Sunday, January 1, 2012

The Art Of Portrait Photography

By Anne Sharp


Portrait photography is an art. It is more than just taking a photo of a person, but exposing his character by catching his reactions in different circumstances. The photos we take for official data like driver's permit and passports fit in this category, true, but there is a lot more to portrait photography than those. The most excellent ones are actually those that show the personality of the subject and induce reactions from the spectators.

Taking a great portrait photo calls for two factors, namely, the lighting and the subject's pose. Since the subject is the focus of every picture, the backdrop is optional. Some photographers even favor a bare background in white to further highlight the subject. The background should aim to elicit the emotions of the subject and not switch the focus of the picture.

Some portrait shots include just the subject's face, while there are likewise those that include the whole body. The objective is to show the personality, the emotions, and even the frame of mind of the model. Most images feature the subject looking directly into the camera to captivate the viewers. After all, as the windows of the soul, our eyes have the power to summon people without the need for words. But there are times when the subject's pose and face expression already say a lot about the personality of the model that there is no need for the subject to look straight into the camera. Some of the most engaging portrait photos were in fact shot candidly and have the model doing a specific activity.

With a variety of positions of the subject and angles, a photo can have different viewpoint. The photo should not only allow the spectators to take a look, but also feel the subject's feelings. While the subject's pose offers viewers a hint of his or her feelings, the camera angle make it possible for them to understand those emotions.

And as true with any photographic style, the lighting plays a crucial part in shooting portraits. It can give a picture a more vivid effect and more dimensions. The light can also give variations to a plain pose, depending on how the photographer uses it. But while the light can enrich a photo, it likewise has the ability to destroy it. Excess or lack of light or even an incorrect positioning can already mess up the look of the picture.




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