wrinkles’layerat100%Opacity

Asyoucansee,theinitialretouchingwiththeClonetoolandHealingBrushisalittleunrealistic,astheskintextureslooktooperfect.

STEP3Now,usingtheslideratthetopoftheLayerspalette,slowlyfadebacktheOpacityofthe‘Wrinkles’ layer to around 50–75%. This will gradually reveal the original, untouchedbackground layerbeneath, achieving theeffect thatyou (oryour subject) areafter.Thisgives you the ability to turn back the clock, making your sitter look younger andproducingawonderful,natural-lookingskinthatwillflatteranysubject.Ifyounowtogglethelayeronandoff,usingtheeyeiconintheLayerspalette,you’llseethefullextentofthisdigitaltrickery.

Finalimageafterretouching

WiththeOpacityofthe’Wrinkles’layerreducedto60%,Angelaisinstantlycastinamoreflatteringlight.

TECHNIQUE3:

REDUCEREDEYERed eye is the very unattractive side effect – quite commonly seen in amateurphotographs–thatiscausedwhenyouron-cameraflashistooclosetothelensaxis.Whentheflashgoesoff, the lightenterstheeyeandisreflectedoffthebackoftheretina, causing an unpleasant discoloration. This often appears in photos taken atparties,whenon-cameraflashisgenerallyused.Thegoodnewsisthatthiseffectcanbe fixed in a number of differentways, both before and after the photograph hasbeentaken.

In-camerared-eyereductiontechniques

Whenusingflash,trytoensurethatitisasfarawayfromthecentreofthelensaxisaspossible,sothatthelightwillnotbeabletoenteryoursubject’seyesdirectly.Thismeanspositioningyourflashoff-camera.Inrealitythisisnotalwayspossibleorpractical,especiallywhentheflashisbuilt-in.Ifthisisthecase,tryusingyourcamera’sRedEyeReductionmode.Redeyeismostcommoninadarkenedroomwhenyoursubject’spupilsarefullydilatedtotrytogatherasmuchlightintotheeyeaspossible.Manycamerasproduceaquickburstofflashtoshrinkthesizeofthepupilandthenfollowthiswithasecondflashfortheactualexposure.However,whilehelpful,thismethodisnotalwayssuccessfulandsotheproblemmustbefixedinpost-productioninstead.

Red-eyeeliminationinPhotoshop

LikemanyPhotoshoptechniques,thereareseveraldifferentwaysofgettingridofredeyeinyourimages.Witholderversionsofthesoftware,thiseffectcanstillbeachieved,butthemethodisslightlymoredifficultandtakesalittlelonger.However,sincetheintroductionoftheRedEyetoolinPhotoshop,andrecentversionsofAdobeElements,thingshavebecomefareasier.TheRedEyetoolisverysimpletouseandcanbefoundasthefourthoptioninthedrop-downmenuoftheHealingBrush.Thisisthequickestandmosteffectivewaytocopewithredeyeinthedigitaldarkroomandsimplyrequiresyoutoselectthetoolandclickonthepupiltodramaticallyreducetheredcolour.Youcanalsoexperimentwithtwooptions;PupilSize,whichincreasesordecreasesthesizeoftheareathatiscorrected,andDarkenAmount,whichadjuststhestrengthoftheeffect.

Originalimage

Theinitialportraitbeforeanyred-eyereduction.Theshothastheharshfeelofatypicalon-cameraflashgun.Thistypeofset-uprarelyproducesflatteringresults,butsometimeson-cameraflashismoreconvenientoristheonlyoptionyouhaveatyourdisposal.

STEP1Zoom in to your subject’s eye area at 100%magnification to clearly seewhat you aredoing. Select theRed Eye tool and click on the eyewith the crosshair. The red eye isinstantly removed and the pupil is put back to its original colour.Nowyou can do thesamewiththeothereye.

ScreengraboftheRedEyetoolatwork

Oneeyehasbeencompletelyrestored.Thetoolisveryintuitive,soyoudon’tevenneedtobecompletelyaccuratewithwhereyouplacethecrosshair.

Finalimage

Thefinishedresultlooksalmostlikeanewphotoandwithminimumeffort.Jemima’sunpleasantredeyeshavebeencompletelyreplacedandtheimageisnowfarmoreappealing.

