Professional portrait photography makes a good use of backgrounds, lighting, and poses. There are several elements involved in this form of photography. Here we’ll talk about the essential aspects of portrait photography.

1. Background

For portrait photographers, one rule of thumb when clicking portraits is to examine the background first. Often, the background is among the most vital elements of portraits. There are many photographers who forget the fact that the subjects are a part of the environments. This is why they focus only on their subject and not on the background.

A background can say a lot about the person who is being photographed. However, there are times when it doesn’t say anything. For instance, when just a plain background is used. The essential function of a plain background is to highlight the subject’s body and facial expression.

2. Lighting

Another key element in portrait photography is lighting. Most of the aspiring photographers don’t realize the importance of light until they begin learning photography. It happens often that you see light around you every day, but you don’t quite think about its importance.

The type of light used and its direction can determine how your subject will look. Among the simple ways of choosing the best light for your portrait is to use your hand. You can then check how the light is falling on it by imagining your hand as the subject.

3. Position of your subject

One thing you must consider is how far or close from the background you want your subject to be. If your subject is closer to the background, you’ll see that the background is as sharp as your subject. If you separate your subject from the background, then the background will look blurred. For many portrait photographers, position of the subject is something they’re used to.

Then there are others who consider this the most awkward aspect of portrait photography. Standing in front of the camera can be annoying and fun at the same time. The key is to make the subject feel comfortable.

4. Using the camera

It’s important to remember that you’re the one holding the camera as the portrait photographer. The way you position your camera will determine how the portrait photograph appears after being clicked. To get the best portrait photo, you can do a lot of playing around.

Move the camera up and down, come closer to your subject, go far, or change the lenses. The idea is to try everything you can so that you utilize all the options that you have. You’ll certainly get better with experience and experimentation.

5. Choice between color and black-and-white

You can either go for color or black-and-white portrait photo. Most of the photographers prefer taking the photograph in color first. Then they decide whether they need to change it to black-and-white or not. Choosing a color portrait gives you a great deal of freedom and allows you to be more creative. You can play with different styles, color pallets, and make the best use of color theory for a greater impact.

If you go for a black-and-white portrait, you’ll have a tone that’s associated more with the past. It also enhances your subject’s expression.

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You don’t need to produce a photograph with a great degree of technical perfection in this form of photography. The main goal of portrait photography is to capture some sense of the subject’s character. Here, we’ve listed some steps that will help you take some engaging portrait photos:

1. Choose a suitable location

A portrait photograph must help the viewer know the subject better. This will only be possible if the viewer builds up a mental picture of the subject after seeing the photo. To convey the subject’s personality through the portrait, it’s essential to photograph the person in a suitable place.

An ideal location is the one that reflects the person’s character. This adds an interesting element to the portrait photo. However, the main focus of the photograph must be the person being photographed and not the place. You must also keep in mind that the background must be free from distractions.

2. Lighting the subject

If the location is a studio, you can use external lighting and reflectors to light your model. Try to get a bit more light on one side of the subject’s face for greater depth. Lighting your subject from the side is helpful in accentuating your subject’s facial features. You must not rely on the built-in flash of your camera when lighting your subject.

Lighting from the front will leave the features of the subject looking flat and uninteresting. This is because lighting the subject from the front eliminates the facial shadows. It can also cast distracting shadows in the background.

3. Shoot from a suitable distance

You must move back as far as the lens of your camera will allow. Then try to zoom in on your subject. If you shoot from a distance that’s too close, you’ll end up distorting your subject’s face. This can not only be quite distracting but also unflattering. The further back you go, lesser will be the distortion of the subject’s face, thus enhancing the portrait photo.

You can even use a telephoto lens if you have the option of changing the lenses of your camera. Such lenses reduce the distortion even further and are ideal for separating the subject from the background.

4. Capture the personality of the subject

The very first step is to know what’s the thing that makes your model unique. Once you’ve identified that particular quality or feature, you must try to capture it in your photograph. What distinguishes a good portrait photo from a not-so-good one is how well it tells the subject’s story. The best portrait photos are the ones that convey something about the subject’s personality.

You can get a natural-looking portrait photograph by getting it clicked when the subject is off guard. Most of the people automatically put on their ‘photo face’ when they’re in front of the camera. Talking to the individual you’re photographing is the best way to make him or her feel comfortable. This will put your subject in a position to express himself or herself freely. As a result, you’ll end up with a more natural photo that showcases your subject’s true personality.

