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    How to Photograph People - Guide

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    How to Photograph People - Guide

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf
    32 views211 pages

    The Perfect Portrait Guide - How To Photograph People

    Uploaded by

    endel_rouk
    How to Photograph People - Guide

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    a) - THE PERFECT PORTRAIT GUIDE _ How to Photograph Pe ple 7 oy jtcn Book ned and Distributed by Rotovsion SA Suisse 8, CH-1295 Mies Switzerand RotoVision SA Sales, Production & Editoral Office Sheridan House, 112/116A Western Road Hove, East Sussex BN 10D, UK Tok 444 0) 12737272 68 Fae +44 0) 1273 72 72 69 ‘eal galea€Fote on com Copytigns © RoreVision SA 2002 llrightsreserved. No part of this publication may be reproduce, stored ina revieval eystom or wansmited in any form or by any means, ‘tectonic, mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission of the copyiont hatter, ‘The photographs used in this book are copyrighted er otherwise protected by legislation and cannat be reploduced without the potmisclon ofthe neler of the rights, 10987654321 ISBN: 2-88000-6873 Book design by Sands Dormody Cover design by Design Revolution Diagtams by Roger O'Reily and Keth Willamson Production and separations in Singapore by ProVision Pre. Li, Printed in China by Midas Prntng Informal Portoaite Framing the Image ‘Capturing the Moment Directing Relaxed Poses The Candid Camera People at Work & Play Shooting a Picture Story Holiday Photograph Photographing Children Family Perwaits Evens & Occasions Character Portraits ormal Portraits Using Backgrounds Using Colour for Effet Using Shape, Form & Texture Using Props Beauty Photography Profiles Location Povtaits Cropping Fectively 8 0 96 100 106 "2 na na Lignting Using Available Light Using Window Light Using 2 Flash Gun Studio Lighting Soft Lighting Shooting in Sunlight ‘Contrelling Cantast hooting on Cloudy ays ighting for Mood Cameras & Equipment Choosing a Camera ‘Choosing Lenses ‘Camera Accesories Lighting Equipment Apertures & Shuser Speeds Understanding Exposure Choosing Firm Finishing & Presentation List of Contributors Glossary a2 124 12 136 8 154 160 166 170 172 178 180 a4 186 18% 190 192 196 198, 200 204 Informal Portraits Infomal pois ral cbou capturing o mood. Successfully dono, they partay the sajectina ‘way that evel someting about thet personaly. However, formal does ro! moan unpamed. Thoughtful cmpston, «goad sens of timing and he cyt put subjects tease re ol aos which wil help produce imogs tha! are ono completely fren plan rom he ru. the-il snapshot. Informal Portraits Framing the Image The fist concer in potatos in avery oer typeof photography, is composition, The ran face isthe focus ofthe image, but there are mony diferent ways of plang it within the frame. Striking compensate, te dodged In thse sectone hela the paring se Alein Pars photographed this mather nd child in a vilage in Senegal, 0 Comyn ted many times. He olwoys mckes 6 int of building up 0 foyer th Hs model, tam of vom fs tographed over 0 pero btyate Tus means hey ave at ease withthe comera ‘nd more likely Yo adopt poses hol oe relaxed and Spontaneous. For ths shot Paris used a moderate vide angle lens, with ilmnaton provided by net oor lh 35mm SLR camero wrth 0 35mm lors and Kodok Tmax 400 baw film, Informal Portraits 34 Directing Relaxed Poses | t me =< Séeing This port was Part of a project Weolram Eder undertcok to ‘Photograph the innaitants cf a small German town. In ach ca he looked for a cotner of the person's home or workplace het EPITOMISEd the vay hey veo ther lvoe and said something about ther Character. Hanging on a walla tha oid lady's house was a porvalt 0 herself asa young woman, and he felt this would make the perfect background She wes a vivacious li 38 flamboyant, and ‘0 was hagay to pose a. Tha photographer wanted to conuast the idea of past and present but he also wanted to svess she CONN.Uty othe old lady's Ie, So he asked her to wear hat similar fo the ne she had wom forthe portrait many years before ne! sat her itectyin front ofthe esinting. > create the right MOOG. he asked her to tell him about her younger cays. Acting Tho lighting was Natural daylight. ‘aling on ta the subject from a window just eut of set. With the eamera fie ved ena tped, Eder framed the image tgntiy to cut out earaneois deta He used an BOM ens. wher witha Bx6om medium format comer ‘standoa lens. He composes so tha he subject's arm ferme «nota frame tothe bottom sghttand comer ofthe image ‘Medium formot camera with an 8Omm lens end