Portrait photography: basic rules and recommendations

Portrait photography is one of the most difficult kinds of work. The point is that the task of the photographer should include the transfer not only of the beautiful appearance of a person, but the main thing is to show the hidden, inner essence of it and its versatility. Therefore, not every photo with smiling faces can be called a good portrait.

To create the artistic image is not always necessary special and expensive technology. The main thing is the professionalism of the photographer, his intuition and the observance of a number of principles on which portrait photography is based.

The first rule. Be sure to take into account that the model can not be in the center. The snapshot will be most natural if the person is put a little to the right or left. Of course, there should not be much space, everything should be proportionate.

The second rule. Shooting a portrait turns out very interesting, if you make a close-up, in which the person or part of it should hit. Thanks to this approach, you can give emotionality to the image. For example, fatigue will be emphasized by the presence of unshaven, a good mood - with glowing eyes and so on.

The third rule. Portrait photography should not be carried out "on the forehead". The model may not even look into the camera. On the contrary, the most interesting photos will be those, if a person is engaged in something, looks thoughtfully aside or simply observes. At these moments the model is natural.

The fourth rule. The minimum number of objects (furniture, other people, etc.) should fall into the frame. Leave only what is relevant to this story.

The fifth rule. Very "revitalizes" and conveys a special mood of the presence in the hands of a person of an object. It can be a flower, a toy, a phone, an umbrella, a leaf, and so on. The main thing that he looked in the frame harmoniously.

The sixth rule. Depth of field is important. Sharp it is necessary to do only a portrait, and the background must be blurred. This is the basic principle when there is a portrait shooting on the street.

Seventh rule. When the focus is carried out, it must have eyes that are clear and clear. If you are ready to turn, then sharpness should be directed to the nearest eye.

Eighth rule. When shooting, be sure to observe a balanced composition. On the frame there can not be a lot of nature (sky, forest, river, etc.), if the story does not require it. It is necessary to make sure that the frame will not get anything ugly (old walls, pipes, garbage cans and other things).

The ninth rule. Portrait shooting will become interesting if the models are not just taut enough to smile at the frame. Only naturalness is the key to success.

The tenth rule. When a portrait is taken, you only need to focus on it. Even if there is a stunning beauty of the mountain in the background , the photographer should focus only on the model, so that it becomes the main center, and everything else - only the background.

The eleventh rule. With the available options, you only need to take a portrait from a tripod.

In conclusion, the following should be noted. To work the photographer is recommended only within the framework of soft light: in the morning, or closer to the evening. In addition, it is good to shoot in cloudy weather, because uniform lighting will help to obtain elaborate and soft portraits.

The most unfortunate time for work is noon, as the sun is high, the light is incredibly bright, and the shadows are deep and sharp. Therefore, the faces in the shadows can turn out to be almost black. To avoid this, you must turn on the "Fill flash" mode.

If you observe the basic rules, portrait photography will turn out to be amazing.