TECHNIQUE4:TONEBLACKANDWHITEIMAGESOneofthegreatthingsaboutdigitalphotographyisthatyoucanshootyourimagesincolourandthenconvert themintoblackandwhite.Aswithmanytechniques inPhotoshop, thereareanumberofways toachieve this effect, including convertingtheimagefromRGBtoGrayscale(Image>Mode>Grayscale)ordesaturatingthecolourimage(Image>Adjustments>Desaturate).BoththesetechniquesworkfineinolderversionsofPhotoshop,butsinceCS3thereisabetterwayusingtheImage>Adjust>Black&Whitefunction.Thisveryflexiblenewoptionevenallowsyoutocreate a Black & White adjustment layer so the adjustments are totally non-destructive to the original image and can easily be changed or toggled on and off.Whicheverway you create yourmono image, toning it with a traditional sepia orcontemporarybluetoneisthenjustafewclicksaway.

Adjustmentlayers

Adjustmentlayersareveryusefultoolstousewhenmanipulatingyourdigitalimages,asyoucanconvenientlymakecolourandtonalchangeswithoutaffectingthepixelvaluesoftheoriginalfile.ToopenupawholehostofadjustmentlayeroptionsclickLayer>NewAdjustmentLayerandthenchooseyourpreferreddialog.Theseadjustmentscanbechangedtimeaftertimeandwillneverdamagetheintegrityofyouroriginalfile.Thedownsideisthatadjustmentlayersdoincreasetheimagefilesizebut,inmyopinion,theiradvantagesfaroutweighthedrawbacks.

Originalimage

ChooseanimagetoconverttoblackandwhiteandopenthisinPhotoshop.

STEP1First,createanewBlack&WhiteadjustmentlayerbyclickingLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Black&White.Leavethelayernameas‘Black&White1’andclickOK.

Thedialogboxthatcomesupallowsyoutomakenumeroussubtletonalchangestoyourimage.Youcanfine-tunethetonalvaluesofthecoloursintheoriginalcolourfileviathesliders.Forexample,byselectingRedsandslidingthepointertotherightyouwillmaketheredpartsoftheoriginalimagelighterandbyslidingtotheleft,youmakethesetonesdarker.Thesameappliestotheothercoloursliders.

Anotheropportunitythatyouhavewiththisdialogboxistoselectoneofthetenstandardpreset values.Thesewill apply predefined tonal values to your image in a very similarwaytohowatraditionalcolouredfilterwouldhaveaffectedarollofblackandwhitefilm.IlikedtheeffectthattheGreenpresethadonthevaluesofthisparticularimage,soIset

thatandthetonalchangeswereapplied.

Younowhavetheoptionoftintingtheimagewithacolourthatwouldbeappealingtothistype of subject. You can easily check the Tint option and apply Hue and Saturationadjustments to the image.However, this new dialog can be a little limiting, so insteadclickOKandthentonetheimageusingthemorefamiliarColorBalancedialog.

ScreengraboftheColorBalancedialogintroducedinPhotoshopCS3

Thelevelofcontrolofferedbythisnewfunctionallowsyoutomakeadvancedchangestoyourmonochromeimageviathecoloursliders.

STEP2NextcreateaColorBalanceadjustmentlayertoaddthetoningeffectbyclickingLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>ColorBalance.With thisparticulardialog,youcanchoose toaddarangeofcolourstotheimage.ThiscouldbeacoolertonebymovingtheBlueslidertotheright,orinthiscase,awarmersepiatonebymovingtheYellowandRedsliders.ForthisimageIdialledinvaluesof+7forRedand–5forYellow,leavingtheMidtonesToneBalance checked. This option allows you to effectively ‘split tone’ the highlights,midtonesandshadowsinthedigitalimageinasimilarwaytohowthiswouldhavebeendoneinatraditionaldarkroomwithachoiceofpaper,developerandchemicaltoner.Ialsochose to add a little colour to the shadow areas by clicking the Shadows option anddiallingin+2forRedand–5forYellow.

ScreengraboftheColourBalancedialogue

AColorBalanceadjustmentlayercanbeusedtoaddarangeoftoningeffects,dependingonwhatwillsuittheimagebest.

Thefinalsepiasplit-tonedblackandwhiteimage

Afewclicksareallittakes,andAaronisnowinsepiashades–afareasier,quickerandmuchlesssmellymethodthanthetraditionalwetdarkroomtechnique.