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Her two coffee table books are titled I am Dandy and We are Dandy. These books consist of a diverse collection of photographs. They’re of men from different parts of the world for whom dressing is an art.

How she was affected by the lockdown

In an interview, she talked about the projects she was working on before the lockdown was imposed. She also narrated her experiences during the lockdown. Before everything was shut down, she had just began working on her third book. It was with Nathaniel Adams, her co-author for I am Dandy. Her third book is titled Rare Bird and is all about women who have an extraordinary style.

These are the women who create their identity through their own unique style. She had just started photographing intensely and was completely engrossed in her work. One day, it became more apparent on her way home that the lockdown was going to get heavier. Rose felt that it was time to stop shooting and isolate herself completely. She had to postpone her third book temporarily as a result.

What kept her inspired during lockdown

Rose recalls that she began watching photographers who were doing some remote shooting. Damien Frost was the one whom she admired the most. He is a photographer based in the UK and had released a book of portraiture in 2016. The name of the book is Night Flowers. It contains more than 300 portraits of individuals who are a part of London’s alternative nightlife.

They include drag kings and queens, Goths, cabaret performers, transgenders, and queer people among many others. When most of the people where quarantining, Frost had begun doing remote portraits. He spent his time photographing people through FaceTime.

About her projects during lockdown

After getting some inspiration from the techniques of Damien Frost, she began exploring alternative possibilities. She had a projector with her and she started having zoom sessions with people. In the space that she set up, she would project the figures. As a part of this experiment, she played really well with the technique and process.

Rose felt as though her creativity was unlocking once again. She wanted something legitimate to focus on. So, she named her project Far Away Nearby. The best thing about this project was that she could capture her subject anywhere. It didn’t matter where they were in the world.

The lessons she learned during lockdown

Rose admits that she has always been a very social individual. She believes that it’s important as humans to stay connected with people. However, she also learned during the lockdown how much she was able to stay alone. The best thing that she learned is remote shooting.

It allowed her to connect with people as well as to stay productive. She didn’t need much lifestyle changes as she was already a freelancer. She feels that freelancing and doing some creative work prepared her for those tough times.

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It is due to some brilliant photography that you get to see how the famous historical figures looked like. Besides, you also have records of some significant events in the form of photographs. Today, you’ll find different genres in photography with many of the photographers specializing in one particular genre.

There are different themes that the photographers can delve into. Many of the great talents in recent times specialize in portrait photography. Here, we’ve presented some of these exceptionally talented photographers of the contemporary world.

1. Cindy Sherman

Her breakthrough is Untitled Film Stills, which is a collection of her black and white photographs. They are about the typical roles of women in the performance media, especially in B-movies and arthouse films. Born Cynthia Morris Sherman on the 19th of January 1954, this American photographer mainly specializes in self-portraits.

They showcase her in a variety of imagined characters in many different contexts. She used large prints and color films in the 1980s, with a greater focus on facial expression, costume, and lighting. She received a MacArthur Fellowship in the year 1995. In 2013, she received an honorary doctorate from the Royal College of Art, London.

2. Nadav Kander

Nadav Kander was born in the Israeli city, Tel Aviv. His father was a pilot who flew Boeing 707s for El-Al. After his father lost his eye, his parents moved to Johannesburg in 1963. Kander started clicking photos with his Pentax camera when he was 13 years of age. He had purchased this camera with the money he had received on his Bar Mitzvah.

The photographs that he took until he was 17 had the same qualities as seen in his recent works. According to him, they were quite unaccomplished, but carried the same sense of quiet and unease. He was printing aerial photographs working in a darkroom after his drafting into the South African Air Force. It was then that he took a firm decision that he wanted to be a photographer.

In 1986, he moved to London, where he now lives with his family. Today, he is a photographer, director, and artist, known for his landscapes and portraiture. In 2015, he got an honorary fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society. He is also the winner of Prix Pictet award.

3. Rose Callahan

Rose Callahan is the exclusive photographer for the style blog of the Metropolitan Opera, Last Night at the Met. Since 2013, she has documented diverse personal styles through this blog. The focus of this photographer and director has been on character-driven portraits of celebrities. They celebrate the transformative power of style and individuality.

She is also the author of two coffee table books called I am Dandy and We are Dandy. They contain portraits of men from different parts of the globe who turned their dressing to an art. Published by Gestatlen, these books have been co-authored by Nathaniel Adams. Callahan also works with commercial clients such as Mastercard, Random House, American Express, Levis, and Rosewood Hotels.

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