There are a few specific ways to learn how to take portraits of people, and I'm going to share some of those tips with you today. Lighting, composition, digital camera settings and your lens are the right places to start when you begin to take portraits of people. Lighting and lens quality are the first two considerations.
Without good lighting and a specific portrait lens, your portrait photography can become less than stunning. It is best that you take note of this list I am about to give you so that your portrait photography lasts a lifetime.
Capturing the eyes, skin tone and facial expression are the important elements that make up a good portrait of somebody. The beauty about portrait photography is that you can do it as a candid photo as opposed to a portrait image in a studio. Someone's cheerful facial expression combined with high-quality lighting and a sharp lens can be a major ingredient in successful portrait shots.
You do not always need a professional photography studio to take good portraiture. You can shoot portraits outside, or indoors even without a studio. I have shot many photos of people in many different situations. They have all been somewhat different portraiture shots but they are still portrait photography. A different place doesn't mean they are not portraits.
So what are these diverse locations and situations? I have taken photos of people on stage, collecting their citizenship certificates from the mayor, relaxing under a tree in a park, celebrating their coming of age, taking their vows of marriage and smiling at their loved one when they didn't think they were being photographed. All these distinct situations structure portrait photography. So let's begin...
The best lighting for Portrait Photos
Let's start with the most ideal thing in portrait photography. If you want to become skilled at how to take good portraits then this is the place to begin. Lighting will either make or fracture your portrait photo. You have to have precisely the right amount of lighting to highlight the person you're photographing.
Lighting also has an effect on mood and feeling. When you opt for lighting that is gentle and dim this may possibly create a more romantic mood. When you go for lighting that is very brilliant and high in contrast, this is important for things like sports portrait photography. If you want to create a romantic sentiment in your portrait photography then think about softening your lighting. Creating gentle light can make portrait photography more interesting.
Choose the lighting that is suitable to the location. Wedding photography that has filtered lighting can work very well. However if you are photographing some kids in the park, then you might want to choose a vivid and colourful lighting effect. Something that is bright and colourful can represent joy and playfulness. A sense of fun can be encouraged by the right lighting.
So what about situations where lighting is poor? I have been in many situations before where it has been almost no lighting and I have not been able to use the flash. In this situation you may want to turn your ISO up to the maximum setting. If you can use your flash then by all means, do so.
Don't stand too close to the person you're photographing and fire the flash as well. Depending on what flash you have you may be able to have distinct intensities of flash light being fired. Or if you have an inbuilt flash you might not be able to change the intensity of the light. This depends on the camera on the type of flash you have. If you stand too near to the person you are going to overexpose the features on their face, create small, bright areas of light on their cheekbones and nose. No matter how hard you try you may not be able to remove it easily in Photoshop.
If you are creating photos of your friend at a party in the evening, and the flash is the only source of light you have, then make sure you stand back from them. Any closer than 3 meters may overexpose the person. You also don't want to blast them with an eye full of extreme, bright light. I have a preference to shoot with a long telephoto lens and use the flash simultaneously. I like to stand back and zoom in, and increase my flash up to the maximum intensity. Whenever I've done this I have found that I have a pleasant light over the persons features.
Bouncing the flash is a great method for portrait photography. When you bounce the flash you basically twist the head of the flash up to the ceiling, or towards a wall, and allow the light to bounce from that source back to the person. Bounced light is softer and a lot better for portraits. It is a wonderful way to get better portraits at wedding ceremonies, birthdays and celebrations.
Without good lighting and a specific portrait lens, your portrait photography can become less than stunning. It is best that you take note of this list I am about to give you so that your portrait photography lasts a lifetime.
Capturing the eyes, skin tone and facial expression are the important elements that make up a good portrait of somebody. The beauty about portrait photography is that you can do it as a candid photo as opposed to a portrait image in a studio. Someone's cheerful facial expression combined with high-quality lighting and a sharp lens can be a major ingredient in successful portrait shots.