TECHNIQUE5:

DODGE&BURNDodging and burning are traditional darkroom techniques that have now beenintroduced into thedigitaldarkroom.Dodgingrefers to lightening,andburning todarkening specific parts of the image. These used to be somewhat hit-and-misstechniques.However,with thedigital tools,youcanevenchoosewhichtonesof theimageareaffected–thehighlights,midtonesorshadows–allowingyoutremendouscreativecontrol.Bychoosinganappropriatebrushsize(whichdefinestheareatobedodged/burned)andbysettingtheexposurepercentage(strengthofeffect),youwillbeopeningupaworldofpossibilities.

Imagesuitability

YouwillfindthattheDodgeandBurntoolsaremoreusefulwhenworkingonblackandwhiteimages.Withcolourfiles,extremeuseofthesetoolsmayintroduceacastthatwilllookunrealisticinthefinalprint.Tosomeextent,thiscanbereducedwiththeSpongetool,whichislocatedunderthesamemenu.

STEP1The original imagewas scanned from a black andwhite negative and converted into adigitalfileforretouchinginPhotoshop.First,cleanupanyminorblemishesontheimagewiththeCloneandHealingBrushtools(seeTechnique1).Asit’salwaysagoodideatoworkonimagealterationsonaseparatelayer,duplicatethebackgroundlayerandcallthenewlayer‘Dodge/Burn’.

Retouchedimagereadyfordodgingandburning

Theoriginalscanwascleanedupandthenduplicatedontoanewlayerreadyforthedodgingandburningtechniquestobeapplied.

STEP2Using a large diameter brush (the actual size will depend upon the resolution of yourimage), carefully burn in areas of shadow and thenmidtones to add a darker tone anddepth to the image. Here, this included work on the scarf, hat and eyebrows, with asmallerbrushusedfor theeyelashes.Thisallhelps toconcentrate theviewer’sattentiononthesubject’sface.

ScreengraboftheBurntoolinaction

Carefulburninginoftheshadowsandmidtonesaddsdepthanddramatotheimage,makingthepaletonesofthesubject’sfacestandoutmore.

STEP3Usingasmalldiameterbrush,theDodgetoolsettoasmallExposureofaround5%andShadows selected in theRangemenu, carefullyworkon lighteningvariousareasof theimage.Here,thisincludedtheshadowsonthefaceandthedarkshadowsbeneaththeeyes.Finally,switchtheRangemenutoHighlightsanddodgethemodel’seyestocleanthemupandmakethemmorevibrant.

ScreengraboftheDodgetoolinaction

SetalowExposureofaround5–10%,asthiswillgiveyoutheopportunitytobuilduptheeffect,ratherthantryingtoachievetherequiredresultinjustoneortwostrokesatahigherexposure.

Finalimageafterdodgingandburning

ThefinalimageofRachelshowsthesubtleeffectofdodgingandburningselectedareasformaximumimpact.Noticethesmallbutirritatinghighlightareaonthefarleftoftheimagethatwasalsoburntin.Theendresultispunchierandfarmoredramaticthantheoriginal.

TECHNIQUE6:

ADDSOFTFOCUSSoft-focus filters were traditionally used in front of the camera lens to createwonderfullyatmosphericphotographswithglowinghighlightsandanunmistakabledreamy feel.Using differentmakes and strengths of filters, selecting different lensaperturesandchoosingdifferentfocallengths,theresultscouldbevariedtoproducetheeffectyouwanted.Theonlyproblemwasthatthefinalresultcouldnotbeseenuntil the filmcamebackfromthe laband if itwasn’tquiteright,allyoucoulddowas re-shoot.However,with the aid of Photoshop layers, filters and blending, youcan now produce a similar soft-focus effect that can be adjusted with perfectprecision.

STEP1Noteveryimagewillbenefitfromthesoft-focuseffect,sochooseyourpicturecarefully,ensuringyouwillactuallybeenhancingit.Trytochooseapicturethatalreadyhasblurredelementscausedbyshallowdepthoffield,andsomethingwitharomanticqualitythatwillbebroughtoutfurtherbytheuseofsoftblurring.

Originalimage

TheinitialportraitwithoutanysoftfocusappliedinPhotoshop.Thesofttonesofthemodel’sskinandfarawaylookinhereyeswillworkwellwiththeetherealsoft-focuseffect.

STEP2Duplicate the background layer to make an identical layer. Call this ‘Gaussian BlurLayer’. Apply the Gaussian Blur filter found under Filter >Blur > Gaussian Blur. Thepixelradiuswilldependontheimageresolution,butforanA4(29.7x21cm/11.x8.in)photoat300dpi, try setting it to around50.The imagewill lookveryoutof focus,butdon’tworry–youwillfixthisinStep3.

