Author: quasimodo
Nowadays portrait photography seems to go astray more and more, and the phenomenon is roughly as follows:
One,
Choosing a model is like a beauty contest, only beautiful people can be models;
Second,
Choosing a model is like a big-breasted competition. Those with small breasts are not qualified to be models.
Three,
When shooting, the skin is getting whiter and whiter than a piece of white paper, and there is no sense of light and shadow. Throw away the most basic and expressive light and shadow level of photography;
Four,
Post-production is becoming more and more blurred, and the skin texture is lost! I don't mean those photographers who don't understand it later, but only use one-click beautification programs or simple methods to deal with pictures to fool them into not appreciating them. I mean those friends who hold tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of photographic equipment, spend such a high price to buy equipment and lenses with long details and texture to make a good film, but the post-processing is equivalent to a fool's machine effect of 1000 yuan! I really don't know what such a friend thinks!
Five,
Portrait photography doesn't pay attention to light skills, and even dare not shoot against the light, so it can only shoot along the light. I don't know that it is a little more difficult to make such a film, not to mention post-processing, which is difficult for people with a little common sense of photography to appreciate, let alone those who really understand the art of photography. Watching you shoot such a film will only give you a nose (secretly, on the surface, it may save you some face)!
My views and suggestions on portrait photography;
One,
Portrait photography is not a beauty contest. As a photographer, what you have to do is how to photograph the beautiful moment of the subject and make the subject look better. When shooting, it is imperative to pay more attention to the expressions and demeanor of the characters and mobilize the emotions of the subjects to the maximum extent. Don't ask the subject to laugh like a retarded photographer, it's not stupid to laugh like that! Be good at communicating with models and try to make the subjects have fun when they relax. Only in this way can the portrait be more natural, vivid and not wonderful!
Second,
The beauty of women is also reflected in many aspects. Don't just stare at women with big breasts. Big breasts are not the only beauty. Photographers should pay more attention to the expression, expression, eyes and beautiful body language of the characters, and skillfully use all kinds of light to express these beautiful moments of the subject;
Three,
The shooting position should not be flat, that is, smooth. Use more side light, side backlight or backlight to shoot, so that the film will have a strong sense of light and shadow layering and three-dimensional sense, which will be more vivid and touching;
Four,
The composition of portrait photography involves deep knowledge and high skills, so I won't go into details here. But to increase the aesthetic feeling and improve the dynamic effect, you only need to do the following two things: First, try to avoid the subject being centered. There is more space in front of the characters and less space behind them; There is less space under your feet and more space above your head (special expressions are another matter), and the picture looks comfortable; Second, skillfully using the tilt of the camera to achieve diagonal composition or using the reference objects in the foreground and background to reflect the depth of the picture will increase the dynamic effect of the picture;
Five,
With the development of digital camera, its focusing mode has been very convenient and accurate. When taking a portrait, the focus must be on the eye closest to the lens, and the most vivid eye is clear, so that the whole picture looks good.
Six,
Try multi-angle and multi-direction shooting methods, especially when shooting large-scale photography activities. Try to reduce similarities and shoot more unusual films, so that your shooting method will be unique!
Seven,
Now it's digital, and most photographers use digital cameras. But no matter how good the camera is, there will always be many unsatisfactory films that need post-processing, especially the skin of the characters. Without post-processing, there will always be imperfections. It can be said that the completion of shooting is only half or even less of the workload of the whole portrait photography process, and there is still a lot of work to be adjusted and repaired in the later stage. Pictures without post-production can only be regarded as semi-finished products.
Although PS is the best camera software and can do almost anything according to the photographer's creative intention, not all tools are easy to operate and master. The complicated operation of many tools is still a headache. Fortunately, there are many other good picture softwares on the Internet, which are easy to master and operate. These photo softwares all have their own advantages and disadvantages. Photography enthusiasts will find a lot of convenience as long as they try a few camera software. I am here to give the most sincere advice to photographers. Post-processing is not as white as possible, but we must leave as many levels of light and shadow as possible to enrich the picture. The treatment of skin can't be a rubber man simply by grinding the skin, but must preserve the texture of the skin, which is the embodiment of the true beauty of portrait photography. I'd like to discuss the post-processing of pictures with photographers.
Finally, the most important point is that it is also the photographer's unshirkable responsibility to guide the viewer in the right direction. Most people in the audience don't know much about photography, which requires us to popularize some photography knowledge in time, explain the basic laws and common sense of photography to the public, tell the public what is really a good work, and guide the public to appreciate and appreciate photography. ? Vulgar? It is a ubiquitous thing in our life and an indispensable artistic expression, but it is not the goal pursued by photography. And then what? Vulgar? It is a bad form that we photographers should abandon, and we should not go with the flow to do some tacky works to mislead the public!
