(A good portrait photograph should able to reflect the subject’s mood, expression and story. Just by looking at it, the viewers should able to tell what the story of the subject is.)
Good portrait photographs should be able to capture the mood, expression and personality of the person or group of person in the photographs. It is just not about capturing the photo of the subject with their face in it. It’s also about the lights, expression, mood, background etc. So, how to take good portrait photographs? Here are some steps that can be followed to take some very good portrait photographs.
Decide to capture natural or posed photographs:
The portrait photographs can be captured in two ways. The photo of the subject maybe captured in their natural environment or the subjects may pose for the photographs. Normally, it is best to capture the photo of the subject in their natural environment. It gives more essence to the photographs. However, posed photographs may also turn out to be a beautiful one, if taken correctly.
Decide on the eye contact:
Eyes are said to be the window to the soul. It can be used to display the expression and mood of the subject. The subjects may look away from the camera towards some direction or things; they may look straight at the camera; or they may look at each other or things inside the frame of the camera. Remember, subject’s eye is one of the most important parts that will decide the quality of the portrait photograph.
Increase the shutter speed:
While taking portrait photographs, it might be a good idea to increase the shutter speed of the camera, so that the shutter moves fast. People are not stable like landscapes they tend to move a bit or crinkle their eyes and so on. So, it is best to capture the expression as soon as possible.
Increase the size of aperture:
It is good if the size of aperture is increased. This will create a kind of blur in the surrounding of the subject and will give more focus to the subject. To increase the size of aperture, decrease the f-number.
Increase the ISO:
As the shutter speed is decreased in portrait photography, the ISO of the camera has to be increased to compensate for the loss of light entering the camera.
Focus on details:
It is best to focus on even small details while taking a portrait photographs. The portrait photography is all about people and their environment, moods and expression. So, it might be a good idea to focus on things that reflects who those people are. For example: the wrinkles on old person’s face, eyes of the blind person, wedding ring on a bride etc.
