Take Better Pictures of People for Free
Framing, lighting, and timing are some of the key factors of photography. One doesn't need to sacrifice good picture taking just because they are on a casual outing with friends and family. In this tutorial, you will learn how to apply these concepts for better everyday portrait taking.
Steps
- Frame what's important. On people, this is usually just their face and part of their upper body. Additional elements will cause more distractions. If their shoes are really that great and important, take a separate picture of them alone.
- Put some distance between the camera and the subjects, then zoom in a lot. The more the camera is "zoomed in", the more flattering their faces become. Also, the blurrier the background becomes which draws attention to the subjects. The goal is to zoom in a lot, and stand back far enough so that step 1 is still accomplished.
- Take pictures at eye level. Unless there is a specific mood or message to the picture, eye level pictures are generally the most pleasing.
- Keep the sun behind and/or to the side of the subjects without having the sun show up on camera. By keeping the sun out of the subjects' eyes, it will minimize their squinting. Eyes are very attractive elements in portraiture.
- Avoid taking pictures in very bright and very dim places if possible. Scenes with too much light will show both very bright and very dark areas in the same picture. This often leads to distracting elements and loss of detail on subjects. To remedy, try finding shady areas (trees, umbrellas, etc). Poorly lit areas can cause the background to disappear from pictures and possibly show the subjects moving with blur. To remedy, try to find bright backgrounds while keeping the subjects poorly lit (the flash should light and freeze the subjects well)
- Use the flash. Many have the misconception that flash should only be used for night photography. If possible, set the flash to "slow sync" or "fill light" mode. Flash in the daytime lifts unattractive dark shadows that maybe caused by other sources of light such as the sun. Flash in "slow sync" or "fill light" mode at night will help the background (ambient lighting) show up in the picture while still seeing the subjects.
- Get subjects to show emotion. A fake smile is easily seen through, so tell a joke, story or recall a memory to stir the appropriate emotion on their faces. There is nothing wrong with taking a picture when they are laughing or even crying as long as it looks natural. In fact, the results can be surprising this way.
Tips
- Photography is not about having the most expensive camera. It's about being at the right place at the right time. Expensive cameras offer more flexibility and clarity to the photographs they take. Using a high-end camera does not make one a better photographer or using an average camera make the owner a poor photographer.
Warnings
- This is a how to for the inexperienced/beginner/non-enthusiast photographer. Advanced photographers generally know when to break the rules and try something different.
- "Slow sync" or "fill light" mode requires steady hands when shooting in darker places.
