Mountain-Light
A good portrait does more than reproduce a person's facial features. It can give insight into the individual's personality, character or their life. To produce such meaningful pictures, you must master the mechanics of photography. This way you can concentrate on your subject, not on your equipment.
1. First, if you're using a 35mm camera, you must use a lens with the focal length between 80-130 mm or equivalent; this is the best focal length for portraits.
2. Next, pay attention to the quality of the light that will illuminate the subject. Light is the most important aspect in creating flattering portraits. If the light is harsh it'll introduce unpleasant shadows. If it's too soft, the portrait will lack life.
3. A window light diffused by a thin layer of cloud or when the window is facing north away from the sun, offers good quality light.
4. Sit your subject facing the window at 45 degrees to the camera.
Turn the face towards the camera and look at the shadow below the nose, ideally it should be like a half moon shape not reaching the lip. Ask the subject to move their head just a little until you see the best shadow possible.
5. A visual aid will help - please study Fig 1.
This type of portraiture is called "classic." The intensity of the shadows can vary greatly. A woman looks best when the shadows are softer - not greater than the ratio of 1 - 3. This means that the shadows should not be more than three stops darker than the highlights.
How strong you make the shadows will in the end depend on your own style.
I was greatly influenced by my teacher, Monte Zucker perhaps one of the best portrait and wedding photographers of modern times. He liked punchy pictures; my work has been greatly influenced by that.
Please study Fig 2 and compare the contrast. Would Fig 1 work if the contrast was as great as Fig 2?
To make the shadows less dark you can use a reflector, a white sheet or a board painted white. Bring it close to the face. The thing to remember is that you don't need to buy expensive equipment. The old masters owned what some would call basic equipment, yet their work continues to be used as the measuring tape. Don't buy just because it is there, buy only what you need.
A future article will deal with flat lighting; this requires a completely different technique in lighting portraits. An example of flat lighting is Fig 3 - called that way because the shadows made by the light don't create shape and form, there's no depth, it's flat. Flat lighting is greatly helped by selective and careful use of make up. Which one do you prefer?
Fig 3 is also an image of mine developed and printed by myself using Kodak black and white film. Bjorn Thomassen is one of the best in this field, he taught me this technique. However, I prefer Monte Zucker's classic lighting. The hallow on the face of the young lady is exaggerated because I prefer it that way. Photography is very subjective.
Next time, we'll concentrate on the important details that are often missed but play an important part in the success of a portrait. Are clothes and hair well arranged? Are there distracting background elements? Is the camera angle the most flattering?
With a little effort - and practice - your camera can bring you much pleasure and help you preserve great memories, not horrors at the touch of your camera button!
1. First, if you're using a 35mm camera, you must use a lens with the focal length between 80-130 mm or equivalent; this is the best focal length for portraits.
2. Next, pay attention to the quality of the light that will illuminate the subject. Light is the most important aspect in creating flattering portraits. If the light is harsh it'll introduce unpleasant shadows. If it's too soft, the portrait will lack life.
3. A window light diffused by a thin layer of cloud or when the window is facing north away from the sun, offers good quality light.
4. Sit your subject facing the window at 45 degrees to the camera.
Turn the face towards the camera and look at the shadow below the nose, ideally it should be like a half moon shape not reaching the lip. Ask the subject to move their head just a little until you see the best shadow possible.
5. A visual aid will help - please study Fig 1.
This type of portraiture is called "classic." The intensity of the shadows can vary greatly. A woman looks best when the shadows are softer - not greater than the ratio of 1 - 3. This means that the shadows should not be more than three stops darker than the highlights.
How strong you make the shadows will in the end depend on your own style.
I was greatly influenced by my teacher, Monte Zucker perhaps one of the best portrait and wedding photographers of modern times. He liked punchy pictures; my work has been greatly influenced by that.
Please study Fig 2 and compare the contrast. Would Fig 1 work if the contrast was as great as Fig 2?
To make the shadows less dark you can use a reflector, a white sheet or a board painted white. Bring it close to the face. The thing to remember is that you don't need to buy expensive equipment. The old masters owned what some would call basic equipment, yet their work continues to be used as the measuring tape. Don't buy just because it is there, buy only what you need.
A future article will deal with flat lighting; this requires a completely different technique in lighting portraits. An example of flat lighting is Fig 3 - called that way because the shadows made by the light don't create shape and form, there's no depth, it's flat. Flat lighting is greatly helped by selective and careful use of make up. Which one do you prefer?
Fig 3 is also an image of mine developed and printed by myself using Kodak black and white film. Bjorn Thomassen is one of the best in this field, he taught me this technique. However, I prefer Monte Zucker's classic lighting. The hallow on the face of the young lady is exaggerated because I prefer it that way. Photography is very subjective.
Next time, we'll concentrate on the important details that are often missed but play an important part in the success of a portrait. Are clothes and hair well arranged? Are there distracting background elements? Is the camera angle the most flattering?
With a little effort - and practice - your camera can bring you much pleasure and help you preserve great memories, not horrors at the touch of your camera button!
Do You Create Horrors or Pleasant Memories
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