Beginners Portraits

[chuasam]

I still want to know why the original poster chose to shoot in the dark...there's no sun.
A great time to shoot is just before sunset (an hour or so)
the rules are just suggestions. You can use them, you can ignore them.

Here I shot with the sun BEHIND the model

the feel is far more important
if the feel is good, the client will often like it
composition, lighting...all that is just garnishing

If high ISO bugs you, switch to B/W

Don't be afraid to crop in close, don't be afraid to experiment.
Find what you like. If you're not selling to a client, shoot for yourself.

What makes a portrait good is if you can connect with your subject and bring that connection into the picture

 

[chuasam]

Chuasam, I have to disagree. you have to know the stuff til it is automatic, unconscious, not toss it away. You often don't have time to plan every aspect but need the skill to spot a problem and correct it on the fly. Sure, for an amateur, it is fine if they are like the blind squirrel and find an acorn once in a while, but to consistently create good portraiture, the guidelines need to be understood and pretty much incorporated in the shot. There is a reason they are guidelines. A great candid photographer knows what a good pose looks like and anticipates, recognizes and nails them as they appear. Static and boring photos are taken by photographers with no creativity or understanding or sensitivity to he subject. The real challenge of portraiture that isn't present in landscapes or architecture photos. There is a human being, often anxious, often impatient, with a personality in front of the camera but because of that unique personality, more than just a likeness can be obtained. That is the art of portraiture. This is a dimension that places an additional responsibility and stress on the photographer. Not to mention, landscapes don't tell you they don't like the shot. Uncle harry gets recognizable likenesses with no lighting, no posing. I think it is misleading to tell beginners to think they don't have to employ the basics. They need to be present, whether done consciously or automatically. As for shots having to be unplanned and spontaneous, I have created shots that took 3 months to design. Others put together on the fly that few photographers could execute even when I show them how it was done. Not only are they not traditional, you have never seen those shots before. They are hardly static and boring, but instead with depth and powerful messages. How were they received, clients put them on their walls and commercial websites as lead photos and they received awards in professional competitions judged by professionals. My recommendations to folks starting in portraiture is learn the basics, practice each til they are automatic. Then the camera, lights, compositon, posing takes little of your attention because it happens automatically and you can concentrate on the subject and eliciting the expression and emotion to match your vision. How many photos these days have a subject with a blank expression? That's a human being in front of the camera, not a mannequin. Photo1x1 is right, they don't like blank expressions whether a traditional or modern photo. How much do they want expression, ask any portrait photographer which sells the most, full length where you can barely make out the expression, or torso, head and shoulders, and head shots? That's why. As human beings, only 3 things on your face, mouth, eyes and eye brows in various combinations are capable of communicating hundreds of expressions. Most are recognizable between cultures they are so universal. Don't bore the viewer with none. I wonder if that is what Photo1x1 is saying. But eliciting expression is a skill so you don't have to rely on spontaneous expressions that often don't come. Bambi Cantrell said expression trumps perfection, but Jerry Ghionis added, expression plus perfection trumps expression alone. I agree. so I want not only genuine expression but as perfect as possible pose, lighting and composition.

You have a point there. Knowing what you are doing, of course, helps a lot. But it is often not as important as many photographers like to emphasize. I have seen awesome pics (and series - so it´s not pure luck) of beginners - and I have seen really "bad" works of a lifetime of long time professionals. But of course, that´s always in the eye of the beholder.
Lately, I have done quite a few shots without really telling people what to do, where to look, etc.. I tell them to have fun, do what they like to do (especially with kids). If they are lost, I give them a few hints and only then when they start enjoying it, I start giving them a few commands. One of the first things I do is stop parents to tell their kids "smile, cheese,...".
I don´t want to hijack this thread, but here is an example. The boy had an awesome time and so did the parents. The collage was put together by the client btw - hence the bad cropping - They just asked me to put our logo on it . As I said - a few years ago many of these shots would have been a Nogo with all the flares, no flash being used and deliberately shooting through grass. But this is what clients are demanding, and the visual language of many commercials here in central Europe is similar nowadays. Real life is in demand .
View attachment 160173

Great photos, the United States is a bit backward as a country but I'm sure they'll eventually catch up with the visual language.
the most important thing about portrait photography is connecting with your client.
The rest will fall into place.
oh yeah, actually understanding the light (in a rudimentary or intuitive way is kinda important now that I think about it).

