Portrait Photography

Portrait photography will mostly aim to flatter or express the individual character of the sitter. The photographer must consider how the photo will be used - on the Boardroom wall? A full page in a magazine?

Pose, lighting, props etc. can then be geared towards the required end result.

STUDIO - isolates the sitter from their normal environment and allows the photographer maximum creative control

LOCATION - shooting in the home or the workplace will place the sitter in their natural surroundings and often allows for a more interesting composition

VIEWPOINT - shot from a low angle the sitter can appear dominant, shot from a high angle they can appear dominated

EQUIPMENT & TECHNIQUES
Portraiture lends itself to medium format. The extra quality produced far outweighs the equipment size and weight. A tripod is a good idea as it will allow you to fine tune lighting, props without interfering with the composition, plus perhaps more importantly, will allow you to interact and engage better with the sitter.

For half length or headshots pack a longer than normal focal length lens i.e 150mm lens for 6x6 format or an 85mm lens for 35mm format.

LIGHT SOURCES
Daylight, tungsten lamps, studio flash
- Daylight indoors can give excellent natural results, but is difficult to control.
- Flash scores better over tungsten due it producing less heat and glare, plus you can shoot a finer grain (slower ISO) film due to the huge power produced.

Aim for simple lighting where the sitter can freely change position without the need for light source adjustments or exposure alterations.