Kodck Tr-k iw film Yivedium form camera with an BOmm lens ond Kodak Tr:X baw film, To portray the heod fc medial clic, Wolfram Eder chose the doco’ office a, the action forthe picture The subject {el comfortable behind his ove desk, here he wos used fo making decisions and spring aie People having their picture token often don't kon what to do with their hands, docor had his hands cupid, with a small cigor hel in the ot ond pen in the ight. The resut suggests o busy individual cught ot ‘relaxed moment Informal Portraits 36 The Candid Camera nce people ses you witha carers, you rn he risk of them bconing sited ond self conc, but you con vl his ble, and produce pices haoe completely santnens, by tking pices of people hen ‘they ore unaware of you. You do need to take some care, haweves, since such pictures con ensly become mde ond confusing you domo give enough thought athe compsion ofthe image andthe che of viewpoint end bad ground a Seeing ichaal Busselle was wandering arcund the weokly marist in Colmar. France, when he saw this ‘armor wating in fis cr atthe e098 of the square. The Thinking 4e ol the arsstst [MPAC ‘taming he image quits gh lookes tay seed, Busselle had tne to change 10.8 would be created by y and, as the man INCONGTUOUS ixtapestion of the eggs on the car root with his head telow. framed by the Window. asposied him snomoushy long-focus !2rs and choose a VieWDOINt which showed his profile and placed ho car infront of an unobtrusive arc of background Actin, Ho framed ng axnaue cogs wero afl i e top of the frame, wile! enouah tte cat door was included to comets the stiect, while @xCludiNg som distracting beskorur aetas betind the car's windscreen ¥35un Ranglin mer th 5am as, on 1B ‘warm-up filter and Kodck Ektochrome SW [Rule of Thumb Snsituations He these, when you want people lobeto be unaware that they are being ‘Photograpted, i's best to keep alow profie at ‘a as equipmcat is couoerasd. Don’: carry a tangs anc ostentanious camera bag or nave your camera boldly displayed around your ‘eck. Carry your camera party hidden and tm your pockets, This wasane of hes eing ‘opportunites, a a vilage festive ine Lat, hen Niched Busselle found himself with very Vit time to change lenses or smoke decisions. His comora was fitted with o stonderd lens ot the time so, when the man bent over to crank his cr, he simply moved very quickly into position where ho ond bis vohicle filed the frame ‘nd shot almost immediatly This diagram shows how the impoct of this shot would have been lessened ifthe image had been less tightly framed. 35mm SLR Comero with @ 70-210m 200m lens, cn 1A warm-up filter ond Kodak Fitachrome 64 Informal Portraits 38 The Candid Camera Seeing Michcel Bussele spot is man ina stieet market in Bali and fed by he Stance and ov tre limited COloUT range featredin he scene Thinking He wanted to shoot the man while he was UN@WAre of the camera but he ad teen Watching Sussele arproech \withovt looking too much inthe men’s direction, he moved toa eed vie WPOINE ist n front of him and than Bogen aiming his camera 1eona on tho other side of the stat Acting 1 man soon lot interest in Busselle and began @ CONVErSATION w't* his neighbour At this: moment Guseele Quickly SWUNG *= s rund, framing rammed by the U Rule of Thumb ‘When youare shooting pictures inne alien ‘stention for 8 who, vs bec to spend come time just wandering around, not takong Dhctogmaphe ans keepin your camera ost of gh, unl people beans uted to your Michael Busselle spotted this shopkeeper, framed in his doorray in the presenoe snails interest n you souk of Marrakech, and was otiocied by the brighlly coloured gile of Oranges de him nd he vy thse ol sang minted Hs, profile, creating o strong diogoral line. He fromed the shot quite tightl fetha hese cements were acntuated, onde th sme fim he nos | ble to exclude some distracting details on the lft of the scene ae eens potmm rom lexs, on 81h varmop stile ws interested inthe way his young ody, seen in o street merkt in Bali, was areporing the fod nroped in eae palm eves, Although she wos avare of his presence, she es lo engiosed i er ark te take leo much notice, end Bs le i st fou me wi ecg ration “Tachnical Details 351m SUR Comera with © 35-70mm zoe lens, on B1A ata ile and Ful rol, _ Informal Portraits 40 _ The Candid Camera i : _ Seeing Philip Spraque was walking round an outdoor market mhen he came sacra thistle gel accormparie by her ‘otter andolce brother Hemme ately saw ne Potential «her bre eyes and asked hat methor for permission to tata a caunle of shots. The litle gi was a ‘quite nervous because of all the people, as. wel asthe cara, and clang to har nrother's nan