 

[mrca]

"Great photos, the United States is a bit backward as a country but I'm sure they'll eventually catch up with the visual language. " I think Robin Williams described Canada as like living in an apartment over a really great party. We'll try to keep up with the rest of the world. If only Steiglitz, Steichen, Leibovitz, Adams, Avedon, Hurrell, Ritts kept up with the rest of the world. I know of Karsh from Canada, actually an Armenian migrant, who else established the visual language of Canada? Now your BC steel head fishing, fantastic. But all kidding aside, I don't agree if you connect with your subject, everything will fall in place. That sets a novice up for failure. It will if you have incorporated the basics automatically in your shooting. I know, everyone says they have a good eye and is gifted. Til I see their work. Being told that by your mother who knows nothing about photographer doesn't make it a fact. Put a camera in a newbies hands and have him connect and see what you get beside alot of fumbling with the camera, not having a clue on lighting, no idea about posing and expression much less where to start. But good shots will happen occasionally. A broken clock is right twice a day. I find the harder I work, the luckier I get. Granted there are successful photographers with minimal technical knowledge, but more often than not, they are great promoters and a fool is born every minute to purchase cliched stamped out widgets. They none the less have at least a grasp of the fundamentals. We have a number of folks in the lighting forum who are working hard and are making great improvements as they work at mastering the craft. My money is on them to become solid photographers and it is gratifying to watch and to be able to help. Those that think all they have to do is connect with someone and magic will happen, not so much.

 

[chuasam]

"Great photos, the United States is a bit backward as a country but I'm sure they'll eventually catch up with the visual language. " I think Robin Williams described Canada as like living in an apartment over a really great party. We'll try to keep up with the rest of the world. If only Steiglitz, Steichen, Leibovitz, Adams, Avedon, Hurrell, Ritts kept up with the rest of the world. I know of Karsh from Canada, actually an Armenian migrant, who else established the visual language of Canada? Now your BC steel head fishing, fantastic. But all kidding aside, I don't agree if you connect with your subject, everything will fall in place. That sets a novice up for failure. It will if you have incorporated the basics automatically in your shooting. I know, everyone says they have a good eye and is gifted. Til I see their work. Being told that by your mother who knows nothing about photographer doesn't make it a fact. Put a camera in a newbies hands and have him connect and see what you get beside alot of fumbling with the camera, not having a clue on lighting, no idea about posing and expression much less where to start. But good shots will happen occasionally. A broken clock is right twice a day. I find the harder I work, the luckier I get. Granted there are successful photographers with minimal technical knowledge, but more often than not, they are great promoters and a fool is born every minute to purchase cliched stamped out widgets. They none the less have at least a grasp of the fundamentals. We have a number of folks in the lighting forum who are working hard and are making great improvements as they work at mastering the craft. My money is on them to become solid photographers and it is gratifying to watch and to be able to help. Those that think all they have to do is connect with someone and magic will happen, not so much.

call it the curse of knowledge.
I don't even consciously think about light and composition.

to the OP, curse those YouTube hacks...a lot of them are rubbish.
Go look up Roberto Valenzuela and check out his books.

 

[photo1x1.com]

I still want to know why the original poster chose to shoot in the dark...there's no sun.
A great time to shoot is just before sunset (an hour or so)
the rules are just suggestions. You can use them, you can ignore them.

Here I shot with the sun BEHIND the model
View attachment 160190
the feel is far more important
if the feel is good, the client will often like it
composition, lighting...all that is just garnishing

If high ISO bugs you, switch to B/W
View attachment 160191

Don't be afraid to crop in close, don't be afraid to experiment.
Find what you like. If you're not selling to a client, shoot for yourself.
View attachment 160192

What makes a portrait good is if you can connect with your subject and bring that connection into the pictureView attachment 160193

Great examples!!! That´s exactly what I was talking about. I think the most important thing for a beginner is mastering autofocus - and to be honest that often is a question of equipment. Functions like face recognition and eye-focus have made photography so much easier in recent years. You can easily set your camera to shutter or aperture priority, use face recognition and ONLY care about composition. Run around your subject and shoot. The result will usually be much better than telling them exactly how to look, where to stand, etc..
It´s not that I only shoot this way, but me and many clients prefer that.

 

[photo1x1.com]

Photo1x1, you are absolutely right, being a "professional" can mean someone is stupid enough to pay for crap and there is lots of that these days. Some folks are good business people but crappy photographers. Lots of great photographers starving. Most folks take up photography for the fun of it and to capture memories. No need for them to put in the time to master the craft. You are responding to the checkbook holder in Europe. I am in the US. I would be interested in learning what is popular there, what is selling. Anything newly popular? I wonder if there are new trends. Flare is becoming over used here. Things like that come and go. Star patterns too. Over saturation/hdr is popular with neewbies as it looks "different" than reality. You nailed the kid in the air and implied lines of visi0n from mom and dad and that has to be a sale. One of your European photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson called that the "decisive moment." The mom in lower left corner shot , with flare offsets the flat light on the faces. When we are shooting, we don't always have the opportunity to pull out studio strobes and huge modifiers. Then we do the best we can. Had a fellow pro once tell me he didn't care if they liked the photos, just that they bought them.