You do not always need a professional photography studio to take good portraiture. You can shoot portraits outside, or indoors even without a studio. I have shot many photos of people in many different situations. They have all been somewhat different portraiture shots but they are still portrait photography. A different place doesn't mean they are not portraits.
So what are these diverse locations and situations? I have taken photos of people on stage, collecting their citizenship certificates from the mayor, relaxing under a tree in a park, celebrating their coming of age, taking their vows of marriage and smiling at their loved one when they didn't think they were being photographed. All these distinct situations structure portrait photography. So let's begin...
The best lighting for Portrait Photos
Let's start with the most ideal thing in portrait photography. If you want to become skilled at how to take good portraits then this is the place to begin. Lighting will either make or fracture your portrait photo. You have to have precisely the right amount of lighting to highlight the person you're photographing.
Lighting also has an effect on mood and feeling. When you opt for lighting that is gentle and dim this may possibly create a more romantic mood. When you go for lighting that is very brilliant and high in contrast, this is important for things like sports portrait photography. If you want to create a romantic sentiment in your portrait photography then think about softening your lighting. Creating gentle light can make portrait photography more interesting.
Choose the lighting that is suitable to the location. Wedding photography that has filtered lighting can work very well. However if you are photographing some kids in the park, then you might want to choose a vivid and colourful lighting effect. Something that is bright and colourful can represent joy and playfulness. A sense of fun can be encouraged by the right lighting.
So what about situations where lighting is poor? I have been in many situations before where it has been almost no lighting and I have not been able to use the flash. In this situation you may want to turn your ISO up to the maximum setting. If you can use your flash then by all means, do so.
Don't stand too close to the person you're photographing and fire the flash as well. Depending on what flash you have you may be able to have distinct intensities of flash light being fired. Or if you have an inbuilt flash you might not be able to change the intensity of the light. This depends on the camera on the type of flash you have. If you stand too near to the person you are going to overexpose the features on their face, create small, bright areas of light on their cheekbones and nose. No matter how hard you try you may not be able to remove it easily in Photoshop.
If you are creating photos of your friend at a party in the evening, and the flash is the only source of light you have, then make sure you stand back from them. Any closer than 3 meters may overexpose the person. You also don't want to blast them with an eye full of extreme, bright light. I have a preference to shoot with a long telephoto lens and use the flash simultaneously. I like to stand back and zoom in, and increase my flash up to the maximum intensity. Whenever I've done this I have found that I have a pleasant light over the persons features.
Bouncing the flash is a great method for portrait photography. When you bounce the flash you basically twist the head of the flash up to the ceiling, or towards a wall, and allow the light to bounce from that source back to the person. Bounced light is softer and a lot better for portraits. It is a wonderful way to get better portraits at wedding ceremonies, birthdays and celebrations.
Always remember that your lighting must be well balanced. You need even lighting over your person's face to create an appealing portrait photo. Even if you have the best lens and camera in the world, it won't help you at all unless you have the light spread evenly across the persons features. This accentuates the eyes and smile.
Colour Enhancement for Portrait Photography
Colour portrait photography covers many things. Wedding photography is a traditional model of this. As I have spoken about your lighting and things that you can do with your lighting, I will now discuss colour.
The tips to colour portrait photography are of course your light but is also colour matching. For example, if you want to create a beautiful colour portrait then you would not only expose the light suitably, but you would make sure that the colours complement. This is a big secret that us photographers have up our sleeve. Let me elaborate.
Colour portrait photography is successful when all the colours complement each other within the single shot. If you want to create a colour portrait that stands out then select colours that go well with the person's skin tone. Let's take the example of a woman with light-colored hair, light skin and green eyes. If you were to dress her in black it would not look good on her at all. However earthy Greens, light pink, cobalt and purple, will suit her complexion.
Someone who has dark hair, dark skin and brown eyes may be suited to other colours. They may look fantastic in white, black or other distinct colours. The secret that portrait photographers use when creating beautiful portraits are colour matching techniques.