for renesurance Thinking There were market stale al around, i; providing colour as well ssa lt of outer, — but Sprague wanted to keep tho image Terry Way used along telephoto lens to frame ths pctre of his young son peeking simple. He realised the boy's dark ‘through the window of ohome-mede playhouse. The window provided a nea frame SnD eS artaa teed ach within the frame, an he photographer waited palienly unt the youngster positioned beckgrourel ond fut tglecomondiion himself of-cente, He fired the shutter at exactly the right momen! to capture the Daacee ‘would EMPhasise elite ges es, He slso realised he wouldhave to work quick oF the mamant would be fot Acting He é-opood in tighty with a 28-€61mm zoom lons to isolate tho gis faco fram tho distracting background. Throughout the very art sassion he kept talking to her ta gat hee used tothe ide of having her photograph taken. The fighting wa overcast afternoon ayidht, whicn heiped SOften the TONES ane prevented any harsh shadows. 435mm SLR camera with @ 200mm lens ond Kodak TCN 400 chromogenic film. Informal Portraits The Candid Camera Rune Andersson was commissioned to follow the election campeign ofa nelknown Swedish politician. He cough the man in an unguarded moment ashe and his ‘supporters were setting up ther stl a @ naw campaign venve. The photographer shot fom low viewpoint with« wide ongle lens, end tilted the comera ate slight angle to create a dynamic composition with trong diagonal ines Avechnical Details _ ‘Medium format comera with a SOmm lens and Kedok Tmox 100 b&w film. e's ¢ Seeing “ery Way was stacting # wedting when ‘thes two characters got up to play atthe racoption. was a family waditon ~ they'd been paying at family wedkings for decades and obvicusy loved performing.‘ wented ‘0 Expture the exubetence ard spersanety of thee music making Thinking Ta croate something a Ile cifforent from tg standard wedding snap, Vay fied a 17mm wide angle lens con is SLR camera, The lens gave a very wide file of view, producing a feeling of immedhcy when usec tn class t0 the subjec, asi the viewer was inthe thick of the acton. Italso otteed extensive depth of field. moaning that such oF the subject was sharp. ing hough the photographer was up close to the musisians they weren't bothered by his presence — they were too engrossed in their oun performance and the general party atmosphere. Trs\er Fim fr to snap away, capturing tho ‘actions of the two men and the changing ‘expressions on ther faces. This mage caught the Interaction benween the two perfect, captunng a moment when they appeared to be sharing ajoke. of Thumb with o 17mm lns ond Kodak TOY 400 chromogenic film. 35mm SLR cameo Informal Portraits 44 People at Work & Play ‘Taking photographs of people when thay are occupied in some ‘way hos a number of advantages. Perhaps most importonth, it helps your subject o overcome jhe inhibited ond sl conscious ate which on often be adopted ‘when 0 camere appears. Another talor plus paint o be goined from your subject actually doing somebing is that it wilinvricty ad enormous othe intrest and composton cf an image, 0, wel a heb fo eval more obou th person's chro der ond interests Seeing Thinking Michael Susselle sav this man tendinghisgarden ashe He was working ina partial ‘rove trough a county ine naar iocen'sin the Lore ekBussele noticed that this created noth a Yaley, France. He was stuck byte Fieasrg COIOUT »-Pl@aSing light on tte mars face and also uallity costed by is blue vor: cothes and te | mad Hs bbe overals xarc our quite boldly rich Green ofhis vegetable patch. ‘fom the more brightly lit background. Michael Buselle saw ths lady making hay as he drove along o county lone near Sonfllane do Mar in Contabrio, and he liked ‘the bold shopes the scene creoted. It was on ‘overcast day ond the lighting mos soft, but the image has enough conrast because the dorker ies ofthe lody ond her mule and Rule of Thumb Car standout agaist the igh tones of ‘the meodow. ‘ines exydogres of sujet movement volved, his necessary to sea shutter speed which ia fak enc to Beem 35mm Cometa with e 75—B00nm zoom lens, | yen ust noceaat hand wovemcuts ex an 818 warm-up filler and_ fui Velio. eresigadtrting dogresoftturita be accents when Sunes arab thocamera Asa error rule you abou ley shoot at speeds of 1/1 seco suber when potagraphirg peop Busselle used « lang focus lens to obtain @ ood-sized image of Ais rodeo idea (olfornio from viewpoint some distance awoy, ond used. the fastest proctcal shutter speed to freeze the ‘movement 35mm SUR Camere with a 300mm lens, on B1A ‘orm-up filter and Kodak High Speed fXiachrome Acting inworrup mm SLR Comera with a '35-70mm