“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.”
— Edward Steichen
Learning Target(s):
- Students will be capture images that portray various types of portrait photography.
- Students will be able to compose and publish a blog post for the Portrait Photography Lab.
- I can capture correctly exposed images using manual mode.
- I can change my meter setting from the default of Evaluative, to Center Weighted or Spot-see me for help
- I can capture four DIFFERENT types of portrait photography.
- I can write and publish a blog post with all four portrait images along with the appropriate labels and photo information.
Portrait Photography Lab
A portrait is defined as a likeness of a person, especially of the person’s face, but a portrait is not simply a picture of a person. I can photograph a person and be interested in the way light falls on the different surfaces of their face or body, or the various colors of their skin and clothes, or the shape of the pose they take. None of these are really a portrait.
What makes a photograph into a portrait is the intention of the photographer to reveal something about the character of the person they are photographing. If you are trying to convey something about a person’s nature in your photographs, you are making a portrait; if you are simply portraying their likeness, then you are perhaps photographing a still life that happens to be in human form.
Types of Portraits:
(click the link to see an example of each)
- Traditional Posed Studio Portrait: Photographing your subject in a controlled, set up environment. This usually includes lights, a backdrop and the use of a tripod. This is your “typical yearbook portrait.” Remember your Rules of Composition. For additional information on lighting your subject click here.
- Candid Portrait: Photographing a person when they are not expecting it. *A candid photograph is a photograph captured without creating a posed appearance. This is achieved in many ways, for example: when the subject is in motion, by avoiding prior preparation of the subject, … by not distracting the subject during the process of taking photos. This can be done in or outside of a traditional studio. Remember your Rules of Composition.
- Expressive (Creative) Portrait: Prepare, position and light your subject exactly as you want them to be photographed. This type of portrait allows some creativity in your approach to lighting (creating mood) your subject all in an effort to achieve an interesting non-traditional portrait. In addition to lighting, your subjects can be expressing an emotion or expressing something with their pose or with a prop. Remember your Rules of Composition.
- Self Portrait: Photographing yourself. Using a tripod and the timer function, set up a backdrop, lights and position and pose yourself. Remember your Rules of Composition.
Look Fors:
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING YOUR MODEL
- Make sure your model’s face is in focus, and is large enough to see in the portrait. Make sure that there is only one person in the frame.
- Control your background. Make sure there isn’t anything distracting in the background. You want your model to be the main focus. If you cannot control some distracting objects in your background, use a short depth of field to blur the background. Also, make sure the objects in the background don’t look like they are protruding out of the body of your model.
- Control your lighting. Lighting on models should be even, soft, diffused lighting. Use a reflector to eliminate harsh shadows. You can get very creative with lighting using things like low light, or back light. For additional information on lighting your subject click here.
- Subject placement. Pay attention to where your subject is in the frame, and how close or far away they are. Also be mindful of how much of your subject you are revealing. Is your photograph going to be vertical or horizontal?
- Point of view. Most portraits are at eye level. This does not mean that you cannot experiment with different angles, but be careful; an extreme high or low angle may start to exaggerate or disfigure facial features. And we don’t want to look up anyone’s nose.
- Models: There are a lot of things to keep in mind with your models. Be in control. Tell your model to move around, where to put their hands, tilt their heads, or change position. Have a plan; think about what your model is going to do before you jump right into it. You may even mimic a pose that you find in a book or magazine. You may also use props. Expression is everything! Talk to your model; make them feel comfortable. If you are good at this you will ge ta more natural pose and better expression. For additional information on posing your subject click here.
- If you are shooting in the studio, pay special attention to the backdrop. Nothing ruins a great portrait more than seeing part of the wall that the backdrop is not covering. And use a tripod!
Additional Look Fors:
- Your subjects face needs to be shown! If an expression is not visible, it doesn’t count.
- Be cautious of your ISO…grainy images are not acceptable.
- Your subject MUST be in focus.
- Check your white balance.
- Be sure you are shooting many images so you can select the best ones to publish.
Performance of Understanding:
- Portrait Photography-4 images, one each from the four different types.
- Student Blog Post