Getting started at becoming a portrait photographer.

Photographing people is the most popular form of photography today. Everyone takes shots of family and friends, but the majority of portraits end up poorly exposed, out of focus, and in the trash can...

A successful portrait photograph should capture a person’s character and reveal something about their personality. A good portrait must be exposed correctly, with warm skin tone colours. The focal point of a good portrait image should be the eyes. This is the area of the face you must focus on accurately.

The eyes must be one hundred percent sharp to draw the viewer into the image. By choosing an aperture of F/8 or smaller and shooting at least three feet away from the subject you should create a depth-of-field to bring all parts of the face into good focus.

If you have a keen interest in portrait photography the potential to earn some extra cash or even set up your own studio is endless.

The equipment needed to get successful portrait images is basic. A standard 35mm camera is perfect. Cameras that use film are better than digital; portrait film allows you capture warmer skin tones. Digital cameras have their own advantage but the cost of having an up-to-date digital darkroom can be immense.

Once you have chosen your camera the next piece of equipment you need is a lens; lenses should have a focal length of between 85 mm and 135mm. They also permit you to fill the frame from a reasonable distance and help reduce perspective distortion.

Most people become tense in front of the camera - this is natural and the job of a portrait photographer is to make sure this doesn’t affect the final print. A tense subject will lead to a poor dull image that no one will want to buy.

The key to creating a good portrait is having a relaxed subject - this may be achieved by talking to the subject while shooting the portrait. If this doesn’t work play some music - people react to different kinds of things. Psychology plays an important part in the work of a portrait photographer and the younger the subject the harder it is to get a result.

Setting up your own studio for portrait photography.

While its not possible for everyone to have a studio, an understanding of studio lighting will help you get better portraits outdoors or when you are shooting on location.

A basic studio lighting set up should consist of one strobe unit (a strobe unit is a flash unit releasing the same strength of light as daylight), placed at 45 degrees to the subject. A reflector should be placed at the other side of the subject. This will help soften the final image by bouncing light into the harsh shadows created by the strobe unit.

The background that you choose is very important. If the subject has dark hair use a light background and if the subjects’ hair is light use a dark background. If you do not want to go to the expense of getting two different backgrounds use a maroon colour instead.

If you are looking for variety of portrait backgrounds choose a blue colour for portraits of children and a white background for babies.

The last thing you need is a stool to be placed in front of the background. Make sure that the stool is placed at least one meter in front of the background. If it is placed too near you’ll get harsh shadows from the subjects appearing on the background.

Once you place the subject on the stool and have all your lights and reflectors in position, have the subject so that his/her body is facing the main light source. Then get the subject to turn their head towards the camera. Always make sure that the camera is at eye level to the subject.

Now it’s time to explore all the different types of portrait shots.

The first and the most popular is the head and shoulder shot. This pose can be shot in a few different ways. The first pose is to get the subject to face the camera - this may be a boring option and in my opinion it should be left for passport photographs.

Get the subject to face the main source of light, which should be placed at a 45-degree angle to the subject. Then get the subject to rotate his head until his eyes are looking directly into your lens.

The next pose that you should consider is the three quarter length stance. Be very careful with the hands as they can become very distracting in the final print if placed in a poor position. The best way to overcome this is to get the subject to use a prop that is appropriate to the subjects character.

There are many other different types of poses that can be used for successful portraits. Don’t be afraid to experiment on family or friends. Trial and error will help you become a great portrait photographer.

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