Versatility in your portraits is not born; it’s learned, and if you run a successful portrait studio, productivity and efficiency are essential. Since you are making a living, should you stick to what you know or make time for something new?
When we compare technical skills vs. creativity, deciding to try something new or sticking to already developed skills may be a matter of curiosity or necessity. If new lighting, poses, perspectives, or lenses improve your images, then the question is how to efficiently and repeatably achieve results.
During my BFA in Painting, new projects forced me to think outside the box. I first had to define the box’s confines and then mold it with newly learned, sharpened skills I didn’t know. Voilà, versatility was born. Whether a photographer or painter, I think it is essential to master the technical skills of your medium. However, developed skills from successful and repeatable techniques crave creativity. Employing these methods helps hone specific skills to improve efficiency. But remember, trying something new will push you out of your comfort zone, and this is where growth happens.
You may want the viewer to feel something rather than just look at an image. Putting something between your subject and lens encourages a more engaging photograph because it includes the environment. This technique evokes emotion not only from the viewer but also from the subject. Let your creativity flourish, whether it’s a fence or flowers. It’s not a gimmick; it’s genius.
Take Your Time
Anything worth doing takes time. So, find patience in the process. On average, I take six photos per minute in a portrait session. That’s one photo every ten seconds. Why? Because I’d rather choose between forty photos instead of four hundred. Besides, attention to detail means better pictures and more room on your hard drive. Taking time allows you to pose your subjects carefully and helps highlight their best features. As mentioned in a previous webinar, Mastering The Art Of Posing, knowing their best side will help you achieve better portraiture. It also enables you to convey your story more cohesively.
Sometimes, candids require patience and careful anticipation because the spontaneity of emotions and the essence of actual moments offer a glimpse into who the person is. They make images more relatable. I have yet to master this coveted skill. Usually, candids are more valuable than staged photos because they are real moments.
If you find yourself at a wedding or event, try shooting candids as an invisible photographer, capturing unpredictable moments as they unfold. Silence your camera if you can, and go flashless.
Exterior Lighting
Morning Glory
I prefer sunrises for portraiture. Not only are sunrises more uplifting and inspiring, but they also offer renewal that sunsets can’t bring. They refresh the untainted, allowing you and your crew to enjoy cooler air. Usually, colors are more vivid, calm, and crisp during the early morning than dramatic shadows and highlights during sunsets. This softer, diffused light carries unique and underappreciated advantages that flatter the subject’s features. I prefer these tones if I want to capture true wardrobe colors. From my experience, sunrises are usually less windy, which will keep your hairstylist smiling.
Furthermore, popular locations are less crowded and quieter at sunrise, thus producing an uninterrupted and more relaxed photoshoot. The serenity of early mornings might even result in subjects having more genuine expressions. A key factor to early morning shoots is getting enough rest the night before.
The Midday Struggle
When the sun is at noon, shadows under the subject’s eyes are very harsh, and portraits are unfavorable. From my experience shooting fashion catalogs outdoors during midday, I’ve found that cameras with a higher dynamic range perform better in these harsher conditions because they have more latitude between darks and lights.
You can also offset the harsh shadows by creating directional light with diffusion panels and strobes. When deciding to go this route, I recommend using a high-speed sync or a leaf shutter lens to dampen the ambient light. Similar to sunglasses, ND filters are also an option, which reduces the amount of light hitting the sensor.
Whatever route you choose, remember the exposure triangle. Shutter speed regulates ambient light. The aperture controls the strobe’s power and distance from the subject. ISO affects both the shutter speed and aperture.
If using strobes, determine which light modifiers work best for your desired light. Experimenting with a high-speed sync, diffusion panels, strobes, and ND filters will take your midday photography to the next level.
Overcast Days
Give me a camera, some empty cards, and a couple of batteries on an overcast day, and you won’t hear from me for a few hours. Hazy or cloudy days are my preferred light for photographing practically anything because overcast days provide more opportunities for exploring emotions. With less dynamic range between highlights and shadows, the light is more evenly dispersed. Overcast days are manageable, predictable, and manipulatable, especially when photographing white things like snow or wedding dresses.
Evening Magic
Posing in front of a warm sunset enhances the photograph with vibrant colors. Sunsets are preferred to reduce the goosebumps on your subject’s skin because air and water temperatures are usually warmer later in the day. When the sun dips below the horizon, the deep palette of warm colors enhances the emotion of a silhouette. I prefer using a fill flash over a bounce card during sunset shoots to control the light’s intensity, quality, and direction. Also, lens flare can be added by letting the light hit the lens’s front element.
Low-Angle Perspective vs. High-Angle Perspective
Low Perspective
A low-angle approach can effectively communicate a sense of heroism and inspire awe. It will make your subject appear more prominent and make the viewer literally and metaphorically look up to them. This strong and authoritative perspective can emphasize power and dominance in a particular context.
High Perspective
Creating a portrait from a high angle can make the subject appear in need of protection. This technique evokes empathy and emphasizes a reflective moment. High-angle shots are effective in storytelling, especially if the subject is lying down because they create a sense of vulnerability and intimacy. Creating a portrait from a high angle can improve your portfolio because it communicates creativity. Its intriguing perspective stands out among the crowd.
Depth Of Field
Depth of field is one of the most significant elements in portrait photography. Whether you’re a longtime Canon shooter like myself or prefer Sony or Nikon, the 85mm lens is a beautiful portrait lens because of its shallow depth of field. Blurring the background will enhance the impact of the portrait. Try opening up to the widest aperture and transforming a simple image into an artistic one. In addition to Canon, Nikon, and Sony lenses, third-party lens manufacturer Sigma makes a beautiful 85mm.
Get Inspired
If your ideas are stagnant, follow photographers who inspire you, check out Lürzer’s Archive, or search the web for image concepts. In the past, I’ve enjoyed replicating my photography heroes’ images. Understanding how their photos were created was insightful because I learned something new.
If you’re not photographing for your dream clients, my advice is to shoot for the work you want instead of for the work you can get. Once your portfolio reflects your passion, your future clients will see your vision. Keep putting one foot before the other and make your dream a reality.
This blog was written by Eric Garcia-March, our in-house Photography Education Specialist and host of our McKenna Live webinars. Prior to McKenna, Eric was a commercial photographer for over 15 years and taught classes at the Image Processing and Multimedia Technology Center in Spain and post-production classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. Schedule a free one-on-one coaching session with Eric today.
Images by Any Angle Photography, Loker Photography, Shirk Photography, JW Portrait Studio, Dogtography by Kala Howard, and Cathy Anderson Photography.