Haha, I sometimes say: I don´t care that much if the clients like the pictures as long as I like them . In reality, if I like them, the client will too because they book us for what they see on our website and of course we only publish images we like. The good thing is: as long as we like the pictures, we are highly motivated and that´s good for either side.
I don´t know if there are specific European trends, but much of it is the personal perspective - real life. Of course, everything comes and goes (you know we have seen hairstyles in the 80s ) and so do trends like flare (but of course, if something is overdone is always a personal thing - you as a photographer have seen these images over and over, but clients not so much. Wedding photographers add noise - or call it grain - these days, but that is not so new anymore. Low contrast is also something that is there for some time. I´m afraid I can´t really tell about NEW trends - if I could I would be shooting it and earn a fortune .

 

[chuasam]

Photo1x1, you are absolutely right, being a "professional" can mean someone is stupid enough to pay for crap and there is lots of that these days. Some folks are good business people but crappy photographers. Lots of great photographers starving. Most folks take up photography for the fun of it and to capture memories. No need for them to put in the time to master the craft. You are responding to the checkbook holder in Europe. I am in the US. I would be interested in learning what is popular there, what is selling. Anything newly popular? I wonder if there are new trends. Flare is becoming over used here. Things like that come and go. Star patterns too. Over saturation/hdr is popular with neewbies as it looks "different" than reality. You nailed the kid in the air and implied lines of visi0n from mom and dad and that has to be a sale. One of your European photographers, Henri Cartier-Bresson called that the "decisive moment." The mom in lower left corner shot , with flare offsets the flat light on the faces. When we are shooting, we don't always have the opportunity to pull out studio strobes and huge modifiers. Then we do the best we can. Had a fellow pro once tell me he didn't care if they liked the photos, just that they bought them.

Haha, I sometimes say: I don´t care that much if the clients like the pictures as long as I like them . In reality, if I like them, the client will too because they book us for what they see on our website and of course we only publish images we like. The good thing is: as long as we like the pictures, we are highly motivated and that´s good for either side.
I don´t know if there are specific European trends, but much of it is the personal perspective - real life. Of course, everything comes and goes (you know we have seen hairstyles in the 80s ) and so do trends like flare (but of course, if something is overdone is always a personal thing - you as a photographer have seen these images over and over, but clients not so much. Wedding photographers add noise - or call it grain - these days, but that is not so new anymore. Low contrast is also something that is there for some time. I´m afraid I can´t really tell about NEW trends - if I could I would be shooting it and earn a fortune .

i know from personal experience that shooting what the client likes instead of what you yourself like...yeah you'll end up hating yourself and your soul will shrink 2 sizes smaller.
it'll show that you have no real love for the image creation and it's time to hang up your spurs.

 

[mrca]

Chuasam, my approach is shoot both. The early part of a session with a new client is usually the least productive, most stilted so that is when I shoot the crap they want. Makes them happy, gives them confidence in me, then I shoot what I have in mind. They almost always choose some of the later shots. If they choose crap, so be it, it's their money, it's their walls. We have to remember, we are those trained in the art and craft, they aren't. These are not the clients I want so you can be sure if they ever want another shoot, it will be priced high. I recently had a bride want a photo re cropped to bullseye a subject. I explained the reasoning for my crop but I could tell it's not what she wanted. Do you think she or anyone she shows it will know the difference? But ask me to use the cliched faded yellow effect on all images, I will refer them to a photographer who does that. Many years ago, had a request to help a photographer as a second shooter. I agreed. He yellowed all images. I didn't want my name on them. You are absolutely right, the balance is between being true to your vision and satisfying clients. I think the key happens before the shoot at the consultation. Make sure they understand your style and want it. If they don't, they aren't my client and I refer them elsewhere. I always remember a quote from an older pro, "I don't care if they like the shots, just that they buy them." You are absolutely right about shrinking your soul, if I had to shoot crap only, I would sell my gear and take up painting. So much less to haul on location.

 

[chuasam]

Omg. My soul shrivelled the time a client asked if I could selectively desaturate an image.
Much wince!

 

[mrca]

This is nothing new. Michelangelo was forced to paint when he wanted to sculpt then was constantly asked when it would be done. His response, when it is done.