zoom lens, on 814 worm-up filter and Fuj Velvia. q Informal Portraits | 48 1 pfs | People at Work & Play y | . é eeing Actin fcnel usele sew sts men seting uphis easelin the Hewes the VI@WPOINt es, although it was a beck Very early merring whie ne vas shosting view ofthe man, showed clearly what he was doing ictufes in Erissel’s Grand Place, alocaton he knew and conveyed something of his Character #5 wel would. within a few hours. te teeming as allowing Busselie to use one of the square’s medieval with tourists buisings as 9 tackground, He famed the shat in a way ‘which placed his painting athe intersection Thinking of thirds. and this aliowed him to inchsle most of Busselle felt that he would not only make very ‘the building as well as his dog, which Busselle thought interesting Subject ior octuo, bur would adecarnice tourn also acd avery usetul element of scale and + composition to the pictures of the square. Technique When photegrapting people in ACTION there are, Lsually pends where their movements aa slowed momentarily and. by choosing ‘hese times to make your exposures, you cen ususly ebuina sharp image ee wien using slower shuttor spood ‘F5mm SLE Camera with o 75—30Umm zoom lens, an 818 warm-up filter ond Fuji Provo, Nichoel Bussele found this mon harvesting salt near Gueronde in the Wesiera Loire, and looked for 4: viewpont which would enoble him to place on areo of golden reeds behind him fo create on effective background. Busslle used long-Focus lens fo frame the image so that the moin focus of interest beca ‘the man with Nee eiie al e Y35mum SLR Comera with 2 35—7Omm zoom lens, ‘on BIA warmup filter end Fuji Pro For Busele, the appeal ofthis sho, taken oto goase farm in Gascony, depends upon the overall colour quolity crected by the almost pure shode of blue tebe found in the woman's dress ond apron, the soft light and the gray, shodowed background ofthe geese and their pen. For this reason, he decided to frame the image quite tightly to emphasise these quclties ond placed the brightest part of the image, her siran ha, almost on the inlersecton of thirds -Teahnical Detaila mm SLR Comera with a 35-70mm rocm lens, tn B14 worm-up filter ond Fuji Prova Informal Portraits 48 Shooting a Picture Story ‘ast phologops are ikon es invidul images infondod fo stand lone ond moke a sing steer. But it cn be very satisying to set cut tke series of photographs of parca subjed, or ona specic heme, in wtich each individual imge is part ofan aeral story, cost ike the les in a mosaic In this way itis posite to adapta mace abstract approach and o focus on small detais which, on thc cwa pechaps, would not be very formative. Those piclres were faken in Puillacin the Medoc, during the horvst in who is one ofthe world’s mast, prestigious vineyards. Michael Bussalle wanted 1 try 10 copiure the mood ofthe ocesion and the feling of camoraderie whith exists omang the pickers, fogether with the sense of purpose whic dominaes the process. 35mm SUR Camere wi ranging fom 17mm to 200mm and Kodok Ektochrome 100 SM, Rule of Thumb ‘won planning such a projet, pipe to tani terms ofa magazine fatare, vsualsing how your ‘unagas would work togozher on a gpread and tying gure that cach plotue complemignts o> enhanoes thoes song. Try 12 Yary th oplour qa of tho {indivi pictures and close ups ane thot telephoto and widesangle images i create a sense of Inthe lesser wine regions grape harvesting isa largely amechanicol process bu hee, where the truly greot red ‘ines ore made, i's very mush a hands-on business, o porsoneise activity nhere everyone involved hos © sense af pride inthe product. Informal Portraits | Holiday Photographs I ove picres tr fo bo foken whan fais ar on holiday thon on ony ahar acsion. Bt these are often extremely esappcinting ond uninteresting, of posing nee ony fo thse who were there end ofc very boing Yo fese who werent Te reosan simple For most peopl halidoys mean rs and lation, bu if you want othe god set of pictures it des require ite effrt. is time vel sent, however, fat he end of the da you produc ae of pres wich provide a lasting cd genuinely interesting recod of «hoppy ccasin. — ‘Seeing Thinking Michael ussole sow this oppotunity while Buscele kod he SHAPES and patterns crested by the prone Braifipcures on acuise shipin he sons which seemed to capture the mood of sunbathing and Cariboean. They we relaxation He aso liked the singe Splash Of Magenta wren created « dd point of interest inthe otherwise bluish scone rongers, but even t ‘they'd been his own family, is the ype of shot whieh he would alwys find more interesting and aimosphave than a picture of them Sitting Up ard Acting ‘finning at