If you're photographing numerous people in your portrait photography then it always looks nice to dress people in either the same or very similar colours. A family photographed on the seashore might look good all dressed in white, blue and yellow. It doesn't have to be the same white, blue and yellow, but if you keep with the similar colour theme then you will begin to create gorgeous portraits.
What Camera Settings for Portraits?
The Accurate Camera Settings For Portraits Depends On Your Lighting. It is quite tough to inform you what the perfect camera settings for portraits really are. You see camera settings are the way they are because of the light that you have to work with. If I advise you that F-18 and a shutter speed of 125 is the ideal setting then your portrait shot could be grossly inaccurate if you are photographing people at night time with the flash for example.
However I can tell you that your aperture can be a big impact on your portrait photography. If you are photographing someone up close and want to blur the background then I would support you to examine a large aperture. F 4 might be a better place to start. When you zoom into someone's face and you use a large aperture, you may see that the background is totally out of focus. This works very well when there are distracting things in the background that you want to eliminate. It works very well when you just want to focus on the person's eyes.
So what about shutter speed? Again it is dependent on the lighting you have to work with. It also depends on if you are taking candid portraits or whether you are taking posed portraits. The difference will be the amount of motion and movement. Candid portraiture can at times be complicated in low light and this can create trouble in finding the precise shutter speed. The camera may be telling you that it wants you to slow down the shutter speed. However, you know that if you do, you will totally blur the person. And that may not be ideal for the situation.
If you are shooting your portrait photo in professional photography studio lighting then these things are not going to be a big setback. You will however still need to observe your shutter speed because even the smallest movement at a slow shutter speed can create out of focus images. Decide on the shutter speed that is fairly fast so that you will not have to worry about blur from any motion.
So as you can see camera settings of portraits is not a black-and-white topic, excuse the pun. You need to work out the right camera settings to your portraits based on the lights but you have to work with. As I talked about portrait photography covers a wide range of areas and conditions so it is ideal that everything is well exposed and that you have the precise shutter speed to complement the movement.
Which Is the Right Lens for Portrait Photography?
Being a professional photographer means I have many lenses to choose from. I have many lenses because it gives me the ability to be flexible in every situation. This does not mean that you have to hurry out and acquire different lenses yourself. I recommend trying out portraits with one lens so that you get comfortable with how your lens works with people shots.
Different lenses give different effects. A 50 mm fixed focal length lens is a good focal length for portrait photography. You can get up close to someone without making their nose look too huge as wide angle lenses sometimes do. In fact I suggest staying away from ultra wide-angle lenses for your portraits. You must to be able to get a good head and shoulders shot, middle crop or nice vertical length shot. You can achieve this using a few lenses.
I think I would have to say that my favourite portrait lens is the 70 to 200 mm cannon telephoto lens. I am a Canon user however I have used Nikon in the past and found both of them brilliant. Nikon also has a 70 to 200 mm telephoto lens that I found very good . At this focal length you can take great candid portraits and you can also use this lens to take beautiful studio shots too. You probably don't need a focal length that is so long if you are working in the studio. Your 50 to 70 mm range will probably do quite fine.
Why do I prefer the 70 to 200 mm? Simply because it gives me the overall flexibility of zooming in quite close to someone and it also gives me the flexibility to take candid shots in public conditions. I find the versatility and adaptability of this focal range very clever indeed. I see photographers that take a couple of cameras to a wedding because they have various lenses that they want to use. I find the 70 to 200 mm range does the task just fine.
These are luxurious lenses. This is a specialized capability lens so I propose becoming very familiar with the lens you have before buying something like this. I also have a 24 to 105 mm lens that works very nicely for portrait photography too. I only prefer to use the 70 to 200 mm as many times I do candid portraiture. Having that additional focal length of 200 mm lets me to get a little bit closer than I could with a 105 mm.
