Quality Portrait Style Shots
Several people have asked me recently how to shoot quality portrait style shots. Since I am not a professional studio photographer, most of the time for me, it is a matter of pure luck and a lot of trial and error.
Copyright © 2007 Mississippi Photo Gallery
The odds of ending up with a great picture greatly increase in direct correlation with the number of pictures I take, so I take a ton of them!
My best photographs are usually the result of taking hundreds of pictures in a short period of time and not being afraid to experiment with several different camera settings for the same scene until I find exactly what I am looking for.
For these types of shots, like the one in this article, I adjust my camera settings for a shallow depth of field, blurring the background, while keeping the subject in focus, and I move in pretty close.
Later in the image editor, I used a basic filter (adding a few tweaks) because I personally preferred it in a soft black and white.
I usually take my photos outside, with natural lighting. This also allows me the freedom to enjoy outside activities and end up with much more candid shots instead of heavily posed scenes.
Small Business Marketing Consultant and Scenic Photographer
Copyright © 2007 J. Walker of Mississippi Photo Gallery All Rights Reserved
December 28th, 2007 at 4:37 pm
being from the old school, I have to beg to differ. Learn your equipment and learn light. Take less pictures and take the right one first time. Only with kids and sports should you need to take hundreds.
December 28th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
This does not indicate not knowing lighting or my equipment. It indicates not being afraid to experiment. Using digital, there simply isn’t a reason to be afraid to take a ton of pictures. There are so many things that change in just a single moment. I cannot count how many times a scene became brand new because of a change in expression or an animal suddenly entering the area I am shooting. We’re not talking controlled studio photography here. We are talking about getting some great snapshots that can result in portrait quality shots.
My point is only that too many people, when they are first starting out, are afraid to try different things.
March 9th, 2008 at 9:04 am
The Portrait shot on the page is very nice and has a timeless quality, due to the black and white and lack of period details in the frame.
well done.