Out Door Portraits Page 4

Composition
The balance of your composition can make or break the image. When composing your shot look for lines that lead you into the image, perhaps converging in on your subject. If you frame your shot with your subject on one side, don’t forget you may have to balance out your image by including a point of interest opposite them. However, avoid the temptation to include objects for the sake of including them. Remember, any element that doesn’t add to the composition merely takes away from it.

There are many ways of framing your shots, but to make the most of your situation I would recommend a variety of angles, framing and crops. Using some basic shapes, like triangular compositions, will help lead the eye through the image and give it a natural dynamic. Standing full-length shots are good to show the whole of the subject, but can be limited in terms of framing options. They tend to leave a lot of negative space either side of the subject and for this reason are not very dynamic or lively.
There are advantages to both portrait and landscape compositions: in a portrait orientation the subject’s face can fill the frame, getting in nice and close to highlight their features as the focal point , while landscape shots give you a wider horizontal so that the background can be used more effectively, adding to the image and giving it significant depth.

One of the golden rules of composition is the rule of thirds. This rule divides a picture into an equally spaced grid of 3x3. Placing key elements on the points at which the lines intersect gives them a natural dynamic energy and creates interest.

Creative
Once you’re confident with your portrait technique, you can start to push the boundaries a bit and release some of your creative talent. Each photo you take is, in a small way, a self-portrait, a window into how you see the world: a portrait can reveal as much about the photographer as it can the sitter. With a few tips you can take your photography to the next level, producing fantastic portraits of family and friends.
Consider your composition and how you can push it further. Rules are there to guide us but often the best images break those rules.

Camera set up
Set your autofocus and drive mode to single shot, your white balance to Daylight (or Cloudy, depending on your conditions) and your ISO to 100, assuming you have good light. Now set your exposure mode to Aperture Priority and select a large aperture, such as f/2.8, in order to throw the background out of focus. Take your point of focus from the eyes of your subject by half depressing the shutter release and reframe your shot each time. If shooting without a flashgun, take your exposure from your subject. With fill-in flash, take your light reading from the background.

Using flash creatively
Flash isn’t just an on-camera lighting source. If you use a hotshoe-mounted flash gun, the addition of a TTL off-camera cord can allow you to move the lighting source. Strong directional lighting like this can be very effective. Some flash systems can actually control flash guns off-camera, so there is no need for cables. If you’re feeling extravagant, you can buy a dedicated wireless flash controller – such as Nikon’s SU-800 – that has the ability to control multiple flash guns in channels and groups. You can then set up flash guns to act as the main light, fill-in and background, in effect giving you a portable studio. It’s worth experimenting with the position of the flash in order to find what works and what doesn’t.

TOP TIPS!
Camera metering systems can easily become confused in mixed light, so it’s worth remembering what surfaces around you represent good, mid-tone references. Both skin tone and green grass can be used to meter from, so just set your camera to spot or centre-weighted metering and take a reading. Remember to check your settings though, as the light will change over time or as a result of cloud cover.