I have also photographed portraits with the 50 mm lens that have worked fantastically. However I can't really do this in a candid setting. I simply can't get in close enough without being noticed. When I have done animal portraits and normal human portraits, I found that the 50 mm prime lens was a clear lens to use. If someone knows they're going to have their picture taken then they will positively sit still for you. The 50 mm prime lens is sharp and clear for posed portraits up close.
Basically, I would have to say that it is dependent on the type of portrait photography that you are doing, as to what lens to use. Try and get a lens that works suitably for the type of portraits you shoot.
Helpful Creative Portrait Photography Ideas
There are lots of resourceful portrait photography ideas that you can use undoubtedly and swiftly. Here are some ideas that you can use. I use them in my portrait photography so please feel free to use them as well.
Candid portraiture ideas
A couple of people talking together and joking
Somebody playing their guitar
Playing with the dog in the park, For example throwing the Ball
Reading their favourite book
Sitting on the riverbank waiting for a
Colour Enhancement for Portrait Photography
Colour portrait photography covers many things. Wedding photography is a traditional model of this. As I have spoken about your lighting and things that you can do with your lighting, I will now discuss colour.
The tips to colour portrait photography are of course your light but is also colour matching. For example, if you want to create a beautiful colour portrait then you would not only expose the light suitably, but you would make sure that the colours complement. This is a big secret that us photographers have up our sleeve. Let me elaborate.
Colour portrait photography is successful when all the colours complement each other within the single shot. If you want to create a colour portrait that stands out then select colours that go well with the person's skin tone. Let's take the example of a woman with light-colored hair, light skin and green eyes. If you were to dress her in black it would not look good on her at all. However earthy Greens, light pink, cobalt and purple, will suit her complexion.
Someone who has dark hair, dark skin and brown eyes may be suited to other colours. They may look fantastic in white, black or other distinct colours. The secret that portrait photographers use when creating beautiful portraits are colour matching techniques.
If you're photographing numerous people in your portrait photography then it always looks nice to dress people in either the same or very similar colours. A family photographed on the seashore might look good all dressed in white, blue and yellow. It doesn't have to be the same white, blue and yellow, but if you keep with the similar colour theme then you will begin to create gorgeous portraits.
What Camera Settings for Portraits?
The Accurate Camera Settings For Portraits Depends On Your Lighting. It is quite tough to inform you what the perfect camera settings for portraits really are. You see camera settings are the way they are because of the light that you have to work with. If I advise you that F-18 and a shutter speed of 125 is the ideal setting then your portrait shot could be grossly inaccurate if you are photographing people at night time with the flash for example.
However I can tell you that your aperture can be a big impact on your portrait photography. If you are photographing someone up close and want to blur the background then I would support you to examine a large aperture. F 4 might be a better place to start. When you zoom into someone's face and you use a large aperture, you may see that the background is totally out of focus. This works very well when there are distracting things in the background that you want to eliminate. It works very well when you just want to focus on the person's eyes.
So what about shutter speed? Again it is dependent on the lighting you have to work with. It also depends on if you are taking candid portraits or whether you are taking posed portraits. The difference will be the amount of motion and movement. Candid portraiture can at times be complicated in low light and this can create trouble in finding the precise shutter speed. The camera may be telling you that it wants you to slow down the shutter speed. However, you know that if you do, you will totally blur the person. And that may not be ideal for the situation.
If you are shooting your portrait photo in professional photography studio lighting then these things are not going to be a big setback. You will however still need to observe your shutter speed because even the smallest movement at a slow shutter speed can create out of focus images. Decide on the shutter speed that is fairly fast so that you will not have to worry about blur from any motion.
So as you can see camera settings of portraits is not a black-and-white topic, excuse the pun. You need to work out the right camera settings to your portraits based on the lights but you have to work with. As I talked about portrait photography covers a wide range of areas and conditions so it is ideal that everything is well exposed and that you have the precise shutter speed to complement the movement.
Which Is the Right Lens for Portrait Photography?
