Pursuit of the Holiday Portrait
The holiday season is quickly approaching and you are probably getting the great idea to send a fun new portrait to your friends and family. Here are a few tips to making your good idea look great.
The whole feel of the photo can be determined by the clothes and the setting. Do you want a formal, classic look, or more of a casual, playful theme? When choosing outfits make sure that all the "models" are matching. They don't have to be in the same color but they should be in the same neutral color family. Pictures, writing, prints, or embellishments are d
istracting, so avoid clothes with those. For outdoor settings, choose medium shades, too light and they could wash you out. For interior settings, choose something that will match the background. In either case you want your family members to look good together, unified. Nothing should distract attention from your faces. If your shoes are seen in the shot, they should be plain and simple and not draw attention to them selves by being bright or multi colored.
For the location there could be many options. If choosing the outdoors think about the weather and the lighting, and always have a Plan B in case the weather goes bad. Make sure nothing odd is happening in the background and that a tree or pole is not coming up out of one of their heads. Look all around the frame and make sure everything looks good.
When posing your family, try to imagine triangles. This will make a more
visually appealing portrait. Do this with their faces, arranging them higher and lower than each other. It doesn't have to be a drastic amount of space for it to work. The "models" should be very close together with one shoulder more forward than the other creating more angles. Pay attention to what their hands are doing. They won't know what to do with them so you'll have to put them in pockets, in folded arms, or in their lap. Put them somewhere they won't be distracting.
Kids can be a challenge to photograph and often set the pace. Infants are good right after waking up and right before feeding.. its not a lot of time but it can be done. What will also work is if the baby is held by someone and is comfortable then you can crop in close, only getting the baby. If the baby is crying then you can shoot their feet and hands. I even like to photograph the baby sleepi
ng. They can be gently posed and will make adorable portraits.
Toddlers need distraction and you have to be fast. Have a toy that you can use to play with them, fake a sneeze, get their attention and act fast.. get that photo.
For taking a more casual approach throw out mostly everything I
just said. When photographing children you can get really good stuff by letting them be themselves. Catch them when they are mellow in the morning waking up, or watching tv. They can play dress up and goof around in their imagination. Some of my best portraits come when I just let the kids go and play.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Pet photography! If you have a furry or feathered friend I want to see your portrait photographer skills in action. You can use the tips I gave for infants and toddlers to help. Feel free to send in a bad one and a good one so we can see what you did to get the desired image.
Good Luck!
The whole feel of the photo can be determined by the clothes and the setting. Do you want a formal, classic look, or more of a casual, playful theme? When choosing outfits make sure that all the "models" are matching. They don't have to be in the same color but they should be in the same neutral color family. Pictures, writing, prints, or embellishments are d
istracting, so avoid clothes with those. For outdoor settings, choose medium shades, too light and they could wash you out. For interior settings, choose something that will match the background. In either case you want your family members to look good together, unified. Nothing should distract attention from your faces. If your shoes are seen in the shot, they should be plain and simple and not draw attention to them selves by being bright or multi colored.
For the location there could be many options. If choosing the outdoors think about the weather and the lighting, and always have a Plan B in case the weather goes bad. Make sure nothing odd is happening in the background and that a tree or pole is not coming up out of one of their heads. Look all around the frame and make sure everything looks good.
When posing your family, try to imagine triangles. This will make a more
visually appealing portrait. Do this with their faces, arranging them higher and lower than each other. It doesn't have to be a drastic amount of space for it to work. The "models" should be very close together with one shoulder more forward than the other creating more angles. Pay attention to what their hands are doing. They won't know what to do with them so you'll have to put them in pockets, in folded arms, or in their lap. Put them somewhere they won't be distracting.
Kids can be a challenge to photograph and often set the pace. Infants are good right after waking up and right before feeding.. its not a lot of time but it can be done. What will also work is if the baby is held by someone and is comfortable then you can crop in close, only getting the baby. If the baby is crying then you can shoot their feet and hands. I even like to photograph the baby sleepi
ng. They can be gently posed and will make adorable portraits.Toddlers need distraction and you have to be fast. Have a toy that you can use to play with them, fake a sneeze, get their attention and act fast.. get that photo.
For taking a more casual approach throw out mostly everything I
just said. When photographing children you can get really good stuff by letting them be themselves. Catch them when they are mellow in the morning waking up, or watching tv. They can play dress up and goof around in their imagination. Some of my best portraits come when I just let the kids go and play.HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
Pet photography! If you have a furry or feathered friend I want to see your portrait photographer skills in action. You can use the tips I gave for infants and toddlers to help. Feel free to send in a bad one and a good one so we can see what you did to get the desired image.
Good Luck!
posted by FotoRose at
8:11 AM
1 Comments
