PORTRAITURE Portrait photography or portraiture in photography is a photograph of a person or group of people that captures the personality of the subject by using effective lighting, backdrops, and poses. A portrait picture might be artistic, or it might be clinical, as part of a medical study. Frequently, portraits are commissioned for special occasions, such as weddings or school events. Portraits can serve many purposes, from usage on a personal Web site to display in the lobby of a business.
There will multiple shooting assignments within the Portrait Photography unit.
Selfies
Partner Portraits on a white backdrop
Partner Portraits on a black backdrop
Multiples of Me photos
There will be multiple projects we will be completing using the portrait photos. (We may not get to all of these projects, but will be doing more than one.)
Edited Partner Images
Double Exposure Portraits
Fragmented Portraits
Triptych
Segmented Portraits
3D Stereoscopic Portraits
Multiples of Me Project
COMPOSITION Don't forget the rules of composition and how they can apply to portrait photography as we move forward. We will focus on 3 Rules of Composition as we take our portrait photos.
RULE OF THIRDSCENTER THE EYEFILLING THE FRAME
POINT OF VIEW Eye Level Portraits
The most common camera angle used in photography
Can make the viewer feel like they are in the same space as the subject
Angled Portraits (Dutch Angle)
The camera angle is tilted to one side so that the picture plane is no longer parallel to the horizon line
Can create a feeling of excitement, imbalance, transition, and instability
High Angle Portraits
Will emphasize the face more than the body
Can help the subject appear slimmer
Can make the person appear smaller and create a sense of vulnerability
Low Angle Portraits
Can make a person look taller or seem more powerful
Not very flattering for most people (body appears larger than head)
Often used for portraits of presidents, athletes, and leaders
EYES Vary where your subject is looking. Take some photos where your subject is looking directly into the camera but also have some where they are looking outside the frame.
Be sure to also include some faceless portraits.
LIGHTING High Key Lighting:
Bright and high lights dominated by ranges of whites
Very minimal blacks and mid-tones
Optimistic, upbeat, youthful, light, and airy
Mostly used in portrait, wedding, newborn and fashion photography
Low Key Lighting:
Uses a lot of deep blacks, darker tones, and shadows
Very minimal amount of whites and mid-tones
Reduces lighting to produce images with striking contrasts
Produces dramatic and mysterious photos
Features a lot of shadows
High Key Lighting
Low Key Lighting
When to Use High Key and When to Choose Low Key Here are some examples of when you can use high key lighting and situations where low key photography are perfect: High Key Lighting:
Portrait Photography: when taking photos of business professionals; for baby or newborn photography; for fashion shoots; for pre-nuptial shoots; professional or fun close-ups or shoots. Weddings, especially photos of the bride, are perfect for high key lighting.
For professional portfolios (corporate employee profiles and model setcards)
For nature shots
For cinematic shots
For advertising-related photoshoots (brochures, booklets, posters, billboards, etc.)
Low Key Lighting:
Dramatic close-ups, like when you’re trying to capture emotion. A close-up of someone crying is a good example. Journalism and documentary photography would be a good example of this.
When you’re trying to emphasize part of a subject’s face or body, for instance the subject’s blue green eyes.
If you want your subject to look dramatic in black & white.
When there is intense action happening, such as two people in a shouting match or two soccer players holding on to one ball.