the camera He tock una VI@WPOINt s0me cistance away and shot with 9 or los to compress the Perspective. By tama ako the picture very compact. no was aba 10 hasise the colours of the tamed bodies and 'p9 ouespoHg yOpoy ‘su9} WISE 19ND) YIS WUE A Busslla hod to reo quietly to cepture this picture of his yourg son, Julien, striding along booch inthe Algarve wearing his litle whit sunhot He used wide-angle lens to include the disiont seo, ond he shot looking down from aye level to smphasise the smallness of the child and the vesiness of the beach a 8 "Informal Portraits _ Holiday Photographs ct + Seeing ‘The River Gambia was the Michasllsete waried 1 for this shot, anc ke = portrait «the 6 was traveling on. The skipper of the smal yach caim, tll water mace a OOM setting. and relate afternoon sunlight had eve pleasing cual Thinking Ho wanted tho background to bo 2s uncluttered a8 possible, so he atkod tho skipper to Sit iN the prow of the bost so tha he could make the imest ofthe fiver bank, the water and the sy. Acting i wses s Wide-angle lens snes his choice of wewporrt vas cuts FEStriGted ans he cid not want his subject to appear too argBin the ‘tame. He alse warteet include 2s much of the oat ete oud wip Technique - Many Holiday Ahotooraphs are disapointing because there is often an attempt to COMbINE recognisable porta a seane, the classic snap Bussell 3f people with pict f someone standing ankwardly in front ofa famous landmark. These ate sally neither fish por fowl, and it's generally far totter enceniraio on ON elemento he ther. This picture wos token oto formhouse in the Loire, ond was an otiempt to ‘opiure the atmosphere of o very relaxed olfesco lunch inthe shod af onic old tre on a beautiful or, sunny day. Nichee! Busselle took © reading from the lighter tones of ‘he background, then one from the shaded figures, ond set his exposure between them. ‘Nedium Format SLR Camera with 0 55~1 10mm zoom las with an 818 vrarm-op iter and Fuji Praia, Technical Details» 235mm SLUR Camera vith © 20-35mm zoom lens with B1B warm-up and polarising filers and Fuji Vlvi This shot wos token during a safari holidoy inthe Mossi Maro, Kenyo, ond Busslle wonted fo try and ‘oplue the cimosphere end experience of staying in this camp under These magnificent Acacia tees. For this reason he used e wide-ongle lens and took vp o viewpoint some distance cway in order to make the setting the dominant element, with his companions there mainly to provide a sense of scale 35mm SLR Comera with @ 20-35mm zoom les with 81C warm-up ond polarising filters ond Fuji Yelva , Informal Portraits 54 Photographing Children | Thro’ an od saying anor ois, wih nnn you shook over work with ion or nina This is imply bacans hey con so oa stoo tho scone Children especialy make wendrtl subjects for tho ‘amare, andthe very yourginvaribly havo tho same sor ofheort-mching appeal you generally asia with kits ond puppies. Unite mast dus, there’ the bonus that clden ae stil iely toe uinbited ond spontaeni, but photgraping them does equ time and patonce. Seeing Te saw tis young boy playing with his at cia nthe doareny of his heme ex ha drove through esmal| village in Andalucia, ans folt tat ne had to see fhe could chotogranh tims Thinking He thought thathis best approach wes to ask his ake @ Portrait of th boy than attempt 2 more CaS Ual and Acting (once he had the go-ahead he sske! the boy to move into the shade. rahe sositones hm so ther anarea of plain. wall behind to prove aiturciuttered background. 4s the “boy held tHe duckling out in front of him, Busselle was able ake a tightly-framed snot cae! Busse! Tichen ithe os raul ule of Thumb ‘Mam photogreshmg children 1s emeralty best to keep the ‘mage aute simple. Uso sot: Iigng, plan unclutbenes ‘pukgrounds and tigaty foamed smmages 9 emphasoe chetn expressions oy Avechnioal Details 35mm SLR Camere with a 35—70mm zoom lens with on 814 warm-up filler ond Fuji Provo. ‘ichoe! Busselle photographed this ile Moraccan gi in the shade of o wall which «so provided 0 good background. She was very shy but he manoged to take o few pictures while she wos dstacted by one of Bsslle’s componions Y35mm SLR Camera with « 80-20Gmm zoom lens with Kodak Ektachrome 100 SV This litle baby, seen in vlog in the Gambio, was inresisible, siting on her mother’s lp inthe shade of @ small, mud-waled house. The soft lighting was iecl, ond Eusselle framed the image tightly 10 emphasise her expression and fo exclude distracting detaiks around her. He set his exposure of one stp les than the reeding 10 compensate for her dork skin ¥35mm SLR Comera with ¢ 75~B00mm zoom lens end on BIA warm-up with Fuji Vala Informal Portraits 