Occasionally, we find faces timeless and capture them in a portrait that immortalises them. Portrait photography is for many photographers their category of specialisation. Those attempting to gain mastery in it are keen not to just click faces, but render it as a timeless composition.
Many photography schools train students in this exclusive category of photographic art that has relevance in multiple contexts like fashion, movies, weddings, profiles and more. Portraits not just soak in the immediate expression but sometimes a deeper meaning that may reflect in the look of the eye or that smirk on the lips. Only a masterful photographer, who makes the most of his photography classes, can pick the nitty gritty and capture it in an artful photograph.
If you love portrait photography, this should be an absorbing read on how to click amazing portraits.
Choose an Optimal Focal Length
Focal length, which is the distance between the subject and the lens, can be chosen according to the result you are looking for. A wide angle lens suits your purpose if you’re trying to include more details to your picture having the main subject intact. If a photo needs to have a background view along with the subject, the 20mm wide angle lens works best.
The 105mm lens, also called the portrait lens, gives the right focal length a portrait photographer seeks. The subject is covered well and the photographer gets the liberty to choose his/her distance of position from the subject.
In case a background blur is in the plan, using a 200mm telephoto lens works best. The subject is covered quite lovely; Especially when shot with a wide aperture.
Get an Interesting Background
A nice background adds to the worth of a portrait. Any student of photography training courses is aware that not all portraits are shot with a monochromatic backdrop. So shoot your subject in locations that do justice to the theme and symbolism of your photograph. For example, shooting your subject with a hopeful, joyous face in a well lit room with a bright colored wall brings out the brilliance better. Patterns, colors, nature or cityscape can all come as backgrounds for the right picture.
Go Candid
Why not? Life’s beauty lies more in action than pose. Shooting candid pictures is the trend in a occasions like marriages these days. Portrait in candid is best to try because nothing else can imbibe the true emotions in a moment as candid.
Click in Black and White
It’s not just nostalgia that a black and white photograph best instills. It gives the impression of class and timelessness. Many a times, a masterpiece in portrait photography is created in a black and white photograph. One reason is that nothing captures emotion like black and white. When you have to capture the expression of an eye, nothing works better than black and white.
There’s great potential in the right portrait to captivate the viewer. The experience gained from experimentation works wonders for the photographer in you to mature as a portrait photographer.