ScreengrabofimagewithGaussianBlurapplied

Asyoucansee,thishasblurredtheentireimage,buttheeffectwillbebroughtundercontrolinthenextstep.

STEP3It’salwaysnicetohavetheeyesandmouthlargelyinfocusonmostphotographs,sothenextactionistousetheErasertooltoerasetheseareasoftheblurredlayer,revealingtheoriginal sharp background layer underneath.Use a reasonably large, soft brushwith anOpacityofaround25%soyoucangraduallybuildupthein-focuseffect.

Screengrabofimageduringerasing

Erasingtheblurredlayerontoprevealsthein-focuslayerbeneath.UsingasoftbrushonalowOpacityallowsyoutograduallybringbackthefocustotheareasthatyouwant.

STEP4NowduplicatetheGaussianBlurLayertoproduceanidenticallayer.Namethisthe‘SoftLightLayer’.Next,applyaSoftLightBlendingMode to increase thecontrastandhelpcreatethattypicalglowinghighlighteffect.TheBlendingModeoptionsarelocatedinthedrop-downmenuintheLayerspalette.YoumightliketotrysomeoftheothermodessuchasOverlayandHardLight,butpersonallyIfindthesealittletoocoarse.

ScreengrabofimagewithSoftLightBlendingMode

BlendingModesremainsomethingofanenigmatomostphotographers,butthekeytotheiruseisexperimentation.Theycanbeusedonyourlayeredimagesforvariouscreativeeffectssuchaslightening,darkening,addingcontrastandevenchangingcolourandtone.

Finalimagewiththedigitalsoft-focuseffectapplied

Here,I’vesettheOpacityonboththeeditedlayerstoaround50%,butyoucanmovetheOpacitysliderbackandforthtoseewhichsettingsuitsyourparticularshotbest.Fayenowhasawonderfullywistfulandstarryeyedappeal.Theeyesarestillrelativelysharp,buttherestofthephotohasglowinghighlightsandsofttones.

TECHNIQUE7:CREATEAVIGNETTEOld-style vignettes or soft-fade effects have long been a popular technique forportraitphotographers.Traditionally,thevignetteisanovalshapethatburnsouttopurewhite,concentratingtheviewer’sattentiononthesubjectandeliminatingmuchof the background. It’s an easy technique tomaster and can create a romantic orperiodfeeltoyourpeoplephotos.

Selections

Perfectingselectionsisakeypartofmasteringtheartofdigitalimagemanipulation.Bybeingabletoaccuratelyselectareasinanimage,it’sthenpossibletoapplyallthevarioustechniquesandoperationsthatmakePhotoshopsuchanincrediblyflexibleandusefulmodernphotographictool.Therearenumerouswaystomaketheseselections,fromthesimpleMarqueetoolstomoreadvancedmethodssuchastheExtractToolandQuickMask.Alittletimepracticingandexperimentingwiththesebasictechniqueswillstandyouingoodsteadtoachievingprofessionalresults.

STEP1The original image of this pilot (genuinely calledCharlieBrown) in his classicBritishSpitfire, is somewhat ruinedby the fact that thebackgroundhanger is somodern.As itwastootrickytoreplacethewholebackground,Idecidedtofadeitouttocreateahigh-keyvignettethatwouldalsobeinkeepingwiththeold-fashionedsubjectmatter.

Originalimage

Theinitialportrait–atimelesssubjectthatisspoiledbyapresentdaybackground.

STEP2First,makeanovalselectionaroundthesubjectusingtheEllipticalMarqueetool.Clickyourmouseonthetopleftofthesubjectanddragdowntowardsbottomrighttocreatethisselection. If you are not entirely happywith the placement, just drag the selection to abetterposition.

Screengraboftheovalselection

UsetheEllipticalMarqueetooltocreateanovalselectionfromwhichtofadeout.

STEP3Next,softentheedgeoftheselectionusingtheFeatheroption.GotoSelect>Modify>Featherandchoosearadiusofaround250pixelsforanA4(29.7x21cm/11.x8.in)imageat 300dpi. Larger imagesmay need further feathering, but this is verymuch dependentuponpersonalpreference.

ScreengraboftheFeatherdialog

Featheringtheedgesoftheselectionwillgiveyouasoftedgesothatthefadeisgradual.

