Becoming a portrait photographer requires an in-depth knowledge of camera techniques, an understanding of lighting and people skills. The training is similar for any type of photography with a few exceptions meant to focus the photographer on working with people and editing images with human subjects.
Camera Knowledge
Understanding how the camera works is essential to becoming a successful photographer. While this may seem obvious, many of today's portrait photographers do not understand the mechanics of their cameras and rely on the automatic modes to shoot adequate images. Understanding how to operate your camera in manual mode is essential to reaching beyond the typical image and achieving artistic results for portrait work. Portraits rely heavily on lighting, and many automatic camera modes cannot read light in the same way that the photographer's eye can understand the light source. Understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO (or film speed) and how to work your camera to balance these settings properly. Enroll in a formal workshop or classroom setting to learn the proper camera techniques and how to apply them to the portrait niche. After learning the techniques, devote a great deal of time to shooting portraits to become fluent in the manual modes of the camera.
Lighting Experience
Lighting can take an ordinary portrait and make an artistic masterpiece. Shadows, highlights, silhouettes and ambient or natural light sources are the staples to any portrait photographer's tool kit. Study the basic elements of light in a workshop or formal classroom setting to create a lighting foundation. If one plans on working in a studio or controlled light setting, with large strobes, remote flashes and reflectors, enroll in a studio lighting class or workshop to learn the techniques. The equipment can be complicated and technical, so learning from an experienced professional is strongly recommended.
Working with People
Working with people is an obvious requirement for a portrait photographer, but acquiring the skills to make someone comfortable in front of the camera is challenging. Many of the people skills gained while working in a restaurant or customer service industry can be applied to portrait photography. Learning to put people at ease through conversation, dealing with people in a professional and positive manner and making sure the customer always feels comfortable and attended to properly are all skills learned in various customer service industries and are directly applicable to portrait work. A portrait photographer must make someone comfortable quickly while operating their camera and controlling the situation being photographed. Laughter and conversation are the best methods for helping someone relax, and the service industry is one of the best place to learn these skills.
Digital Workflow
Understanding the digital work flow of images, from camera to print, is essential to being a successful portrait photographer. Photographers spend a large amount of time working with digital image files and knowing how to transfer them properly, how to archive them, where to store the files and what formats to use are essential. If the images are corrupted during this transfer process from camera to computer, a re-shoot of the portrait session will be required. When large studio portrait sessions are damaged in the computer, thousands of dollars can be lost in a re-shoot.
Photo Editing
Learning the professional photo-editing software programs is a necessary component of the photographer's training. Portrait photographers will need to understand more than the basics of professional photo editing, as working with skin tones, editing skin imperfections and correcting certain lighting situations are required for portrait photography. Learn the basics of photo editing through experience and by reading program manuals, and then enroll in a workshop or class dedicated to portrait photo editing to learn the more complicated techniques necessary to edit images of people.
Becoming a portrait photographer requires an in-depth knowledge of camera techniques, an understanding of lighting and people skills. The training is similar for any type of photography with a few exceptions meant to focus the photographer on working with people and editing images with human subjects.
Camera Knowledge
Understanding how the camera works is essential to becoming a successful photographer. While this may seem obvious, many of today's portrait photographers do not understand the mechanics of their cameras and rely on the automatic modes to shoot adequate images. Understanding how to operate your camera in manual mode is essential to reaching beyond the typical image and achieving artistic results for portrait work. Portraits rely heavily on lighting, and many automatic camera modes cannot read light in the same way that the photographer's eye can understand the light source. Understand aperture, shutter speed and ISO (or film speed) and how to work your camera to balance these settings properly. Enroll in a formal workshop or classroom setting to learn the proper camera techniques and how to apply them to the portrait niche. After learning the techniques, devote a great deal of time to shooting portraits to become fluent in the manual modes of the camera.
