You have probably seen portrait photography in which the person being photographed just looks bored, nervous, uncomfortable or unnatural. And if you take pictures of people, you know how hard it can be to avoid that.
Of course, portraits look so much better when the subject is at ease and opens up to you. A subject who is more relaxed and comfortable allows more of their true character to come out in the portrait too.
If you take portraits yourself, none of this will come as a surprise, and you probably know how hard it can be to take a great portrait. These four useful tips will help to improve your portrait photography and create memorable pictures.
Tip 1 – Hands
Many subjects have an instinctive feeling of anxiety when their picture is being taken, and find it difficult to relax and be at ease. One way to fight this is to give your subject something to hold or to keep their hands occupied. Not only should this help to relax your subject, but if you take a full shot of the person that shows their hands too, the fact that their hands look as if they are doing something will make them appear more natural too.
Tip 2 – Use a Chair
Another strategy to make your subject look and feel more comfortable is a simple yet effective one – give them a chair to sit in. Most of us are more relaxed sitting than standing, and it’s also a lot easier to circle your subject and take pictures of them from different angles if they are sitting down.
Tip 3 – Distraction
If your subject is asked to talk about a subject that they are passionate about, whether their favorite baseball team, their pets or last night’s TV show, it can help to distract them and therefore make them more relaxed. A person talking about something that interests them tends to be more animated too, often resulting in some good portraits.
Your goal as a portrait photographer should be great looking pictures of subjects that appear relaxed and natural, and the shifting techniques described above can help you achieve that goal.
Tip 4 – Respect Your Subject
Respecting your subject is just as important as trying to capture that great portrait, and regardless of your subject’s age, always remember to treat them respectfully when you are trying to take their picture.
Respecting your subject means that they, in turn, will respect you, and the session will be a lot more enjoyable or productive. Whether it’s a client who is paying you to take their portrait, or you are taking pictures of friends and family, that rule still applies.
Make sure you communicate with your subject and let them know what you have in mind and how you intend to capture them in a photo. And many subjects are more relaxed and comfortable if you are taking their portrait in a place they know or in one that offers privacy. Communicating with your subject is just as important as respecting them when it comes to getting those great shots and having a positive photo session.
Every portrait photographer wants to capture their subject perfectly, and the above tips can help you to do just that, while at the same time ensuring your subject is at ease and comfortable. You can be a more effective and skillful photographer and get that often elusive natural and at ease look when you put into practice the four simple, yet highly effective tips above.
Portrait Photography: What Clothes To Wear
Wondering just what to wear is a surprisingly common concern of many people who are taking part in a portrait photography session. As the photographer, it’s part of your job to advise your subject what they should wear when they arrive to have their picture taken; the clothes they wear can make a difference to the end result and is more important than you might think.
Wearing the right clothing during a portrait photography session is a big part of ensuring the success of the shoot, and this article is designed to help photographers give their subjects the right advice before they turn up to have their picture taken.
Wear Something Comfortable
If you are taking someone’s picture, ensuring that your subject is comfortable and relaxed can be one of your biggest challenges, and instructing them to wear comfortable and casual clothing can be a big step in helping them relax for the shoot. And a subject who is wearing clothing they feel comfortable in will come across as being not only more comfortable but more self-confident too, so it’s important to advise your subject what to wear.
Your Clothes Say Something About You
First impressions are important, and the clothes that someone wears does say something about them, whether we like it or not. A portrait is, of course, a static image and once you have captured your subject wearing the clothes they have on at the time, you can’t easily change that impression or how they come across to the viewer.
You may want to have your subject wear clothing that gives an idea of their serious side, clothes that simply make them appear comfortable and at ease, or clothing that accentuates their physical qualities. Regardless, the important thing is to make sure they are comfortable.
Unobtrusive, Plain Or Dark Clothing
A practical and useful portrait photography tip is to have your subject wear dark or plain clothing. Darker clothing tends to focus the viewer’s attention on the subject’s face, and also tends to make your subject appear slimmer than they actually are. Good portrait photography is all about emphasizing the person’s face and their expression and features, and having your subject wear dark clothing is an easy and practical way to accomplish that.
One thing you should avoid when advising your subject what to wear during their photo session is clothing that has elaborate or complex patterns or designs, including dots, wavy lines or extremely bright colors. In the finished portrait, the brightly colored clothing will inevitably attract the viewer’s focus rather than the person themselves, which isn’t what you are trying to achieve.
However, there are exceptions to every rule, and if your person’s character and style can be captured in brightly colored or patterned clothing, you may have to compromise.
Long Sleeves, Collars, and Pants
Many men like to wear a collared shirt, and for the portrait photographer, collars aren’t an issue. In fact, they can help to frame the subject’s face and make it the main focus of the picture, which after all is something you are trying to achieve when you take their picture.
Be careful not to have your subject expose too much skin on their arms, legs or shoulders as that can be a negative thing and can draw the viewer’s focus away from the person’s face to all that exposed skin. For that reason, pants are preferable to shorts when it comes to portrait photography, and long sleeves should be favored over a short-sleeved blouse or shirt.