56 Photographing Children Rule of Thumb ‘Wen photapraphing smal chadven 2's ‘Paonormal aye level iowpomt ofan fh often creates an unattractive ‘roma nigh vicwpant. This spontaneous sho! wos token during playtime ata primary schoo. Michael Buselle used « long-focs lens noble im to isolate one or iwo children from the crond without him having to proach too cose to them, and ther he sto fst shuter speed to ensure that ell thai mavement was frozen Seeing iin his garden on 8 SUNY harsh and the background of sunit foliage was vory distracting Thinking, He th hiiieat approagh woud be to shoot into the light and ase » rotecter and an antici! background in erd@r to croate a moro pleasing quality. Acting Ho asked wet her book 0 the curtain hind har. Bussola thon ge piece of white polystyrene site to hey nes ight back ne shadows J Tis diagram shows the lighting set-up fr this shel. "35mm SLR Comere, 75300mm zoom lens ond Fuji Provio. Informal Pottraits L 58 7 “Photographing children a =< Seeing Ronnie Bennet: loved the way the tie hoy was «essed, in denim and dungarees, The clothes were TYEUtTAl in tone and so didn't distract attention trom Ns face and their feEXTUITES Provided a nice contrast with the wicker chair she kept in her studio. Benrett photographs alat of chikhen ane finds that feet a ‘his youngster to take off his shoes and sacks ta have his pictire taken. paticulatly expressive, so she asted Thinking Photographer and sutject had already had a beisterous outeacr session together ar bul up a fair degree of empathy. Nove the photographer ‘wanted capure hima quieter Moment. She sa him down on the chair arc demonstated the pose she wanted hin to adopt He was fescinated by the studio, ard this SOleMN EXPFESSION wes the response Act: £. anne # errs 150mm telephoto lens. She litthe boy with o Flashgun are sottoax paced to tre loft of no aera and to white cflecors aranged in a shape 1 the rig. Tre tah cented CatChlight int boy's aves wh te ‘locos fied inte shadow aoa on his lt hand sido to ovo a Sot and The boxing gloves came from o fleo morket ~ Terry Woy even overall effect bough them ih the oe wing them 0 pro ina photograph. Hs yung son Clo tik werng tam and so he hod plenty of opportunity to play around with the idea. = ~ This shot wos taken towards the end ofa sunny doy, in @ Rule of Thumb back-room studio in the family house. The late afternoon I sunlight reflecting off the walls ceeted quite « high degrae of ‘wmen photographing peorte, pay close attention to the controt, ond Way framed the image rightly with on 85mm. lotios they are woaring. If you'ro using black and-white lens. The bright red gloves contrasted well with the boy's blue ‘iim, neutral, mit-tone olbthes are the best chotos. thay azo ssharts, but his laconic expression really made the picture. leas likely to distract attention from the subject's features Shan ots in which Where are bed patleros o° strony contracting tones. Wen you're shcostg in oloun you san 35mm SLR camer with on BSmm lens and Fujichrome be more adventurous, using colours that complement or Volvia jronsporency fil, ‘contract with ons another el __ Informal Pottraits The fom son ida suet for prt Family ports are resid elotvs and parsed on down he generations. ube, foily members ae usually hoppy to coopera in hain he pice taken and fer the aed benefit of ahays ‘being around. Everyone photographs heir chien, but there's no ned to neglect he est f the fay. ‘Grandporens, fr instance, can ok equ interesting subjects ‘adivm format camera with c 150mm lens and Kodok Y E®- Tmax baw film coted at 150 320. (seei g Before they came ito the stucio, Ronnie Benrett had ‘stroady shot covoral ros of fim ofthis pat and thot ‘older brother outdoors. Both brother and sister hed dancing, and they had brought slang their bait lothes to change ita or me SUI SESSION The photographer wanted a “quer siete of the par together, which reflected thoir intorstin dance. Thinking “the outdoors gc essen Bd le ti to. rie, od oy were proc at coc tha studo. Bennett wanted = CIOS@-UD picture. She pot th oio aver oo we Ak be ‘on her brother's lap, and asked them to |OOK AWA\y fom the car Toy aera to sous one cre rales terri dreamy ee ch Pol Sanders caught happy, sponioneous expresins onthe foxes ofboth mother nd daughter inthis intimoiefaily ora es taken ine fomly home wih arabe i ‘indow ight, which gave sf, even lumintin, fae af harsh Acting Shalows, The phlographer nuded the window nd the Benrett red tht with 8 150) G pice onthe bck wal ie bolgraund res, but ed which in medium lorrt Is a moderate pro. median tephol las end clare operue to tw tem She wed her stander studio ighting setup, of & oat