Lighting Experience
Lighting can take an ordinary portrait and make an artistic masterpiece. Shadows, highlights, silhouettes and ambient or natural light sources are the staples to any portrait photographer's tool kit. Study the basic elements of light in a workshop or formal classroom setting to create a lighting foundation. If one plans on working in a studio or controlled light setting, with large strobes, remote flashes and reflectors, enroll in a studio lighting class or workshop to learn the techniques. The equipment can be complicated and technical, so learning from an experienced professional is strongly recommended.
Working with People
Working with people is an obvious requirement for a portrait photographer, but acquiring the skills to make someone comfortable in front of the camera is challenging. Many of the people skills gained while working in a restaurant or customer service industry can be applied to portrait photography. Learning to put people at ease through conversation, dealing with people in a professional and positive manner and making sure the customer always feels comfortable and attended to properly are all skills learned in various customer service industries and are directly applicable to portrait work. A portrait photographer must make someone comfortable quickly while operating their camera and controlling the situation being photographed. Laughter and conversation are the best methods for helping someone relax, and the service industry is one of the best place to learn these skills.
Digital Workflow
Understanding the digital work flow of images, from camera to print, is essential to being a successful portrait photographer. Photographers spend a large amount of time working with digital image files and knowing how to transfer them properly, how to archive them, where to store the files and what formats to use are essential. If the images are corrupted during this transfer process from camera to computer, a re-shoot of the portrait session will be required. When large studio portrait sessions are damaged in the computer, thousands of dollars can be lost in a re-shoot.
Photo Editing
Learning the professional photo-editing software programs is a necessary component of the photographer's training. Portrait photographers will need to understand more than the basics of professional photo editing, as working with skin tones, editing skin imperfections and correcting certain lighting situations are required for portrait photography. Learn the basics of photo editing through experience and by reading program manuals, and then enroll in a workshop or class dedicated to portrait photo editing to learn the more complicated techniques necessary to edit images of people.
Wedding Photography Techniques Courses - Tutoring On our
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYNHYZfDpbchttp://www.britainsbestphoto.com Elaine talking about the Wedding Photography courses and the Portrait Photography courses for 2011 events taking place ...
Wedding Photography Courses, Portrait Photography
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRrVfXKZkWMhttp://www.britainsbestphoto.com Elaine talking about the Wedding Photography courses and the Portrait Photography courses for 2011 events taking place ...
Excel Photography Training: Portrait Lighting Workshop, Essex,
www.excelphotographytraining.co.uk/?course=portrait-lighting...Studio Portrait Lighting Workshop / Photography Course. Training course to teach you to become a professional portrait photographer Essex, London, Suffolk
Portrait Photography Lighting: Learn How to Light Any Subject
www.betterphoto.com/courseOverview.asp?cspID=71Learn to shoot captivating portraits in a variety of situations in this exciting four-week online course. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience teaching ...
Portrait Photography Meetup Groups - Portrait Photography
portrait-photography.meetup.comHelps groups of people with shared interests plan meetings and form offline clubs in local communities around the world about Portrait Photography
Portraits, Photography Studios, Family PortraitsPortrait
www.portraitinnovations.comPortraits - Portrait Innovations has reinvented the studio photography experience. Let our professionals create beautiful portraits for your family. Make an ...
Courses and Workshops - Photography Courses London, Digital ...
www.londondigitalphotographycourses.co.uk/courses_contents.htmlDigital Photography Courses offer short digital photography courses in London and workshops in Central London. Learn digital photography courses in Central London ...
Photography courses with Tony Pick Photography - Portrait ...
www.tonypickphotography.co.ukPhotography courses in the UK are provided by Tony Pick Photography offering diverse Landscape photography courses and Portrait photography courses & family portraits
Wedding Photography Courses - Portrait Photography Courses
www.thetrainedeye.co.ukWedding Photography Training Portrait Photography Courses ... Welcome to The Trained Eye. Our aim is simple, to help you make huge strides forward in all aspects ...
Photography Courses: Beginners Weddings Portraits. Essex
www.excelphotographytraining.co.ukPhotography training school in Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk. Photography courses and workshops. Beginners, Weddings, Portraits & Fashion photographers
0 comments:
Post a Comment