Portrait Photography

In my last article on portrait photography tips and tricks we discussed some new or different ways to approach a portrait. Portrait photography can be the most difficult and the most

rewarding type of photography. Difficult because it is a portrait and you want to have the subjects personality show. Most rewarding because when you can get that to happen you have more than just a photo, you have a portrait.

Here are some more portrait photography tips and tricks to get you thinking out of the box and engage your subject for a great photo.

Candid Camera

No, I’m not telling you to use a hidden camera but to get candid shots. Posed portraits can look artificial and staged. When you get your subject involved in doing something your pictures are likely to be more natural and show more of your subject’s individuality. What is your subject’s hobby? Are they a gardener? Do they tinker with old cars? Are they a cook? Get them involved in what they love and it will show in the portrait. Use a long zoom lens if you like so you feel less intrusive. Of course action sports shots like skiing, hiking, sailing, climbing etc are wonderful but unless you also participate in the sport, they’re pretty tough on the photographer!

Use a Prop

This technique is especially good with kids. Give them something to play with and all you need to do is keep up! You do need to make sure the prop doesn’t become the focus of the portrait instead of the subject. Do allow the prop to add interaction and a sense of place and story to the portrait and show your subject in a different light, adding another layer to them.

Focus on One Part of the Body

Get close up on just part of your subject and not necessarily the face. Think how much a person’s hands say about them, especially if they work with those hands as an artist or craftsman. What would the feet of a dancer show about your subject? Or a many-pierced ear? Or the back of a neck with a small tattoo just glimpsed in part of the picture?

All of these portrait photography tips and tricks add interest to the portrait as well as showing parts of your subject’s personality that might not otherwise show in a more traditional portrait.

Portrait Photography also known as portraiture is one of the most popular photography forms these days. It is described as the process of capturing any person’s image or a group’s image

with main focus on the face and expressions. The main objective of this type of photography is to show the personality, likeness as well as the mood of the subject. A person’s face is the main focus here. Not only the face, body and the background can also be included. A portrait is not a snapshot but a collected image of a person in a motionless position.

Portrait photography is of many types. Some of the major types have been listed below. These include:

Candid

It is the type of photography where the subject is aware of the presence of the camera.

Posed

It is somewhat related to the previous one. In this type, the photographer keeps on communicating with the subject for any kind of change in the body position or expression. In other words, the subject does whatever he or she is asked to do in front of the camera.

Forma

A formal portrait is usually a planned one where the photographer and subject have properly communicated with each other regarding style, clothing, location and mood. Every important factor is discussed in the beginning. Some of the common examples in this regard include business portrait, a glamour portrait or a birthday portrait.

Couple

This is one of the biggest challenges for the photographer where he or she has to interpret the relationship between the two individuals in a proper way. It might include the attraction between a couple, love between a mother and baby or friendship between two individuals.

Small group

A small group involves around three to seven people. In this type of photography, the photographer has to portray the common bond existing between all these members of the group. Common examples include bond between the family members, a team, etc.

Large Group

A large group involves around ten to hundreds of individuals. Common examples include a wedding groups, school groups, sporting teams, etc.

These are some of the major types of portraiture that are widely preferred these days. There are many professional companies that provide portraiture services to the clients as per their needs and requirements. It is very important to choose a company with enough experience and knowledge in this domain. You can take help from internet to choose a reliable company.

Social Photography is a leading photography company that provides wedding photography, portraiture and pin up calendar services to a wide clientele throughout the Vancouver region.