Being a professional photographer means I have many lenses to choose from. I have many lenses because it gives me the ability to be flexible in every situation. This does not mean that you have to hurry out and acquire different lenses yourself. I recommend trying out portraits with one lens so that you get comfortable with how your lens works with people shots.
Different lenses give different effects. A 50 mm fixed focal length lens is a good focal length for portrait photography. You can get up close to someone without making their nose look too huge as wide angle lenses sometimes do. In fact I suggest staying away from ultra wide-angle lenses for your portraits. You must to be able to get a good head and shoulders shot, middle crop or nice vertical length shot. You can achieve this using a few lenses.
I think I would have to say that my favourite portrait lens is the 70 to 200 mm cannon telephoto lens. I am a Canon user however I have used Nikon in the past and found both of them brilliant. Nikon also has a 70 to 200 mm telephoto lens that I found very good . At this focal length you can take great candid portraits and you can also use this lens to take beautiful studio shots too. You probably don't need a focal length that is so long if you are working in the studio. Your 50 to 70 mm range will probably do quite fine.
Why do I prefer the 70 to 200 mm? Simply because it gives me the overall flexibility of zooming in quite close to someone and it also gives me the flexibility to take candid shots in public conditions. I find the versatility and adaptability of this focal range very clever indeed. I see photographers that take a couple of cameras to a wedding because they have various lenses that they want to use. I find the 70 to 200 mm range does the task just fine.
These are luxurious lenses. This is a specialized capability lens so I propose becoming very familiar with the lens you have before buying something like this. I also have a 24 to 105 mm lens that works very nicely for portrait photography too. I only prefer to use the 70 to 200 mm as many times I do candid portraiture. Having that additional focal length of 200 mm lets me to get a little bit closer than I could with a 105 mm.
I have also photographed portraits with the 50 mm lens that have worked fantastically. However I can't really do this in a candid setting. I simply can't get in close enough without being noticed. When I have done animal portraits and normal human portraits, I found that the 50 mm prime lens was a clear lens to use. If someone knows they're going to have their picture taken then they will positively sit still for you. The 50 mm prime lens is sharp and clear for posed portraits up close.
Basically, I would have to say that it is dependent on the type of portrait photography that you are doing, as to what lens to use. Try and get a lens that works suitably for the type of portraits you shoot.
Helpful Creative Portrait Photography Ideas
There are lots of resourceful portrait photography ideas that you can use undoubtedly and swiftly. Here are some ideas that you can use. I use them in my portrait photography so please feel free to use them as well.
Candid portraiture ideas
A couple of people talking together and joking
Somebody playing their guitar
Playing with the dog in the park, For example throwing the Ball
Reading their favourite book
Sitting on the riverbank waiting for a
So what about shutter speed? Again it is dependent on the lighting you have to work with. It also depends on if you are taking candid portraits or whether you are taking posed portraits. The difference will be the amount of motion and movement. Candid portraiture can at times be complicated in low light and this can create trouble in finding the precise shutter speed. The camera may be telling you that it wants you to slow down the shutter speed. However, you know that if you do, you will totally blur the person. And that may not be ideal for the situation.
If you are shooting your portrait photo in professional photography studio lighting then these things are not going to be a big setback. You will however still need to observe your shutter speed because even the smallest movement at a slow shutter speed can create out of focus images. Decide on the shutter speed that is fairly fast so that you will not have to worry about blur from any motion.
So as you can see camera settings of portraits is not a black-and-white topic, excuse the pun. You need to work out the right camera settings to your portraits based on the lights but you have to work with. As I talked about portrait photography covers a wide range of areas and conditions so it is ideal that everything is well exposed and that you have the precise shutter speed to complement the movement.
Which Is the Right Lens for Portrait Photography?
Being a professional photographer means I have many lenses to choose from. I have many lenses because it gives me the ability to be flexible in every situation. This does not mean that you have to hurry out and acquire different lenses yourself. I recommend trying out portraits with one lens so that you get comfortable with how your lens works with people shots.
