11 Unforgettable Portrait Photography Ideas
Different types of photographers prefer different types of photography. In this digital world, where photography is becoming popular day-by-day, the competition is also rising. Portrait photography is one kind which needs lots of skill to click. You need to have knowledge about the whole concept, gears and photo editing techniques of portrait photography. Here I’m giving you Ten Portrait Photography Ideas which you can never forget.
Choose the best Camera and Len
To click portrait photographs, you need to choose the best camera and lens which are having the most updated features. If the body of the camera is old, your picture may not come out that good. So be sure that your camera is perfectly updated. Lens brings the quality on a photograph. A lens of a camera is just like a soul of a person’s body. As per my experience, you should go for the focal length lens. Focal length makes the portrait photo flattered which brings a professional look to the photo. A focal length lens also makes the photo wider. The lens is really very important for delivering amazing portrait photographs.
Camera Settings
When you are doing portrait photography, you may not know many techniques which can be done with your camera. If you do not have proper knowledge about the camera settings, you may not click unique portrait photographs. So, gather some knowledge about camera settings. Read the manuals and apply them. For portrait photography, set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO correctly so that you can shoot perfect portrait photographs. For portrait photography, it is better to set the shutter speed high so that you can avoid the shakiness of photographs. You can also activate the anti-shake mode if your camera has it built in. You should increase the ISO as much as you can. It will help you to get sharp shots. Setting the wide aperture will bring clarity and depth on the portrait photo. So use all these settings while portrait photography.
Concentrate on Focusing
In these portrait photography ideas, one of the major things I want to talk about is focusing. No portrait photo will succeed to create an impression if the focus on the subject is not perfect. The photo will fail miserably. So as a portrait photographer, you should concentrate more on focusing your subject. Do not use autofocus mode because sometimes the autofocus does not work properly. Focus on the subject manually from your camera. Set the focus perfectly and shoot.
Try Different Angles
In the past back when portrait photography was invented, portrait photography used to mean clicking photos just from the front angle. It used to be very ordinary and simple. Now, the time has changed. It is monotonous to see portrait photos in that plain angle all the time. Try some different portrait photography ideas by trying clicking portrait photos with different angles. There are different angle like clicking from the upper side, using side angles, keeping the camera in the lower side and click and many other angles you can try on your portrait photography. This will give you some fresh portrait photographs.
Capture the Expressions
Portrait photography is all about expressions. We click portrait photographs to portray the expressions of our subjects/models/people. When you can successfully portray someone’s emotion in your photographs, only then you will be called a successful portrait photographer. You cannot force your subject to give fake expression. It can give you the worst result. You need to apply some tricks, some portrait photography ideas to get the expression out of your subject. While photography, talk to them and ask their stories. Trust me! You will get real expression by doing so. Or you can also capture their movements.
Use Props
The props in photographs can make the photos look great or sometimes worst. It really depends on the props. Using props in portrait photography is fun. By props, you can also add some special effects to your portrait photos. Although some people afraid to use props, but I love using props. I feel that it is a matter of creativity if you can use and choose props smartly. You can really woo people by your portrait photographs using props. Props help your subject to stand out. Different kinds of props you can use on your portrait photography such as sunglass, umbrella, bubbles, balloons, pets, frames, foods, accessories, colors, balls, flames, smoke etc. Well, you just use the props which go with the concept of your portrait photography.
Proper Selection of Background
The background is definitely an important part of every kind of photography. You can never ignore your photo background. Likewise, in my portrait photography ideas, I have included background because I feel you should be really careful while choosing the background. On portrait photography, the subject will look good if the background is also appropriate. A cheap and inappropriate background will make your portrait photos look awful. Before going for a portrait photography photo shoot, select the proper background which actually goes with the subject. My personal favorite is white or any solid color background for portrait photography because solid color background creates a depth on the portrait photo which is required.
Play with Compositions
The main beauty of portrait photography is its composition. You have a vast scope to play with the compositions and experiment with them on portrait photography. It is your choice how you will compose your photos. But the most famous composition technique of portrait photo is the rule of thirds. Most of the people are using the composition to make the portrait photos look better. You can also apply ‘depth’ composition on your photography so that you can capture the eyes well because it is said that portrait photography becomes best because of the eyes. So go and try different composition to your portrait photography.
Lighting Matters
When it comes on portrait photography, lighting plays a very important role. It is lighting which actually helps the subject to glow on the photographs. When you are doing indoor portrait photography, you can set 1-2 sets of the split of loop-lights to shoot indoor. But if you are shooting outdoors, you should use the natural sunlight. The sunlight can give you an amazing glow and light. That also cuts your expenditure.
Try Different Poses
We are tired of seeing the same old straight poses of the models on portrait photographs. You should now try different poses while portrait photography. Ask your subject to do different poses standing, sitting and even laying. You can ask your subject doing poses using hands and also face. That brings variations on your portrait photographs.
Apply Photo Editing Techniques
The term “photo editing” has become very popular in the photography industry. Photo editing is very much related to photography. When you are disappointed seeing your raw portrait photography, photo editing helps you to get over it and to deliver some great photos. There are many photo editing techniques you can use to edit portrait photos and make them look better. You can also take help from different photo editing companies.
Conclusion
As a photographer, I have been applying these ideas while portrait photography. Applying these, the growth of my portrait photography has raised. I would suggest you follow these portrait photography tips and see the growth on your portrait photography.
References:
https://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography/
