Tips for Photographing for Portraiture
by Adam Weaver
If you are thinking about commissioning me to paint a portrait for you, here's some tips to keep in mind that will make for a memorable and beautiful portrait. The best photos to use have a variety of elements that work together; clarity, lighting, pose, and perspective.
Clarity
Using clear photos, I am able to pick out the finest of details from the photo and incorporate them into your painting. The more details I can find, the more realistic the portrait will turn out and a greater likeness to the subject will be achieved. Hold the camera steady and try to keep the subject still. The elements in the background of the photo aren't always necessary and don't always need to be in focus. Sometimes I keep the focus on just the subject, other times it is necessary to involve the background in the portrait to help define where the subject is at or what they are doing.
Lighting
The most flattering light for most portraits is soft and off-camera, try to keep the flash off if possible. Natural lighting shows the natural way light touches the curves and contours of the subject. A photo taken outside at sunrise or sunset makes for an excellent dramatic effect, while midday photos show high exposure and can be very dynamic with light and shadow. Experiment with lighting. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. Side-lighting can create mood, back-lighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.
Pose
Your subject you are photographing doesn't always need to be looking directly at the camera. It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can be of impact in a portrait. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens. While this can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the portrait, you might also try catching them looking away. This can create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at. This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showing some kind of emotion. Questions arise like "what’s making them laugh?" or "what's making them smile?". Experiment with expressions! In some photos it is the expression on the face of your subject that makes the portrait memorable.
Alternatively, you could have your subject looking at something or someone within the frame. A child looking at a flower, a woman looking at her baby, a pet curious about a bug. When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. This will also help create a story within the portrait.
Perspective
Try to be at the same level as the subject you are photographing. Being at eye level with your subject creates a stunning photo that the viewer can relate to, although this may not always be true. There are times you may want to try and be lower than them or slightly higher. Standing above the subject shooting the photo downwards doesn't show the natural pose of the subject because they are having to look up. Shooting the photo at or near eye level with them is a general rule of thumb to stick by.
In addition, if you have multiple subjects you would like to have painted into one portrait, separate photos of each subject are fine to use. Not always do you get lucky with each subject doing exactly what you are trying to capture in the photo, especially in a case of multiple pets that refuse to sit still for more than five seconds.
Thank you for reading this and I hope that it will help you in your photography when deciding upon which photos to send me. Always send me the original file; uncropped, unaltered, unsized, and in the same resolution as you took it. Whether you are using a professional grade camera or a camera phone, special moments can be caught and a cherished and timeless keepsake can be made into a portrait that will last a lifetime and more.
