People pictures

If anything, people are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. You face all the usual technical considerations:

• use light effectively, create a good composition, ensure good exposure for highlights and
shadows.

But after these decisions, you have just begun.

Psychology of the portrait

There are two types of photographs we tend to make, candids and conceived.

Candids

With candid photography, you have to become part of the furniture. Henri Cartier-Bresson, probably the best-ever candid photographer, appeared very plain. He just naturally blended into his surroundings.

If you are planning on doing street photography or even pictures of your family, it’s best to be quiet. Carry lots of big cameras, long lenses and wear bright clothes, and people are going to be looking at you, instead of doing what you want to photograph. If you are photographing kids, plan out what you want to do and figure out your composition. Then get low, sit or lay on the ground, get all of your gear ready, meter the light, get your framing and pre- focus.

Kids attention spans are short. It makes formal portraits difficult, but helps when shooting candids. After ten minutes, they’ll forget about you. Move slowly and quietly and wait for the moment to happen.

It will happen quickly, and you have to be ready.

Even the best cameras have “shutter lag” a delay from the time you hit the button until the time the camera exposes the film. It takes practice to get your reflexes. In order to get a photograph at peak action, you have to start hitting the shutter button before the action happens. Using a flash with “red-eye reduction” seriously increases this delay. First, there is the inheriant delay of the camera, a “pre-flash” to close the subject’s pupils, then the flash. You miss the moment, but don’t get “red-eye”.

Anticipate.

And shoot a lot of film. Who said photography is cheap?

Formal portraits

Photos of people are far less stiff than they used to be in the early days of photography. A century ago, portrait photographers could only use slow film and dim available light, so they sat their subjects in special posing chairs, which prevented the sitter from moving and ruining the shot. Today, the only reason your subject will be stiff, is if you let them.

The best people photographers all have little tricks to get the expression they are after.

There is the famous portrait of Winston Churchill, by Yousuf Karsh, where the young photographer pulled a cigar out of the British Prime Minister’s mouth, then snapped the shutter. Richard Avedon was said to whisper a profanity to his subject – just to get a reaction he could photograph.

Most other portrait photographers find simple converstion works best. As you are getting ready, talk to the person. Show an interest in them. If you want them smiling, kid around with them.

Get an honest smile.

Never say cheese.

With really little kids, “Stinky feet” works much better. Sometimes you want a more serious look. Tell the sitter to think of something serious. Give them a minute and pretend to tinker with your gear. Once they have the expression, then hit the shutter.

The background

An environmental portrait, gives an emphasis to the person and the place. The idea is to find an interesting feature to play off the person

-- to contrast with them. Both are integral to the image.

With a formal portrait, the emphasis is on the sitter and the background is an aside. Simple works best, a wall, curtains, something interesting, but not overly distracting.

In both styles, make sure nothing distracting is in the background, especially things sticking out from the top of their sitter’s heads.

The tools

Photographers tend to be rule breakers.

Which is why, there are portrait lenses, and portrait films, but not everybody uses them. Ofter portrait photographers use the opposite, because what you are doing isn’t doesn’t have to be documenting, it can also be art.

Portrait lenses

Short telephoto lenses (85 mm to 105 mm) are used for traditional headshots. The lenses compress the features a little, making noses look a complimentary length. A standard 50mm lens tends to exaggerate the nose. Wider lenses do even weirder things.

But some of the best portrait photographers were reknowned for using wider lenses. The great Irving Penn often used a 60 mm lens on his Hasselblad -- equivalent to a 35mm lens on a 35mm camera. Most hip hop photographers use extremely wide lenses for full body shots -- the equivalent of 20 mm or 24mm lenses on 35mm cameras. Or fisheye lenses.

Longer lenses, while nice for blurring the background, aren’t often used for tight shots, since they tend to compress the facial features too much. But they can be effective in full length photographs.

Portrait films

Kodak, Fuji and Agfa all make “portrait” films. These feature a softer palet and lower contrast than general purpose films.

Kodak’s professional series of film Portra NC has neutral colors, great for weddings. Portra VC has more saturated colors, used by many editorial photographers. Fuji’s Reala is reknowned for fine grain, great skin tones and rich colors. NPS is used by many wedding photographers, with its soft, neutral colors. But being art, you can also use a punchier film like Ultra. Both Kodak and Agfa have films named Ultra, both offer exaggerated color and reasonable flesh tones.

Light

The best light for portraits is near sunset. The light is low and flattering, it isn’t too hard, or too soft, and it is warm. Look at a copy of National Geographic and you will always see examples of portraits at first light. But as good as it is, this “magic hour” exists for just two hours ever day, (weather permitting) however, and it exists at inconvenient times.

Plan B

So how do you want your subject to look?

Want a flattering portrait that takes a few years of your mom’s face? Want to make a crotchety neighbor seem mean?

Hard light

Small light sources, far away, mean hard, directional light. When the sky is clear, the sun is a very hard light source. Textures are enhanced. It is moody light. It is dramatic light.

Look at an early Yousuf Karsh photo, and you can see every pore in his subjects face. Great when photographing tough old sailors. Mom might not be so happy with the look.

Soft light

The bigger the light source, the closer to the subject, the softer the light. The softer the light, the softer the edge contrast of shadows, the lighter shadows, the less wrinkles and bags. It is flattering light.

An overcast sky is a huge source of soft light. Beautiful light for flattering portraits.

Open shade (under a tree, or an awning. Inside a doorway or window) is also great for its soft light.

Direction of light:

Front light
Tends to decrease creases, minimizes the things most people are unhappy about in their appearances. Makes faces appear a little wider. Flattering for older people, not so much for people with big heads.

Back light
Soft light, with a flattering rim of highlight. Very pleasing. Usually works best with some fill light.

Fill light
Light that fills in shadows, decreasing contrast. In the winter, light bounces off snow and fills shadows below the chin and nose. On the beach, sand does the same thing. White walls can work, or you can even get a friend to hold a white jacket or newspaper beside the subject of your photograph.

Classic portrait lighting: 3/4
Rembrant is the father of great light. Look at one of his portraits, and you will notice what we call 3/4 light -- light that wraps around a subject, leaving a triangle of highlight under the eye of the shadow side.

It provides dimension.

Penn used “Rembrant” lighting a lot. Look at his portraits and you will see dark background, light highlight on the 3/4 of the face that is in sun, one quarter of the face in darkness, then a lighter background, giving separation.

Short lighting: Narrows faces

Broad lighting: Widens faces.

Angle

Shooting someone straight on widens their face but also makes them look honest.

Shooting then at a 3/4 angle adds dimension to the photograph.

Ways to improve your subject, by minimizing their less flattering features.

Nose faults: Avoid profiles.

Short noses: photograph from above.

Long noses:photograph from below, use a slightly longer lens.

Protruding ears are less noticable when shot from 3/4.

Balding people look better is shot a little lower.

Folks with double chins and turkey necks, shoot from a little higher.

Deep-set eyes: Use a lower light source.

Small eyes: Have them lift their gaze.

The most important thing when shooting people is to take your time, enjoy your self, and relax. It can be stressful for people to have their portraits taken. If you are having fun, they’ll have fun.

Try lots of angles.

Shoot a lot of film.

Assignment: Do a portrait (or even a self-portrait). Try different light and angles. Don’t use a flash.