Different lenses give different effects. A 50 mm fixed focal length lens is a good focal length for portrait photography. You can get up close to someone without making their nose look too huge as wide angle lenses sometimes do. In fact I suggest staying away from ultra wide-angle lenses for your portraits. You must to be able to get a good head and shoulders shot, middle crop or nice vertical length shot. You can achieve this using a few lenses.
I think I would have to say that my favourite portrait lens is the 70 to 200 mm cannon telephoto lens. I am a Canon user however I have used Nikon in the past and found both of them brilliant. Nikon also has a 70 to 200 mm telephoto lens that I found very good . At this focal length you can take great candid portraits and you can also use this lens to take beautiful studio shots too. You probably don't need a focal length that is so long if you are working in the studio. Your 50 to 70 mm range will probably do quite fine.
Why do I prefer the 70 to 200 mm? Simply because it gives me the overall flexibility of zooming in quite close to someone and it also gives me the flexibility to take candid shots in public conditions. I find the versatility and adaptability of this focal range very clever indeed. I see photographers that take a couple of cameras to a wedding because they have various lenses that they want to use. I find the 70 to 200 mm range does the task just fine.
These are luxurious lenses. This is a specialized capability lens so I propose becoming very familiar with the lens you have before buying something like this. I also have a 24 to 105 mm lens that works very nicely for portrait photography too. I only prefer to use the 70 to 200 mm as many times I do candid portraiture. Having that additional focal length of 200 mm lets me to get a little bit closer than I could with a 105 mm.
I have also photographed portraits with the 50 mm lens that have worked fantastically. However I can't really do this in a candid setting. I simply can't get in close enough without being noticed. When I have done animal portraits and normal human portraits, I found that the 50 mm prime lens was a clear lens to use. If someone knows they're going to have their picture taken then they will positively sit still for you. The 50 mm prime lens is sharp and clear for posed portraits up close.
Basically, I would have to say that it is dependent on the type of portrait photography that you are doing, as to what lens to use. Try and get a lens that works suitably for the type of portraits you shoot.
Helpful Creative Portrait Photography Ideas
There are lots of resourceful portrait photography ideas that you can use undoubtedly and swiftly. Here are some ideas that you can use. I use them in my portrait photography so please feel free to use them as well.
Candid portraiture ideas
A couple of people talking together and joking
Somebody playing their guitar
Playing with the dog in the park, For example throwing the Ball
Reading their favourite book
Sitting on the riverbank waiting for a fish
Doing something they adore, like perhaps painting, playing Soccer, etc
Posed portrait photography ideas that I have used:
Leaning on a lovely old tree and looking at the camera
Relaxing on a park bench with beautiful hills behind them
Being photographed, tightly cropped, with flowers around them
Sitting on the beach with the waves in the background
Also, include combine black and white shots into the mix. Black and white portraits can provide a striking, enduring look to your images. And, in a basic sense, everybody looks interesting being photographed in black and white. When you come to your post processing, decrease a little of the mid tones, increase your contrast and you will have a good black and white photo.
These are just some ideas that you can use to produce beautiful, imaginative portraiture. You will find the more you do it the more creative ideas come. It really is just a matter of practice and application. You will be successful in no time.
Remember that the key to taking lovely portraits is soft lighting, understanding how to use your digital camera, understanding the camera settings for the light and being able to work properly with people. You do need to be a people person when you specialise in portrait photography. Social skills will be an enormous help for the lifetime of your photography business.
About the Author:
If you are shooting your portrait photo in professional photography studio lighting then these things are not going to be a big setback. You will however still need to observe your shutter speed because even the smallest movement at a slow shutter speed can create out of focus images. Decide on the shutter speed that is fairly fast so that you will not have to worry about blur from any motion.
So as you can see camera settings of portraits is not a black-and-white topic, excuse the pun. You need to work out the right camera settings to your portraits based on the lights but you have to work with. As I talked about portrait photography covers a wide range of areas and conditions so it is ideal that everything is well exposed and that you have the precise shutter speed to complement the movement.