ef fous SOF tDOX on one sice of he sutocts and 2 Toflectr on the other to fil inte shadows, together with a plain gay stuio background. When pining sy ; Rule of Thumb the mage, she DUTMEC in the ateaon the lot to create more contrast. With cniren, ifs 8 gor ea to propare as much as you oan beforehand. Set up your pron and lighting the way you want tbem, and visualise how you want to frame the pletare ‘That way, when your young subjow: ts aewlly in place yar'll spond less time seting up the ‘mage, which means less time for them to get homed or distracted. Informal Portraits og Family Portraits Sada age eater wi 07m ns and Fj MPS 160 al eave im Seeing Ton Hendriks approached ths pertat of his 80-year old father wth psysholoaica intont. His idea was to get under the skin ofan oldr 90180n i Suagost what they might be taking. To decided on an extreme Close-up. ihe tight crop andthe tnest rendering ot his fether's skin he coud achieve, focusing attention on every tiny de tail of his face. Thinking ts pons rg oor sowed ath oan, which gave him 2 surface to rest his arm on, Ta crsatea Simple background tt would not distract attention from the subject, he hung a plain bio clots on thayyal beh him, Acting Ss, rn SOftbOx te the leftar the camara, whict butleft the ether parly in Shaclow. He framed tightly, using a telephoto lens. Kis Sain camera was fited with bellows, which he extenced to their maximum setting. This magnified the image 1nd enabled him to focus closely | Rule of Thumb Stow films, in both black and white )) anc colour, eve ter cota! tan fast | fam. The lower the film's 150 rating, the slower itis ~ film with a rating flower than one rated at 190 400. Slow Aime need planty of light for correct expesure, but fas: fms can be tase! in ower ligating conditions. The faster the Film, de mare apparent ie fran structure. This 18 8 characteristio that can be exploited in low light conditions to give the image a grainy, softens fee This ite gil wos quite a sensve soul and Janna Dekker wanted to bring out be srius expression, She posed her against o pln background nd copped in clsay with © 100mm los fe 19 her 35mm SLR comera. She used @ «eaivly fost Black-and-white fim which showed ocrisin amount of grain, and eveloped both in and cnt herself so she cold contre the res. Mminetion vas proved by natural dayight fling ‘rough a window fo the lle git’ right, nile eller laced onthe athe sie to fil in deol onthe lft hond side of her foc. Ths eroided harsh shadows ond softened the overal feel af he mage. 435mm SLR camera with o 100mm los ond Kodak TX b&w film, Informal Portraits Family Portraits Yotedium former comera with an BOmm lens ond Kodak Tri baw fil, ‘Ths fonly owned and ron a hotel and Wolfram Fder wonted to show them in the context ofthe family business He used one of the hotel bedrooms 0 the location, shoting with available cht coming through a large window. He posed the trio os a ighly-knt group, with the angles of thei logs ond bodies forming geometric, triangular shape. es Seeing In photographing this family group, Wolfram Eder wanted to convey the ide® ofthe family asa Ivng, grosing organism. He chose ateaty nd wwuiant Natural Setting, soso his subjects ona small wooden jetty suirourded by folage on the edge of a smal por Thinking As eas showing the family a idea thet ts members vere catinct individual, with unique relaionshins one to the athe. So he entanges the grin with the parents in the conte of te frame anc heir grown-up chilaren fanned Out around them. With this arr unit, he wanted to convey the ment, the group as a whale farms a neat shape but the eyo alsa Involuntary flicks around within it, fom face to face. Acti With his ear ora tripod ona piece of ay land on the nel Eder shot the group with a standatd BOPIM [ENS on his medium format camera, Lighting was avalible daylight, which was rolatvely right. but overcast end provides even ituminaton without any Sung higiighis or harsh shadows. If you've beon asced to take group shots at ‘woostings or other family events, soout out the Venue such ac stops or staircases where you ‘an pose your subjects. at weddings, 1 helps zormecualy if you know beforehand who 1810 bo in each group. Enist the halp of comoans in the koow, such a the best man or the bride's father 2f they oan get all the nessssary people together and help choreograph them into some sort of orden, tho photographer's job 16 mado ‘hat moon easien Informal Portraits 88 Events & Occasions Same of the es noyable sitios to phologoph ‘people in ore evens such as fis, festivals and fami acarion such spares ond Wedigs.Pcures taken in hese ccarstonces, inveibly veo sens of fun ond