Portrait Photography

Portrait Photography What is portraiture?

“A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.”

Key aspects of portrait photography

• “Catchlights” - ‘sparkle’ in the eye. This implies innocence

• “Eye-level” - Insure the level is the same as this can create the illusion they are powerful or week.

• “Ensuring the eyes are sharp” – show emotion, talk to people looking in their eyes.

• “Contrast” – make sure the background is a clear colour or not distracting.

Key aspects of portrait photography

• “Natural pose and communication” – doing this make sure the model feels natural and comfortable.

• “Background” – insure colours are correct and not too distracting.

• “Focal length” – use long focal length. Min 18mm lens.

• “Aperture” – use appropriate aperture to insure the image is sharp. Min f5.6 – f11

• “Composition” – eliminate head room, too much space above could have been used below (chest) use rule of thirds.

Split Lighting

What is it? Split lighting is one of the most

basic lighting set ups used in portrait photography. A light source is placed 90 degrees from the subject, usually slightly higher than eye level and lighting one side of the face therefore leaving the other half of the face in shadow.

Rembrandt Lighting

What is it? Rembrandt lighting is similar to split lighting, one

side of the face is light but unlike split lighting, the other half of the face is immersed with shadow with a triangle of light just under the eye.

Why is it an effective lighting method? A Rembrandt lighting set up is simple to do and can

create a moody tone to the image because one half of the face is shadowed.

Butterfly Lighting What is it?

It is where a light is placed behind the photography, directly facing the individual, this technique insures the subject is lit all the way around the face.

Why is it an effective lighting method? This method allows for an even lighting across the face, which can be used when producing imagery of an older individual.

Backlighting (Rim light)

What is it? Backlighting means the main light source is

behind the subject. It is illuminating a subject from the back.

Why is it an effective lighting method? It is used by many photographers to create a certain

look to the images, it creates a “halo” effect. Most of the time, facing the sun causes people to squint and creates an unflattering lighting therefore, facing people with their back to the sun creates better images.

Hi-key lighting

What is it? Hi-Key lighting is used to create a good

mood within the image, this particular lighting method insures there are no shadows on the subject and this is particularly noticeable when the subject is a person. Hi-Key produces soft, bright and low contrast images and the lighting ratio is around 1:1. therefore, all that’s left within the image is the strong details of the subject.

Lo-key lighting

What is it? Low key lighting creates deep

shadows around the structure of the subject where the lighting ratio is very high. It is a moody and dark lighting to create emotion or mood within the image.

Portrait Photography

“A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.” - 

Charles Baudelaire

“Portraiture is a window to the soul”

Holding Virgina - Sally Mann

Types of Portraits

Candid PosedFormalCoupleEnvironmentalSportingChildrenGroup

When we speak of portrait photography in general terms there's a tendency to overlook the sub-categories. From the strictly formal to the candid street shot. Here is a range of the more common types of portrait photography.

Candido un-posed andunplanned photo 

Posed Communication

between photographer and the subject about the body position and expression

Formal Communication between

photographer and the subject regarding clothing, location, style and mood

Couple Interpretation of a relationship

between two people

Hiroshima, August of 1945

Small Group Interpretation of a

common bond between members of a group

Environmental An environmental portrait shows the subject(s) in their own

territory.

Sporting shows the subject with their uniform, equipment

in their sporting environment. The important factor is to let the equipment and

location tell part of the story.

Children

Portrait Tips Choosing the Right Background Focus on the Eyes Lighting, Lighting and more Lighting Change the Format Framing Alter Your Perspective Experiment with Subject Expressions “Play” with focus Give Your Subject Space to Look Into Reflection & Shadow Movement Get serious

Choosing the Right Background

Focus on the Eyes

“the eyes are the window to the soul”

Lighting, Lighting and more Lighting Lighting is the most important element in any photo composition

and sets the mood, feeling and character of your photo.

Change the Format Framing Mix your framing

Alter Your Perspective completely

change the angle that you shoot from

Experiment with Subject Expressions

Same shot+different focus=different story

(UN)Focus It adds

some mystery to the image

Give Your Subject Space to Look Into

Reflection & Shadow

Movement Use movement

to show action, even if it blurs out the subject entirely.

Get serious Not all

portraits need to have a smile, capture the serious emotions too

but not too serious….