STEP4Now invert the selection to select everything except the subject by clicking Select >Inverse.Finally,erasethebackgroundareabyhittingtheDeletekey,deselecttheMarqueeandthevignetteeffect iscomplete.At thispoint, it’salsopossibletoalternativelyaddadark vignette for more drama. Once you have feathered your selection just reduce thelevelswithImage.>Adjust>LevelsandslidetheInputmidtonestotheright.

Finalimage

Theuseofasoftvignettehasremovedtheunsightlybackground,makingthisaportraitofCharliethatcouldeasilyhavebeentakenduringthegoldenageofflight.

TECHNIQUE8:

LIGHTENEYES&TEETHOne of the most common digital techniques that photographic studios employ iswhiteningtheirsubject’seyesandteeth.Youcanseethiseffectonthecoversofmostglossymagazines,wherethemodelorcelebrityhasthatperfectHollywoodsmileandtheir eyes look fresh and vibrant.At the simplest level, thewhites of the eyes andteethcanbelightenedwiththeDodgetoolsettoalowExposure.However,tocreatetruly professional images, try this more precise technique. It involves the MagicWandtool,QuickMaskmodeandaCurvesadjustmentlayertomodifythecontrastandbrightness.

TheMagicWand

Thistoolisgreatformakingfastselectionsinareasofsimilarcoloursuchasteethandeyes.YoucanspecifytheTolerancetoselectpixelsbasedupontheirsimilarityoftone.DiallinginalowTolerancevaluewillselectonlythosecoloursthatareveryclosetotheinitialpixelsyouclickon,whereasahighervaluewillselectawiderrangeofcolours.TherearealsoafewmoreadvancedoptionsrelatingtotheMagicWand.TheseincludeAnti-Aliased,whichcreatesasmoother-edgedselection;Contiguous,whichselectsthesamecoloursintheadjacentareasonly(opposedtotheentireimage);andSampleAllLayers,whichselectscoloursfromallthevisiblelayersinamulti-layeredimage,ratherthanjusttheactivelayer.

QuickMask

Thisisaverysimplewayofmodifyinganinitialselectionwhileworkingonanimage.Onceinthismode,themaskcanbeaddedtoorsubtractedfrombysimplypaintingoverthered‘Rubylith’maskwithoneoftheBrushtools.Pressingthe‘X’key,youcantogglebetweenpaintinginthemask(usingblackasforegroundcolour)topaintingoutareasofthemask(usingwhiteasforegroundcolour).Youcanalsocontrolthefeatheringoftheedgeoftheselectionbyvaryingthesoftnessofyourbrush.Onceyouarehappywiththeselection,pressthe‘Q’keytoexitQuickMaskmodeandyouwillseethemodifiedselectionhighlightedbythestandard‘marchingants’.Thisareaisnowselectedandpreciseadjustmentscanbemadewithoutaffectingotherareasofyourimage.

Originalimage

Theuneditedimageisfine,butthemodel’seyescouldbenefitfromafewPhotoshopeyedropsandherteethfromaquicktriptothedigitaldentist.

STEP1Zoomintotheimageat100–200%magnification,selecttheMagicWandtoolandclickontheteeth.Allthepixelsofasimilarcolourwillnowbeselected.Theselectionwillnotbeperfect, but don’tworry about this, asyouwill nowuse aQuickMask to refine theselection.

ScreengraboftheMagicWandtoolselectingpixels

WhenusingtheMagicWandtool,youcanaddtotheselectionbyholdingdowntheShiftkey.ModifytheTolerancesettinguntilyouachievearoughselectionthatyouarehappywith.

STEP2Pressthe‘Q’keytoenterQuickMaskmode.Thiswillchangetheimagetoaredcolour,indicating themasked areas. By using the Brush tool with black set as the foregroundcolour, you can now paint in the mask area or, by switching the foreground colour towhite,paintitout–usethe‘X’keytoswitchbetweenthecoloursquickly.Whenhappywiththemask,clickthe‘Q’keyagaintoexit themode.Youshouldnowhaveaperfectselectionthatwillbeusedasthebasisforanadjustmentlayer.

ScreengraboftheQuickMask

Whencreatingthemask,useasoft-edgedbrushtofeathertheselectionsomewhat,paintingrightuptotheedgeoftheteeth.Thesameappliestoanymaskyoumaketolightentheeyes.

