Portrait Photography Tips
Although scrapbooking events like vacations and holiday celebrations is certainly important, it’s becoming increasingly common for scrapbookers to create pages celebrating the unique personality traits of their loved ones. Portrait photography tips can help you get the shots you need for these special scrapbook layouts.
Coaxing a Smile from a Reluctant Subject
While you may be interested in getting great shots of all your family and friends, not everyone enjoys having their picture taken. To put reluctant subjects at ease, try these simple portrait photography tips:
- Don’t ask your subject to smile on demand. Carry on a conversation, telling jokes and making small talk when appropriate to generate natural looking photos.
- If you’re working with a young child, enlist a helper to make silly faces behind you. For babies, rattles and cuddly stuffed animals may elicit an expression of delight.
- Use props to help set your subject at ease while giving your images an extra dose of personality. For example, clutching a favorite teddy bear may give a shy child confidence in front of the camera. Many people become bashful when working with a photographer because they are not sure what to do with their hands while posing.
- Try shooting a few covert shots either before or after your photo session. Teenagers may not like being forced to sit for a formal portrait, but you may get some excellent pictures by backing up, using a zoom lens, and simply observing their movements.
- Regardless of what portrait photography tips you use, don’t expect perfection. As a scrapbooker, it’s natural to want shots of happy, smiling people to fill your layouts. But, this isn’t always realistic. Try to remember that there’s still a story to tell behind a photo of a crying newborn, a sullen preteen, or your nervous looking spouse.
Composing the Shot
The key to taking great scrapbook portraits is understanding how to compose a shot correctly. For example:
- Natural light creates the most flattering images. Try to work outdoors whenever possible. If you must shoot indoors, use natural window light with reflectors placed to light the shadows. Make sure no mirrors or windows create unwanted reflections.
- Avoid backgrounds with bold designs or patterns. If you are shooting in your home, try making a simple backdrop from black velvet or a canvas drop cloth.
- If you are able to provide wardrobe advice to your subjects, one of the best portrait photography tips is to ask that they refrain from wearing clothing with loud logos and bright colors. Simple clothes in neutral colors generally result in the best portraits. If you’re working with black and white photography, denim is a good choice as well.
- If you’re photographing a group of people, avoid placing them in static-looking rows. Seek out natural looking poses that demonstrate the interaction between subjects whenever possible.
- If you’re photographing children, get down to their eye level before taking the shot.
- Tightly cropped portraits with minimal background distractions help keep the focus on your subject’s facial features. Ideally, you want the subject of your photo to fill at least 75% of the frame when taking portrait shots for your scrapbooking projects.
Published on 04/15/2008.
