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| Personalized Photography |
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Portrait photography presents a special challenge to all photographers. In order to arrange attractive portraits and integrate their own creativity, you must develop a feeling for interactions in image design. Above all, one thing is important – the attention that you want to draw to elements or accents important to the image. This is where the focus is clearly on personalized photography.
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| Planar T* 1,4/85 ZK, f /2.8, 1/125s |
The image frame
A traditional portrait permits different display formats. With a frontal view, the face of the subject is directed toward the observer, while the three-quarters profile is slightly turned where the side facing away appears somewhat shortened and is often shadowed. In a semi-profile, the subject’s face is turned to the side so that the second eye can just barely be seen. However, you can also experiment with unusual perspectives and crops here.
Interact with your model
The intention of a portrait is primarily to display the characteristic, gestures and facial expressions of a person as naturally as possible. Usually, intensive contact with the model is desired to achieve this. You must literally direct, speak or laugh with your models and press the trigger on the camera at the right moment. The distance to the object plays a key role in this. At a distance of three meters, the model does not feel constricted or observed and therefore behaves clearly more naturally.
Image Composition
The position of the model in the picture decides the overall effect. A central arrangement appears very static, calm and monotone. Under certain circumstances, a face can be relatively boring if it does not already stand out through strong expressiveness. Here, harmonious placement of the subject in accordance with the "golden section" helps. The main subject moves out of the image center and is positioned a bit towards the side. The result is a picture that appears significantly more orderly and very harmonious. Many SLR cameras can be equipped with the appropriate screens or superimposed grid lines in the viewfinder, which simplify image composition. The position of the model outside the center of the image and the crop generate additional excitement.
Contouring
Imaginary lines represent creative power in photography and indicate directions. They are primarily suitable for linking image focal points and thus result in a key composition element. The upright format is ideal for portraits as it is possible to achieve clearly more dynamic and exciting results than the landscape format. A truncated hand is used as a linking element.
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| Planar T* 1,4/85 ZF, f/ 2.8, 1/180s |
The correct illumination
Diffuse daylight is the light of choice for on-location exposures. The main advantage of this is that the details are soft and skin impurities are not as obvious. The targeted use of artificial light, usually flash light, helps achieve vivid illumination. A weak fill-in flash already generates a shine in the eyes of the model, which is also very beneficial outside. Brighteners (gold/silver sheets) can be used to very nicely direct and divert available light. It is possible to give a face that necessary shine and modulate with light.
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| Planar T* 1.4/85 ZK, aperture f /2.8, 1/60s |
The background
A calm and homogeneous background is very important for a successful portrait as the observer is not distracted from the main subject by a lot of details. The distance to the model should also be large enough to play with blurring using longer focal lengths and to effectively isolate the background.
The equipment
Lenses with a slight tele effect offer the best conditions for successful results. The face of the model appears much more natural, the proportions are correct. Furthermore, tele lenses deliver less depth of field to effectively isolate the background. This effect is enhanced through high lens speed. Unlike autofocus lenses, lenses with a manual focus which allow precise minimal corrections are particularly well-suited for portraits. SLR lenses from Carl Zeiss, especially the Planar T* 1,4/85, perfectly fulfill these requirements. Furthermore, the almost circular apertures ensure a harmonious reproduction of blurry details in the background.
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| Planar T* 1,4/85 ZF, f /1.4, 1/500s |
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May 2008 |
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