Skills and post-processing of portrait photography
Portraits can be said to be the most exposed subjects in daily life. Portrait photography is no longer just about recording people's faces. In order to shoot people better, we should master some common photography skills and make the photography effect icing on the cake through post-processing, so that the real content and perfect form of portrait photography can be harmonious and unified, and the characters in the picture can be more vivid.
Paper Keywords: portrait photography, skills, post-processing
Portrait photography is one of the most difficult types of photography. Photographers rely on their keen sense of art, through the arrangement of characters' postures, the choice of expressions, the treatment of light and color, let the characters speak and let the photographers reveal their inner world frankly. The photographer's attitude, mood, state, interaction with the photographer, external light and so on will all affect the final shooting result. You can move your position, use a flash, change clothes or make some gestures when taking a portrait. The only thing that can limit you here is your imagination, which is the key to shooting portraits. One of the best ways to learn how to shoot portraits is to learn from professionals. Here are some skills to think like a professional, which can help you shoot amazing portraits, so that the audience can see more vivid images from the characters in the picture, feel the flavor of the times and feel the colorful life.
Portrait photography skills
1. Establish harmonious communication with your model.
This is the most important skill. If you master this skill, you will be on the road to becoming an expert in portrait photography. Try to make them relaxed and happy. If you do this, good photos will follow. If you are still looking for a model, your girlfriend or boyfriend will be the best starting point for taking portrait photos.
2. The shadow synthesis of human camera
When taking portraits, regardless of close-ups, close-ups or the whole body, in addition to the pose and manner of the model, the most important thing is to ask the photographer to judge the composition. Close-ups of portraits are best shot with a medium-long focal length lens. In that case, the distance between the camera and the subject can be a little farther to avoid perspective deformation. When shooting close-range portraits, you should carefully choose the shooting angle. The direction of light projection, the softness and hardness of light properties, and pay attention to the attitude of the subject to master the appropriate shooting moment. Because the bust can be shot at or below the waist of the person, the posture change of the subject is much richer, which brings great convenience to the composition of the picture and enables us to shoot the subject more vividly. When shooting a full-length portrait, we should pay special attention to the combination of characters and backgrounds, as well as the handling of the subject's posture.
3. Choose the best shooting direction:
Everyone has such a life experience: the same person, from different angles, has different visual impressions, and some angles are more beautiful and verve. The same is true when shooting portraits. We should try to find the most beautiful and moving angle of the subject. The slight change of shooting angle will have a great influence on the performance of the recipient's image. The choice of shooting direction is the change of the left and right position of the camera with the subject as the center. The shooting direction is generally divided into frontal portrait, heptahedral portrait, three-sided portrait and side portrait. The frontal portrait is suitable for people with regular facial features and symmetrical and beautiful faces. If the face is too fat, too wide and too thin. Generally speaking, people with uneven sides, or people with different eyes and crooked noses and mouths should not shoot from the front.
Use telephoto end
The focal length of your lens is also one of the most important factors. You need to fully understand the characteristics of the lens and how to give full play to its advantages. If you have a digital camera and a standard zoom (usually around 18-55), then you already have good equipment for taking portraits. It is of course better if the focal length exceeds 100mm or more. It is ideal to take portraits with the telephoto end of the zoom lens. A telephoto lens can create a sense of oppression and make the face flatter and more pleasing.
Take photos with low saturation.
Low-saturation photos are usually artistic and creative. Some of today's best fashion and portrait photographers like to take photos with low saturation. So you shouldn't ignore this skill. This kind of photos mainly depends on sharpness, texture, light and composition. In addition, photos with low saturation can also bring different special feelings to the audience through post-processing.
6. Know everything about light.
As far as portrait shooting is concerned, cloudy skies and sunshine in the second half of the afternoon are good lights. Direct sunlight will make people look very bad, it will cast a dazzling shadow on the portrait and make the model squint or squint; Backlighting is exciting, although you may look at the dazzling sun, you may need a reflector or flash to hit the light on the model's face.
What is a reflector? Anything that can reflect light on your subject can weaken the shadow cast by light. You can buy a reflector, or use a whiteboard or white paper instead. The function of the reflector is to let you control the light.
7. Understand the camera settings
Camera settings can help you take a good portrait. When you shoot in portrait mode, you need to activate some of these settings. Some of the most useful settings are:
Image mode: If you use Canon EOS series cameras, you can set it to portrait mode, which can optimize contrast and saturation; Nikon's name is different. It's called Picture Control Settings. You need to read the instructions.
White balance: Set the camera's white balance to cloudy mode, which will make your model's skin look warmer.
ISO: if shooting in sunny days, it can be set to iso100; If it is cloudy, set it to ISO400, so that the camera will not shake because the shutter is too slow.
Image quality: If you like JPG format, please make sure to use the highest quality JPG. But the bigger the image format, the more space can be processed later.
