A portrait photographer has to show the human model's mood; but even if this type of photography is based on capturing a person's facial mood and expressions, the body may also be included in the photograph. In addition, a portrait is not similar to a quick snapshot. The photographer has to adjust the subject in the way that he prefers: looking straight into his camera.
The portrait photographs are typically used for a vast range of purposes like fine art portraiture. Sometimes, it is used for identifying material just like the printed photos of authors on their written works. However, a lot of people think that the art of portrait photography is easy and only requires basic knowledge. The truth of the matter is, portrait photography is difficult because humans are actually the most complicated subjects to capture in photographs. Moreover, photographers have to pay attention to lighting conditions, correct facial expressions, eyes colors, background, and the subjects' skin tones.
New photographers who aspire to become successful in the art of portrait photography must know the essential steps of taking portraits. First, they must clear all clutter. Whenever an expert photographer takes someone's portrait, he aims to focus the picture on that person. However, if there is a lot of clutter surrounding them, the person will no longer be the focus of the picture. Also, the subject can be placed in front of a blank wall to have the picture focused on him.
Another essential step that new photographers must do is focus on their subjects' eyes. The picture will simply look better if the gold coast portrait photographer focused on the eyes of his subject. After all, the eyes are the windows of the soul. Expressive eyes also produce better portraits. Next, new photographers can also try blurring the background. Well, if they have point and shoot cameras, they can set the control dials into portrait modes. On the other hand, if they use DSLRs or they shoot in semi-manual or manual modes, they can use larger aperture settings.
Furthermore, they must move closer to their subjects. That is because the closer to the subject, the better the outcome. Taking pictures of the heads and shoulders of the subjects is fine; but it is still alright to take pictures of their faces without including the other parts of their heads.
About The Author: Elliott Nash is a gold coast photographer based in the beautiful Gold Coast, Australia.