good huncur an ifs generally muh ease to ake shots where your subjects re comely relaxed and the clmasphec is nding il to he ‘aking of spnianous and uaposed photogapks Seeing Tern) Wey wamed to capture the excitement of this bridal eaupe's big cay and eaten for 2 documentary-style stot ot thom leaving for the reception. Having scouted eu tho location telerhand, be ried thatthe main doorway of the oe cthectl wouse make an exceer backérop fora pietre Thinking tapenade ate boaiat hs thea steps and ywaitedd for the couple to make their seavoitel be ide ids er an Tnousin. wet, bate ey bt he ed pile hy inrnomresnel nieians Prop. Besides accing visual interest‘ sre er lbes agli tery os day Acting Woy used s Wide ANGIE ers ond fred the imaga co that tho couple Wee promiont but also so that plenty of the background was visible. He detberately CrOPPEC out the wating guests so that attantion was focused on the hapoy expiessions ofthe bride and groom. Once he hac rece a blackand hte prin, he toned it sepia to ane the image en Old-fashioned feat 35mm SLR camera with o 24mm lens nd ord XP? baw eromgeic fil Terry Woy tried nother offboct approach for this sat, token ate fronds wen. Thora wos on old trombone honging on the wall of the poy venue, tnd fe osked the groom fo try playing i. The chery getlomon in the background was the groom's rew fether-indow. Using @ melon format camera gave him o square image, end he simply ted the carere slighty on its sie to create this dynamic diaganl composition. Arechnical Details — ‘Medium forme comera with @ 70mm lens and Mford XP2 baw chromogesic im. S Informal Portraits Events & Occasions In some cases, the crowd at an event can provide a mare intresting ond photogenic subject then the activities taking place. Visiting the races in Naivob, Busselle wos oticacted by the wonderful mix of faces and fashions fo be found there, and ho used a long-focus lens to concentrate on tha mast intersting soction of tha crowd, p filter and Fuji Prvia ‘35mm SLR Comera with @ 70~210mm 200m lens and on 818 war Rule of Thumb ieaing x ood viewpoint i one oF the nant ‘mportant things tocanoentrateo when socting a publ events and, fo is reason it's a food ident arrive ear. That ‘way you give yourself the cpportaniy to bk dood #70, one which sence ely to work in terms of iting and background, ‘and which unl eer you a ood VW of the Seeing en yer folk orcup wes perforning at 8 smal vilage wine jain the Dordogne. France, and Michael Busselle fet iat with the right Viewpoint they would nase an interesting picture. Thinking Bocas * vaso smal. informal occasion he was able w get quite CIOSE to them and this, 4 separating ham from the bystanders and creating a mere interesting Composition Acting’ Hé decidedly ise a Widle-angle ‘lowed him 38 694 euS close to Fis cub stil including eveaseraby large part of the segne around then Bussolle framed tis shot se atthe lady wih Re umbrella on the ight and the seemad to be the bast way ‘this as, while Blue costume worn by the figure on the fa left helps so enclose the al accordion player Ar vlloge festival in the Lore, Busslle was attracted bythe triangular shope crested by the lady in er period costume. To photograph her, he chose viewpoint which laced her ogains «relatively pln orea of background, framing the image ‘uit tghilyvsing @longfocus fens ‘35mm Rangefinder Comero with a 90mm lens, on 8B ‘warm-up filler end Kodak Ektochrome 100 SV Informal Portraits 70 Events & Occasions This shons how a slightly different viewpoint wauld have lessened the emphasis onthe subject’ face. The viewpcint chee! Busselle chase fr this sho, taken of a village redding in Sri tank, ced this ladys foe against the ‘more distant white drum so that she stood out clearly. He used o long focus lens to frome the Imoge quite tightly and to exclude distracting detas round her Seeing ‘The Changing of the Guaed is # very opular ane COLQUITT UL ever in London's Whitehall and must be one of the most photographed ovens in tha world Thinking Michae|Busselle wanted t fine a way to produce an imege wnich was little different fom those he had seen many tmes before, He walked arourd the scene ookie fer a viewpoint which would give him a chance todo this a found that this back View othe quardsmen also offered hm an ettectve backgroundin he form of he distant bul ngs cade. Acting He useda [ONG-FOCUS lenstoisdate this smal croup of giardsmen and used aiite a Wide APErtUTe ‘ensure tat the stant Bld ng was UNSharD enough to aliow/the mein Sbjec: to stand out clearly. 35mm SLE Camera with © 75-300mm zoom lens, an 818 vrarmup filer and Fuji Prove.

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