STEP3MakeaCurvesadjustmentlayertolightentheselectedareamoreaccurately.ClickLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>

CurvesandnamethislayereitherEyesorTeethdependingonwhichareayouareworkingon,thenclickOK.Nowyoucanlightentheselectionbymovingthecentralsectionofthecurveslightlytowardsthetopleftofthegraph,whichhastheeffectofbrighteningupthewhites.Whenyouarehappywiththeresult,clickOK.

ScreengraboftheCurvesadjustmentlayerdialog

YoucouldjustusetheDodgetooltolightentheselectedarea,butaCurvesadjustmentlayergivesyoumorecontrolovertheeffect,allowingyoutocreatetheperfectpearlywhitesmile.

Finalimage

Inthefinishedportrait,thewhitesofEmily’seyeshavebeenlightenedinexactlythesamewayasherteeth.Theendresultisonlysubtlydifferentfromtheoriginal,butgivesanaddedtouchofsparklethathelpslifttheimage.

TECHNIQUE9:CREATEACROSSPROCESSEDEFFECTCrossprocessing refers to a traditionaldarkroomdevelopingmethod that changestheappearanceofnormalfilmtoproducehigh-contrastimageswithwildcoloursandawacky look.When it was first discovered in the 1980s, it gave such an unusualeffectthatitbecameafavouritetechniqueamongfashionandrockphotographers.Itwas,however,trickytomaster,requiredacertaindegreeofexperimentationandyoucouldneverbequite surewhether itwouldworkornot.All thishaschangedwithdigitalimaging,astheeffectcannoweasilybereproducedwithfarmorecontrolandwithoutallthehassle.ItisbasedupontheCurvesdialog,whichcontrolsthecolour,contrast and tones, and once mastered will help you to create some eye-catchingimagesthatwillreallyenhancecertaintypesofportraits.

Originalimage

Theinitialportraitisalittleflatcontrast-wiseandwouldbenefitfromthedramaticcross-processingeffecttocleanitupandbringittolife.

STEP1FirstcreateaCurvesadjustmentlayerwithLayer>NewAdjustmentLayer>Curves,callthis ‘CrossProcess’andclickOK tobringup theCurvesdialogbox. InPhotoshop, theCurvesdialoghashadarevampandnowhasafewmoreoptionsthanpreviousversions.You’ll notice that it now has a Presets dropdownmenu, which offers several standardsettings for common special effects and includes aCross Process option.By allmeansgivethisatry,butIfinditalittleunpredictableandIstillliketotweaktheindividualRed,GreenandBluechannelstoobtainthepreciseeffectIamafter.

STEP2IntheCurvesdialog,thetonalrangeoftheimageisrepresentedbyastraightdiagonalRGBbaselinethatrunsfromtheshadowareasatthebottomlefttothehighlightareasontopright.Byformingthislineintoan‘S’shape,it’spossibletoincreasethecontrasttoaddalittlemorepunchtotheimage.It’salsopossibletotweaktheindividualRed,GreenandBluechannelstoaffectjustthesecoloursintheimagebyselectingthemintheChanneldrop-downmenu.Bydeviatingfurtherawayfromtheoriginalstraightdiagonalline,youwillgetstrongercolours,highercontrastandrichersaturation.Itwillrequiresomeexperimentationtoproducetheeffectyoudesire.Ifyoudogetintoamuddle,justbringuptheResetbuttonbypressingAlt(Mac)orControl(PC).

ScreengraboftheCurvesdialog

PhotoshopCS3andonwardsnowofferspresetCurvesoptions,includingaCrossProcesslook,butitmaynotoffertheexacteffectyouwantsosomemanualtweakingmaystillberequired.

STEP3ByalsopullingtheBluechannellinedowntowardstothebottomright,I’veintroducedaslight yellow colour cast,which is an inherent characteristic of a traditionalC41 toE6cross-processedfilmimage.Ialsochosetocroptheimagealittleformoreimpact.

ScreengraboftheadjustedCurve

Adjustingthecurveofthedifferentcolourchannelsinturnallowsyoutocreatepreciselythedesiredeffect.

Finalcross-processedimage

ThecompletedportraitofCharlotteandRebeccashowsanincreaseincontrast,whichcleansupthewhitesandproducesdarkershadowareas,creatingamuchmorevibrantimagethantheoriginal.ThisCurvestechniqueisalsothekeytoobtainingthatvintageInstagramlookthatissofashionableatthemoment.

