Saturday, June 15, 2019

Digital Portrait Photography Lighting Tips

Digital Portrait Photography Lighting Tips

With the right lighting conditions, it is possible to take stunning portrait photographs. There are a number of techniques a digital photographer can use to capture that perfect photo, using both available light sources and lighting equipment to achieve impressive results.

Make Use of Natural Light

    Cloudy conditions provide excellent light for portrait photography.
    Cloudy conditions provide excellent light for portrait photography.

    Sources of natural light, such as windows, provide an opportunity to light a subject and successfully achieve natural skin tones. An inexpensive way to make use of window light is with a bounce card, which can deflect light upwards toward the subject. Make full use of slightly cloudy conditions, which provide soft light, and avoid direct sunlight to reduce the chance of overexposure and loss of detail.

    Be sure to adjust the digital camera's white balance settings. Increasing the digital ISO will help capture more light; however, higher settings can cause grainy images.

Shoot with a Wide Aperture

    The aperture ring of a popular 50mm f/1.4 low-light lens
    The aperture ring of a popular 50mm f/1.4 low-light lens

    The wider the aperture, the more light is able to enter the camera. Shooting with a low f-stop (for example, f/2.8) will give an image a shallow depth of field yet allow a large amount of light into the camera. With careful focusing, the photographer can maintain focus on the subject and produce an impressive soft background. A common lens used for this type of photography is the 50mm f/1.8 lens, an affordable addition for the amateur photographer.

Use a Flash for Bright, Vibrant Shots

    A typical bounce flash, mounted on a stand
    A typical bounce flash, mounted on a stand

    A flash unit, also known as a speed-light, will provide a bright burst of light and can be used to achieve a number of different effects. A camera-mounted flash will directly expose the subject to foreground light, which can often be harsh and unforgiving. Fitting a diffuser to a flash unit can soften light, reducing reflections caused by the strobe.

    Using a newer flash unit designed for use in digital photography, you can apply manual settings to fine-tune detail or allow the camera to gather exposure and lighting settings through the digital camera itself.

Manipulate Light Sources for Impact

    A reflector designed to bounce diffused light at a subject
    A reflector designed to bounce diffused light at a subject

    A bounce flash allows the photographer to angle the direction of light in order to use nearby surfaces, bounce cards and screens as diffusers for lighting portrait photographs. Using a flash unit mounted off-camera--either wireless or with a hot-shoe cord--enables the shifting of light source to any desired position.

Multiple Lighting Solutions for Professional Images

    A two-light studio lighting configuration
    A two-light studio lighting configuration

    Positioning two lights on the subject, a primary source to capture detail and a secondary fill light to minimize loss of detail in shadows will provide rich, detailed exposures. Use two flash units to produce this basic studio setup. Photographers on a budget can place a bounce card or reflector umbrella near the subject to act as a secondary fill light.

Learn to Read Your Histogram

    The histogram will appear on a digital camera's LCD display immediately after exposure.
    The histogram will appear on a digital camera's LCD display immediately after exposure.

    Most digital SLR cameras will record image information in an easy-to-understand histogram, viewable after a photograph has been taken. The histogram records detail in the image and enables the photographer to review the picture for loss of shadow or highlight detail. Bars to the left of the graph display shadows, the middle bars represent mid-tones and bars to the right the highlights. The perfect exposure will have a well-balanced histogram, with no clipping either side of the diagram.

Shoot in RAW

    RAW images require more storage space but provide a lossless image.
    RAW images require more storage space but provide a lossless image.

    Use your digital camera's ability to capture images in the lossless RAW imaging format, which will have better end results. As opposed to the traditional compressed JPEG format, RAW files will occupy more space on the storage device and will need to be converted before uploading or printing. However, the format gives the photographer an advantage when post-processing the final image, as values such as exposure, white balance and contrast can be adjusted using photo editing software.


Digital Portrait Photography Lighting Tips

With the right lighting conditions, it is possible to take stunning portrait photographs.

Enhance your photography skill,The Top Secret Photography Techniques

. There are a number of techniques a digital photographer can use to capture that perfect photo, using both available light sources and lighting equipment to achieve impressive results.

Make Use of Natural Light

    Cloudy conditions provide excellent light for portrait photography.
    Cloudy conditions provide excellent light for portrait photography.

    Sources of natural light, such as windows, provide an opportunity to light a subject and successfully achieve natural skin tones. An inexpensive way to make use of window light is with a bounce card, which can deflect light upwards toward the subject. Make full use of slightly cloudy conditions, which provide soft light, and avoid direct sunlight to reduce the chance of overexposure and loss of detail.

    Be sure to adjust the digital camera's white balance settings. Increasing the digital ISO will help capture more light; however, higher settings can cause grainy images.

Shoot with a Wide Aperture

    The aperture ring of a popular 50mm f/1.4 low-light lens
    The aperture ring of a popular 50mm f/1.4 low-light lens

    The wider the aperture, the more light is able to enter the camera. Shooting with a low f-stop (for example, f/2.8) will give an image a shallow depth of field yet allow a large amount of light into the camera. With careful focusing, the photographer can maintain focus on the subject and produce an impressive soft background. A common lens used for this type of photography is the 50mm f/1.8 lens, an affordable addition for the amateur photographer.

Use a Flash for Bright, Vibrant Shots

    A typical bounce flash, mounted on a stand
    A typical bounce flash, mounted on a stand

    A flash unit, also known as a speed-light, will provide a bright burst of light and can be used to achieve a number of different effects. A camera-mounted flash will directly expose the subject to foreground light, which can often be harsh and unforgiving. Fitting a diffuser to a flash unit can soften light, reducing reflections caused by the strobe.

    Using a newer flash unit designed for use in digital photography, you can apply manual settings to fine-tune detail or allow the camera to gather exposure and lighting settings through the digital camera itself.

Manipulate Light Sources for Impact

    A reflector designed to bounce diffused light at a subject
    A reflector designed to bounce diffused light at a subject

    A bounce flash allows the photographer to angle the direction of light in order to use nearby surfaces, bounce cards and screens as diffusers for lighting portrait photographs. Using a flash unit mounted off-camera--either wireless or with a hot-shoe cord--enables the shifting of light source to any desired position.

Multiple Lighting Solutions for Professional Images

    A two-light studio lighting configuration
    A two-light studio lighting configuration

    Positioning two lights on the subject, a primary source to capture detail and a secondary fill light to minimize loss of detail in shadows will provide rich, detailed exposures. Use two flash units to produce this basic studio setup. Photographers on a budget can place a bounce card or reflector umbrella near the subject to act as a secondary fill light.

Learn to Read Your Histogram

    The histogram will appear on a digital camera's LCD display immediately after exposure.
    The histogram will appear on a digital camera's LCD display immediately after exposure.

    Most digital SLR cameras will record image information in an easy-to-understand histogram, viewable after a photograph has been taken. The histogram records detail in the image and enables the photographer to review the picture for loss of shadow or highlight detail. Bars to the left of the graph display shadows, the middle bars represent mid-tones and bars to the right the highlights. The perfect exposure will have a well-balanced histogram, with no clipping either side of the diagram.

Shoot in RAW

    RAW images require more storage space but provide a lossless image.
    RAW images require more storage space but provide a lossless image.

    Use your digital camera's ability to capture images in the lossless RAW imaging format, which will have better end results. As opposed to the traditional compressed JPEG format, RAW files will occupy more space on the storage device and will need to be converted before uploading or printing. However, the format gives the photographer an advantage when post-processing the final image, as values such as exposure, white balance and contrast can be adjusted using photo editing software.



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