Photography is all about capturing a specific moment in time, allowing us to examine the image over and over again and taking in all the details of people and events we treasure and which are preserved forever. Records reveal that it was the elite from the first century already who had portraits commissioned. With portrait photography, the idea is to achieve the very likeness of the subject, whether it is of a beloved pet, child, parents or grandparents, allowing you to capture their feelings and moods.
An important factor when choosing the size of portrait photography is the distance the portrait is from the viewer. It also depends on whether you want a head and shoulders portrait, a full body portrait, a single subject portrait or a family or group portrait.
A Range of Looks Immortalized
Portraits are mostly frontal views but the subject can also be turned away or in profile; sometimes in color, often in dramatic black and white for a certain effect and shot against different backgrounds. The faces look out from the portraits with eyes and mouths displaying a range of emotions; anything from joy, sadness, pensiveness to anger or surprise. With a skilled photographer it can be a relief to know that the adoring eyes of your pet, the smiling, twinkling eyes of your parents and the pouting lips of your angry baby can all be forever immortalized in photography.
The Very Character of the Subject is Captured
The beauty of a portrait photograph is that even though you are able to cleverly manipulate light, shape and color, sometimes a flaw in the photograph can make it even more life-like; more real. The portrait photographer concentrates on the person’s face, wanting to bring out the very character of the person and may bring in other elements like props and different backgrounds for certain effects, but it is the face that will receive the most attention with a portrait photograph.
The Photographer Builds a Rapport with Each Subject
The portrait photographer works with digital cameras and computers and knows how to work patiently with small children, pets and difficult-to-please clients, building a rapport with each subject . Professional portrait photographers are creative and they are prepared to travel to different locations to suit your photography needs.
The Right Equipment and Lighting
With all the right equipment and technical resources, the best photographers know how to make people relax and are able to coax out unique and interesting looks. They will either come to your home or invite you to their own studio and they know how to place their subjects close to a window for instance to make the most of natural light as they believe natural light gives a more flattering look than flash-lit shots.
Portrait photography in a studio is always with controlled lighting so that the photographer can choose the angle at which light will fall on the subject. With diffusion equipment, the photographer can select the exact harshness of the shadows on the subject. The lenses used are mostly fast, medium telephoto lenses, with wide angle lenses being required for closer shots. Sometimes people prefer the more flattering longer focal lengths simply because they are used from further away.
Correct and Alter to Your Liking
Portrait photography has come a long way since the first century, and with modern digital portrait photographs, the editing software allows for the removal of red eye along with other useful modifications that can remove imperfections. With the faster shutter speed too, portrait photographers can also capture those one-in-a-million fleeting and natural facial expressions to treasure forever.
You might be interested in these articles
How To Be Better At Photography
Digital Portrait Photography Captures those Unique Fleeting Expressions
