Of all that amount of photographs that populate your hard drive messily, surely many, many of them are portraits. It doesn't matter what your specialty really is, it doesn't even matter if you have it or not. For the portrait you have passed safely at some point, probably your loved ones have already suffered the consequences of your terrible photographic passion and have been portrayed thousands of times. Probably also, at this point, they flee only to hear the noise made by the lens cover when you leave it on the table So the opportunities are reduced and you have to make the most of them. Because yes, you have a lot of portraits but, honestly, beyond that you probably appreciate the person who appears in them, how many of those portraits are worth it? How many of them are you satisfied with? How many of them convey what you wanted? Ah, is that making portraits is not easy, no matter how much we usually have more at hand. In a portrait you "face" nothing more or less than a person, full of gestures, personality, expressions , looks, poses , and so on. And beyond the adjustments, the composition , the background , the light , etc., the most important thing is what you achieve that your model transmits. And surely more than once and twice your models already fed up or intimidated by the camera appear to have swallowed a lemon. And I don't think you want them to convey the horror and acidity of swallowing a lemon, right? Let's see some tips to get transmitted naturally in our portraits:
- Break the ice
- Relax ...
- Take care of the posture
- Directs the session
- Distréele
- Make him interact with other people
- Fluency
- Try to get a smile
- The look
- Help yourself from a good location
- The optics
1. BREAK THE ICE
It doesn't matter if you're portraying your brother or an unknown model for a job. This point is essential, because no matter how much or little confidence you have with the person you are portraying and however much you are used to being in front of a target, there are always moments of discomfort when we are exposed to the lens behind the lens. which one you know is an eye that analyzes you- Talk to your models, ask them questions, let them explain things that they feel comfortable with, be kind and cordial, and little by little you will notice how the atmosphere relaxes (it will also help you, you are sure that you are also somewhat nervous )
- Take a few test shots to warm up engines, to get used to it, and for your model to do it too. In short, do not hurry and take your time
2. RELAX ...
If you want your models to appear natural before the camera, you have to make them feel relaxed.- Give him something to do with his hands . Do you think this is strange advice? Well, it works, don't you never know what to do with your hands when you're nervous? Some hide them in the pockets, others bite their nails, others hide them under the sleeves ... If you want your portrayed to relax, make your hands have where or what to be with.
3. TAKE CARE OF THE POSTURE
The comfort of your model is essential, you can not pretend that you feel comfortable and relaxed doing the pine on the little finger of the hand , so looking for physically comfortable positions or inviting to be relaxed, it will help your model to feel Taste and look natural in your photos.- Slightly leaning against a wall with your hands in your pockets.
- Sitting: If you had to do a job interview, how would you prefer it to be, standing before your interviewer, or sitting in a chair (and being able to be with a table in between to be able to place your hands somewhere)? Do you not feel much more comfortable sitting than standing? Well, if your model feels uncomfortable, feel it
- With a slightly tilted face, like when you call someone down the street and turns quickly ... That moment »
- Of "front profile"; or what is the same, placed in front of the camera but with a slightly profiled face and not a direct look at the camera. If you get your model relaxed, this pose is very natural.
4. LEAD THE SESSION
Do not be afraid to cordially ask for everything you need. Many times it is worse that you leave the session at random, without giving a minimum of indications, because if your model does not know what to do it will get nervous and you will inevitably have it chewing lemon in a few photos Remember that if you have broken the ice and your model Feel at ease, everything will flow naturally.5. DISTRÉELE
If you want them to act naturally in front of your camera, the best way to do that is to try to forget about it . For this we have already commented that it is important to break the ice, talk to them, give them something to think about, some nice place to look at, and so on.- Try to photograph him while doing some activity that he likes (painting, playing the piano, cooking, etc.) So he will focus on something pleasant and forget your camera.
- Do not limit yourself to static scenes, ask him to move, to walk, to jump ... The movement is dynamic and natural and also distracts the attention of your camera
6. HAVE HIM INTERACT WITH OTHER PEOPLE
Another way to show ourselves as we are is through the relationship with others . If you have a couple, or a couple of friends, a mother with her daughter, etc., try to let that complicity that unites them flow between them . Try giving them some basic indications and then just wait for the complicity of your relationship to flow, always being very attentive to the expressions and gestures that derive from it. These types of images usually give great results, since the models are relaxed, natural, spontaneous and very expressive.7. FLUENCY
Prepare the session in advance to anticipate everything you may need and have it on hand. That way you won't have to interrupt the session constantly. If the session flows naturally, if you do not stop every two minutes to make an adjustment or go to find something you need, to look at the screen, adjust the light, etc., the session will be more dynamic and natural and you will not break the atmosphere of comfort that you have been creating little by little.8. TRY TO GET A SMILE
There are few things more pleasant than getting a portrait with a beautiful natural smile. If you connect with your model, it feels comfortable, and you connect, you will surely catch the occasional wonderful smile. Hey, and if you're funny and you get a laugh, better than better9. THE LOOK
There are many types of looks and these do not always have to be direct camera looks. Especially if your model is shy and / or feels uncomfortable, try other postures or indirect looks.- Remember to always focus on the eyes.
10. HELP YOURSELF FROM A GOOD LOCATION
The place where you decide to do your photo session , is loaded with message and can help you to make the session flow in a comfortable and natural way, or it can ruin it completely. If you are with someone outgoing and shameless, a picture looking raging the sea in the distance, may not be the most representative image of him. Or, on the contrary, someone extremely shy, will not feel very comfortable letting himself be portrayed in the crowded walk of people.11. THE OPTICS
The cameras intimidate, it happens to all of us, and the closer we have them, the worse. The best focal points for portraiture are those that are approximately between 70mm and 200mm. The more shy your model is, the more he would appreciate it if you don't get too close and you will favor the naturalness and spontaneity of the moment. I leave many tips, but the most important thing is that you get the atmosphere of the session is relaxed, that you and your model feel comfortable and, above all, have a good time. All that is breathed in the images, believe me I hope it has been useful to you. If so, please share it with someone else you think may be interested. Thank you and see you next time.The tables on this website are converted with the Div Table online tool. Please subscribe for an online HTML editor membership to stop adding promotional messages to your documents.