Which Is the Right Lens for Portrait Photography?
Being a professional photographer means I have many lenses to choose from. I have many lenses because it gives me the ability to be flexible in every situation. This does not mean that you have to hurry out and acquire different lenses yourself. I recommend trying out portraits with one lens so that you get comfortable with how your lens works with people shots.
Different lenses give different effects. A 50 mm fixed focal length lens is a good focal length for portrait photography. You can get up close to someone without making their nose look too huge as wide angle lenses sometimes do. In fact I suggest staying away from ultra wide-angle lenses for your portraits. You must to be able to get a good head and shoulders shot, middle crop or nice vertical length shot. You can achieve this using a few lenses.
I think I would have to say that my favourite portrait lens is the 70 to 200 mm cannon telephoto lens. I am a Canon user however I have used Nikon in the past and found both of them brilliant. Nikon also has a 70 to 200 mm telephoto lens that I found very good . At this focal length you can take great candid portraits and you can also use this lens to take beautiful studio shots too. You probably don't need a focal length that is so long if you are working in the studio. Your 50 to 70 mm range will probably do quite fine.
Why do I prefer the 70 to 200 mm? Simply because it gives me the overall flexibility of zooming in quite close to someone and it also gives me the flexibility to take candid shots in public conditions. I find the versatility and adaptability of this focal range very clever indeed. I see photographers that take a couple of cameras to a wedding because they have various lenses that they want to use. I find the 70 to 200 mm range does the task just fine.
These are luxurious lenses. This is a specialized capability lens so I propose becoming very familiar with the lens you have before buying something like this. I also have a 24 to 105 mm lens that works very nicely for portrait photography too. I only prefer to use the 70 to 200 mm as many times I do candid portraiture. Having that additional focal length of 200 mm lets me to get a little bit closer than I could with a 105 mm.
I have also photographed portraits with the 50 mm lens that have worked fantastically. However I can't really do this in a candid setting. I simply can't get in close enough without being noticed. When I have done animal portraits and normal human portraits, I found that the 50 mm prime lens was a clear lens to use. If someone knows they're going to have their picture taken then they will positively sit still for you. The 50 mm prime lens is sharp and clear for posed portraits up close.
Basically, I would have to say that it is dependent on the type of portrait photography that you are doing, as to what lens to use. Try and get a lens that works suitably for the type of portraits you shoot.
Helpful Creative Portrait Photography Ideas
There are lots of resourceful portrait photography ideas that you can use undoubtedly and swiftly. Here are some ideas that you can use. I use them in my portrait photography so please feel free to use them as well.
Candid portraiture ideas
A couple of people talking together and joking
Somebody playing their guitar
Playing with the dog in the park, For example throwing the Ball
Reading their favourite book
Sitting on the riverbank waiting for a fish
Doing something they adore, like perhaps painting, playing Soccer, etc
Posed portrait photography ideas that I have used:
Leaning on a lovely old tree and looking at the camera
Relaxing on a park bench with beautiful hills behind them
Being photographed, tightly cropped, with flowers around them
Sitting on the beach with the waves in the background
Also, include combine black and white shots into the mix. Black and white portraits can provide a striking, enduring look to your images. And, in a basic sense, everybody looks interesting being photographed in black and white. When you come to your post processing, decrease a little of the mid tones, increase your contrast and you will have a good black and white photo.
These are just some ideas that you can use to produce beautiful, imaginative portraiture. You will find the more you do it the more creative ideas come. It really is just a matter of practice and application. You will be successful in no time.
Remember that the key to taking lovely portraits is soft lighting, understanding how to use your digital camera, understanding the camera settings for the light and being able to work properly with people. You do need to be a people person when you specialise in portrait photography. Social skills will be an enormous help for the lifetime of your photography business.
About the Author:
Amy Renfrey is a professional photography teacher. She shows you how to take stunning photos every single time you press the shutter, even if you have never used a digital camera before. To discover how to take good photos/ better than ever before visit her website today.