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Better Portraits - Head Shots

By: Adam Coupe

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Better Portraits – Head shots
Where do you start when shooting images of people? Well a good place to start is with head shots… It's really satisfying for someone to tell you that you've really captured their personality in a photo - here are some tips to greater success!
With head shots, your aim must be to maximise impact. There's nothing to beat going in tight on the face, so you can really see the character and personality of your sitter. It also keeps things simple, because you've got less to think about. When you shoot half length or full body portraits you need to pay attention to the position of the sitter's hands and feet and what's in the background – but they're not an issue when you crop in tight.
Composition
The first thing to consider is composition. For many people this is a natural, intuitive process. In all probability you'll probably hold the camera horizontal with the person in the centre of the frame. But there are many different ways any photo can be composed – even a headshot – and the more conscious you are of the choices you're making, the more successful the picture is likely to be.
Placing the subject bang in the middle of the frame can work extremely well because it makes the person literally the 'centre of attention' – however if every shot is framed in this way it can become rather boring and predictable.
Try experimenting by placing the subject more towards the left or right of the frame, which is visually more interesting and gives a sense of dynamism (though if you go too far it can look a little off-balance).
To make the composition stronger, turn the camera on its side, so the picture is in the upright format. Since that fits better with the shape of the head, you can really crop in tight, with little or none of the background included. You don't have to show their whole face, so be bold. If you have a zoom lens, set it to its longest setting and crop in as close as you possibly can.
When experimenting with head shots for the picture to look sharp the eyes have to be sharp. And with autofocus cameras there's a danger that they'll focus on the nose. So if you can lock the focus on the eyes and then reframe the shot.
One sure-fire way of composing your picture is according to the 'rule-of-thirds'. Imagine the frame's sliced up into three sections both horizontally and vertically, so there are nine squares in all, like a noughts-and-crosses grid. If you place important part of the subject – such as one of the eyes or the mouth – so it coincides with any of the points where the lines intersect, you'll end up with a pleasing composition.
Should people be looking at the camera or away from it? It's entirely up to you. Looking into the camera indicates an awareness that the picture was being taken, while looking away suggests a more private moment may have been captured.
Lighting Matters
Good lighting is essential if you want to create strong portrait images (and it's even more vital for black and white). Whenever possible avoid on-camera flash, which gives flat, uninteresting lighting and use daylight instead – either inside or outside.
Outside, you'll get the best light on a sunny day with hazy clouds, which produces a soft attractive illumination. Shooting early and late in the day means you don't suffer the heavy shadows under the eyes, nose and chin that can be a problem in the middle of the day when the sun is high in the sky. If you must shoot then, try to find a location that cuts out some of the toplight, perhaps by placing your subject under a parasol. Inside, you'll have a choice of room. Think carefully about which one you use.
The key issues here are the number of windows, their size and the direction they face. Small windows give contrasty light – like that on a bright day – which is ideal if you're after a punchy mono image. If you prefer, it can be softened by fitting net curtains or tracing paper over the top. Large windows, such as patio doors, produce a very soft light, but you can make it more contrasty by masking areas off with curtains or thick black card.
The direction the window faces is of crucial importance. If the room is north-facing, you know it will enjoy the same light all day as the sun will never pass by it. Rooms facing in any other direction will vary in contrast, intensity and colour during a typical day as the sun passes by.
When taking portraits inside, don't rely completely upon your camera's exposure meter, especially if you include one or more of the windows in the picture area. A close-up exposure reading will ensure that your subject is properly exposed.
Whatever light you use and wherever you take the pictures, the most important thing is to get your subject to relax, so you elicit a range of expressions, which is particularly important with close-ups, since the emphasis is so much on the face. The best way to do this is to chat to them about their interests, so they're no longer focused on what you're up to photographing them, enabling you to fire the shutter when you feel the moment is right.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

Adam Coupe is pro commercial photographer specialising in commercial photography, architectural photography and architectural interior photography for a wide range of organisations that need to project their products, people or brand in a vibrant way see for the full architectural photography and commercial photography portfolio : www.adamcoupe.com

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