Wednesday, September 13, 2017

Posing & Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography

Posing & Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography

Portrait photography in a studio allows the greatest control for the photographer--and the best result for the subject. With combinations of lighting and posing, a subject's best features can be highlighted, while her flaws are concealed. Single portraits rarely use more than three lights; there are standard starting points for these to make the new photographer's task simple.

Lighting Basics

    Studio lights have three categories: main, fill and back lights or flashes. The back light sits between the subject and the background. It can be pointed toward the subject or the background. The fill light provides general illumination of the subject, and is usually above and behind the camera position. The main light changes position the most to create different effects. The brightness of each light, relative to the others, creates further effects.

Short Lighting

    The short main light is to the subject's left.
    The short main light is to the subject's left.

    Using a basic three-light arrangement, short and broad lighting refer to the location of the main light. To create short lighting effects, imagine a line between the camera and the subject. Place the main light off this axis to a great degree, 90 degrees or even greater, on the side of the subject away from the camera. For a person with a round or heavy face, this helps it appear longer and thinner.

Broad Lighting

    Broad lighting highlights most of a subject's face.
    Broad lighting highlights most of a subject's face.

    When the main light is brought back toward the camera's axis, and on the same side as the camera, broad lighting is created. Someone with a thin or long face may benefit from this technique; it tends to give a more open and revealing illusion, and is less mysterious than extreme short lighting. Because there are fewer shadows when the main light is closer to the axis, this is a good technique for older people to minimize wrinkles. Height of the main light can be adjusted too; for instance, it may be lowered to counter shadows in deep-set eyes.

Posing: Head and Body

    There are three basic postures for the subject's head: straight on, 3/4, and profile. Once you choose the position for the face, the body position is chosen from the remaining two postures. You do not want the body oriented the same angle as the head. A person's features may suggest head posture. A large nose should be shot straight on, chin slightly raised, whereas a small nose looks better in 3/4 or profile. A typical posing stool is short. A model's feet should be flat on the floor for best posture. Tall chairs and stools encourage slouching. Standing is better than a tall stool.

Posing: Camera Angle

    Changing the height of the camera position relative to the subject gives different feelings to one pose. Try a higher position for a subject with a square chin. Moving camera position off the imaginary lighting axis changes the amount of short and broad lighting within a given pose. Having a model hold a pose and move only their eyes works in small amounts, but too much is unnatural.

Taking Photographs

    In the days of 35mm film, a professional photographer felt successful if there were three to six "keeper" images per roll of 36 exposures. Take lots of photos of your model, with many variations of pose and lighting. You want to catch that perfect expression. With lots of exposures, your model will start to relax and be more comfortable.


Posing & Lighting Techniques for Studio Portrait Photography

Portrait photography in a studio allows the greatest control for the photographer--and the best result for the subject. With combinations of lighting and posing, a subject's best features can be highlighted, while her flaws are concealed. Single portraits rarely use more than three lights; there are standard starting points for these to make the new photographer's task simple.

Lighting Basics

    Studio lights have three categories: main, fill and back lights or flashes. The back light sits between the subject and the background. It can be pointed toward the subject or the background. The fill light provides general illumination of the subject, and is usually above and behind the camera position. The main light changes position the most to create different effects. The brightness of each light, relative to the others, creates further effects.

Short Lighting

    The short main light is to the subject's left.
    The short main light is to the subject's left.

    Using a basic three-light arrangement, short and broad lighting refer to the location of the main light. To create short lighting effects, imagine a line between the camera and the subject. Place the main light off this axis to a great degree, 90 degrees or even greater, on the side of the subject away from the camera. For a person with a round or heavy face, this helps it appear longer and thinner.

Broad Lighting

    Broad lighting highlights most of a subject's face.
    Broad lighting highlights most of a subject's face.

    When the main light is brought back toward the camera's axis, and on the same side as the camera, broad lighting is created. Someone with a thin or long face may benefit from this technique; it tends to give a more open and revealing illusion, and is less mysterious than extreme short lighting. Because there are fewer shadows when the main light is closer to the axis, this is a good technique for older people to minimize wrinkles. Height of the main light can be adjusted too; for instance, it may be lowered to counter shadows in deep-set eyes.

Posing: Head and Body

    There are three basic postures for the subject's head: straight on, 3/4, and profile. Once you choose the position for the face, the body position is chosen from the remaining two postures. You do not want the body oriented the same angle as the head. A person's features may suggest head posture. A large nose should be shot straight on, chin slightly raised, whereas a small nose looks better in 3/4 or profile. A typical posing stool is short. A model's feet should be flat on the floor for best posture. Tall chairs and stools encourage slouching. Standing is better than a tall stool.

Posing: Camera Angle

    Changing the height of the camera position relative to the subject gives different feelings to one pose. Try a higher position for a subject with a square chin. Moving camera position off the imaginary lighting axis changes the amount of short and broad lighting within a given pose. Having a model hold a pose and move only their eyes works in small amounts, but too much is unnatural.

Taking Photographs

    In the days of 35mm film, a professional photographer felt successful if there were three to six "keeper" images per roll of 36 exposures. Take lots of photos of your model, with many variations of pose and lighting. You want to catch that perfect expression. With lots of exposures, your model will start to relax and be more comfortable.



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