8. Grasp the attitude of the characters.
Portrait photography is about spirit and form. How to capture the best highlights of characters in an instant is the key to the success or failure of portrait works. Before shooting, you should tell the model your thoughts, guide the model into your pre-designed shooting plot and publish a paper, so that the model can show her understanding of the shooting connotation within this range. Grab the room here, and the shooting success rate will be greatly improved. You can also encourage models to turn your camera to get better results and make them pose happily, naturally and spontaneously. These portraits will be more full of life. Try some creativity. Keep your model silent when people around you are walking; The best time to shoot a camera with a tripod.
9. Sugar water tablets for portrait photography
? Sugar water tablets? what's up New new human beings? Favorite photography style. The typical saying is:? Good visual feeling, dull psychological feeling? . Portrait photography has the outstanding theme of sugar water style, which can leave a deep impression on people, such as the model's shape, expression, temperament and so on. The style of sugar water is usually set in the background of scenic spots, landscapes, plants, pavilions, etc. The light is mostly bright and bright, or soft and charming, delicate and gentle. Photography techniques are mainly based on large depth of field, small light ratio, visual tradition, composition law and natural color transition.
10. Study the works of masters
Need to study the works of some portrait masters. See how they shoot. Posture, light, clothing, background, texture, shape and color, etc. Portrait photography can be divided into outdoor and indoor studios according to the environment.
For outdoor photographers, the publication of the paper is undoubtedly a great enjoyment and a broad space for photography creation. It is worth knowing and mastering some related shooting skills.
There are two ways to choose a site, one is to determine the location first, and it is best to have field experience. If you haven't been there, you must consult the relevant information in advance to be aware of it. After the location is determined, the shooting scheme can be designed according to the characteristics of the location. Another method is to decide the theme of outdoor portrait shooting first, and then find the position that serves the theme according to the needs of shooting.
Reasonable use of outdoor light, outdoor light can take good photos under any circumstances, the only question is whether the lighting method is appropriate. The so-called light angle includes the position of the sun, the position of the subject and the position of the camera. Sunlight is the only light source for outdoor photography and plays an important role in outdoor portrait photography. Sunlight not only plays the role of illuminating objects and shaping images, but also plays the role of rendering atmosphere and expressing characters' feelings. Only by knowing the changes of illumination and color temperature of sunlight in different periods of 12 hours can it be used in portrait photography accurately and reasonably. In addition, we should master the different characteristics of the paper, such as the integrated publication, the stereoscopic effect of side light, the vividness of backlight and the softness of scattered light. Of course, all this must be subject to the needs of theme creation.
The photo studio is the fastest and most convenient place for general portrait photography, so you don't have to waste time running around, and because the lighting, background, props and other photographic equipment in the photo studio are readily available, you can take good photos quickly and conveniently without any restrictions and interference.
In the indoor studio, the most types of shooting are close-up photos within seven parts of formula composition. In the aspect of style change, it is necessary to rely on the change of portrait modeling or the change of elegant or fancy background to make the work present more changeable high-order or low-order tone photos, or repeatedly expose photos.
Among the shooting techniques in the studio, lighting technology is the most important. As long as you master the basic lighting technology, you can use its simple and fast working environment to shoot beautiful wedding photography and artistic photos. One of the biggest advantages of indoor studio is that there are enough light sources, which is simple and perfect with double light method. With the combination of double lighting, you can take a more perfect close-up photo than outdoor photography.
Therefore, the indoor studio is the most suitable place to take perfect close-up photos, and it is also the fastest photo environment for every professional photographer.
Post-processing of portrait photography
There are more and more friends who use digital cameras now. In addition to the advantages of standing display and not using film, digital photography also gives everyone a lot of free processing space. What does it matter if there is no darkroom? As long as there is a computer and suitable software, everyone can further process and even artistic the photos.
Having good photography skills and a good camera can improve the efficiency of post-processing of photos and give full play to your imagination and creativity. So what if you only have a cheap card digital camera? It has nothing to do with it. After post-processing, we can still give full play to our advantages in a limited space.
In portrait photography, we will encounter all kinds of imperfections. For example, the photographed models have different eye sizes, crooked mouths, rough skin, too fat or too thin; The theme of composition is not prominent and unsightly; We can solve this defect through post-processing, because the text and background tone don't match. If it is an excellent work in the early stage, we can also modify and create it in the later stage to achieve a higher artistic realm. In short, the post-processing process and skills of portrait photography are summarized as three points:
1. Basic retouching skills of photos. Including cutting, changing background, detail correction, synthesis, etc.
2. Adjust the tone and color of the film. Including the use of various commands (such as color codes and curves). 3. Artistic treatment of photos. Including painting effects, sugar water tablets, Lome style, posters and so on.