TECHNIQUE10:TRYTHEDIGITALDIETAsaportraitphotographer, ithasalwaysbeenyour job to flatterandenhance theappearanceofyoursubject.Untilrecently,theseskillshavebeensomewhatlimitedtothecarefulchoiceofangle,lensandlight,butit’snowpossibletoalterthephysicalappearance of your subject using the Transform functions in Photoshop. Thesetechniquesarequitesimpletomasterandallowyoutochangetheshape,size,lengthandformofyoursubject–makingitpossibletogoonthe‘digitaldiet’andshedafewpoundswithoutallthehardwork.Whilethistechniquecannotworkmiracles,itwillallowyou tomakesubtleenhancements toyour images thatyoursubjectswillgreatlyappreciate.

Transformtools

TheTransformfeaturesinPhotoshopwillallowyoutoalter,scale,rotate,skew,distortperspectiveandwarpyourimages.Eachcommandhasitsowncharacteristicsandrequiressomeexperimentationtofullyunderstanditscapabilities.InordertousetheTransformfunctions,youwillfirstneedtoselecttheareayouwishtoalter,suchasthenose,theears,eyes,mouthoreventhewholeimage.UsethevariousSelectionstoolsforthisandthenapplytheTransformfunctionstoachievethealterationsyouwant.IntheexamplehereI’veshownyouhowtoslimasubjectdownslightly,butthesametechniquecanbeusedtochangeanyotherpartofthebodytostretch,squash,squeezeorevenenlarge!

STEP1ThisshotofEvabeneathaCaribbeanpalmtreeisverysuccessfulalready,butshecouldbenefitfromalittlePhotoshoptrickerytoachievethatperfect‘BarbieDoll’figure.

Originalimagebeforetransforming

Evahasagreatfigure,buttheveryslightbulgesatherhipscouldbereducedtostreamlineherfurther.

STEP2FirstmakeaselectionaroundtheareayouwishtoworkonusingtheLassotool.Inthiscase,I’veselectedthelittle‘lovehandles’justabovethemodel’srighthand.Theselectiondoesnothavetobeabsolutelyexact,butonlyselecttheareathatyouwanttoalter–sointhiscasenotherfinger.

Screengrabshowingtheareatotransformbeingselected

TheLassotooloffersthemostflexibilityofalltheSelectiontoolstoletyouselecttheexactareathatyouwishtotransform.

STEP3Next,selecttheWarpfunctionfromtheTransformmenubyclickingEdit>Transform>Warp.Thiswillplaceagridovertheselectionandbypullinguponthelinesofthisgrid,youwillbeabletoaltertheshapeandcontoursoftheselection.Don’tbeworriedabouttheempty,whiteareasthatare leftbehindasyoucanclonethesebackin later.NowhitReturntoactivatethecommand,anddeselect.

ScreengrabafterapplyingtheWarp

TheWarpfunctionhaschangedthecurvesofthebodyandhascreatedamorepleasingshape.

STEP4Repeatthepreviousthreestepsfortheothersideofherfigure.Again,selecttheareawiththeLassotool,thenclickEdit>Transform>Warpuntilyouachievethedesiredresultyouareafter,thenhitReturnanddeselect.Onceagain,youwillcleanupwiththeCloneandHealingBrushtoolsinamoment,sodon’tworryaboutthewhiteareaandanysmallstrips

ofskintoneleftbehind.

STEP5Nowall you need to do is clone in the blank areas and any other stray pixelswith theCloneandHealingBrushtoolslearntinTechnique1andthetransformationiscomplete.

Screengrabaftercloningandhealing

TheCloneandHealingBrushtoolshavebeenusedtocleanuptheimagetocreateaseamlessfinish.

Finalimageafterthedigitaldiet

JustafewclicksandEvanowhasadreamfiguretomatchthedreamlocation,andyouwouldneverknowthattheeffecthadbeenapplied.

I do hope you’ve enjoyed readingmynew ebookPhotographingPeopleLikeAPro. Itcontainsasmallselectionofmyfavouritephotographs that Ihopewillhelp to illustratethetipsI’vemadetotakingmoreprofessionallookingportraitandpeoplepics.

As I’ve said throughout this book, you really don’t have to spend a small fortune onexpensive camera, lenses and lighting equipment to take great photographs. A littleimaginationandcreativity reallydogoa longway towardsphotographingpeople likeapro…

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