Portraiture: What makes a Good Portrait?

Why does this photo catch our eye? What is it about this picture that makes it any better than any snapshot we might take of a child, relative, or friend?

First, it's well exposed; secondly, look at the modeling on the face of this girl ("Modeling" is PhotoSpeak for the highlights -light areas- and shadows -dark areas- that fall upon the subject, giving it the depth and texture necessary for professional results); half of her face is highlighted (lighted), and the other half is in shadow (relatively speaking). Frontal lighting, coming from the camera's location is the worst possible way to light a good portrait (for most purposes).The light in this picture is coming from the side (our right, the subject's left); the shadow side is receiving about 30% of the light the highlight side is receiving. This, unlike the "flat" and unappealing look we find in most front-lighted faces, gives the image a three dimensional look, as well as making for an interesting shot. Third, a model looking directly into the lens gives the impression that she's looking directly at us. In young women (or men), this is very often a "sexy" or "intimate" look. And finally, notice what is not included; there's nothing in this image to distract the viewer! Notice how the background has been allowed to photograph as solid black, eliminating any distractions from the background. Notice also how tightly this image is cropped. There's nothing in the image to distract us from the subject. From now on, every time you see a picture you like, start noticing how it was lit. But it is vitally important for the photographer to realize that ... continued below

*It may come as a surprise to some folks, but images of attractive young ladies appeal to women almost as much as they appeal to men. In numerous tests, women were much more attracted pictures of other women than they were those of men. Consequently, our society is filled with images of beautiful women. Thank goodness.

Creative DOF and use of color

Another shot of the same lovely girl. Again, she's looking directly at us (into the lens), and again, there is good "modeling" (light and shadow) on the face. Notice how the photographer has used "depth of field" (DOF) creatively in this picture ("depth of field" is photospeak for the areas in a photograph which are sharp and clear, and the other parts are blurred). DOF is a creative tool in all photographs (what you choose to show as sharp, and what you choose to blur)! More on this below (DOF is explained fully in another Guide).

The photographer purposely allowed us to see enough of the blurred girl in the background to recognize that it was a girl in a hat (and to establish place and circumstance), but out of focus to draw our eye to main subject's (lovely) face. Also notice the creative use of the color blue to highlight the model's beautiful blue eyes. Notice the eyes....

Our final photograph in this series is also striking, for the same reasons as were the two above, but notice how much darker her eyes appear in this picture and the top picture. Compare the apparent color of the girl's eyes in all three shots. The same model, and the same eyes. The lighting (direction, intensity, intention) and the background colors are among your most powerful creative tools (remember my admonishing you "Control the Light!"?).

Here, too, the model looks directly into the lens (directly at the viewer), but this picture is the sexiest of all - without actually showing anything - because of the photographer's framing (or cropping) of the shot just barely above... well, you get the idea :) And yes, the model was 18 when these pictures were made. She's older now, and almost as fetching. ;-)

Are you beginning to get a feel for some of the important aspects of portraiture? Here are the 3 most important ideas to keep in mind with each shot: 1) Have a theme (youth, innocence, allure, beauty, etc.), make it about something more than "who" the subject is. 2) Direct the viewer's attention to your subject (focus, lighting, framing, cropping). 3) Simplify your shots (eliminate everything extraneous! Nothing should appear in your shot that distracts from your subject or intention).

When we can't control what's behind our subject, and can't move the subject to a better position, there are a few techniques we can use to deal with background problems; one is CROPPING the subject tightly, as in the photo on the left; another technique is creative DOF, as shown in the center image, and another is to allow some background to appear, lending a bit of place to the image as in the picture on the right.

Crop it tightly (& hide the background)	What's DOF? DOF Stands for "Depth Of Field" and it's one of the greatest creative techniques a photographer has at his/her disposal. It can eliminate distractions, it can draw the viewer's eye to the subject, and it can add an artist's touch to an otherwise mediocre image. DOF refers to the part of a photograph that is in clear and sharp focus, while other parts of the image are rendered blurry. The photographer chooses which parts of the image are sharp, and which parts are blurry.	Use the background (to add place, but blur it just a bit)	Crop it (but let some background show)
The image on the left uses two creative photographic techniques: Cropping and DOF. Cropping, a term from back in the old days, when we would cut off (crop) the areas around our subjects with a pair of scissors, is today either "Photoshopping" or zooming in on the subject when taking the picture, and filling the picture with the subject (here our subject is a woman's face), and showing little, if any, of what's in the background. And the small part of the background that does show is so blurry we have no idea what may be behind the subject. The middle picture uses the background as part of the image, establishing place, but blurring enough of it so our eyes go right to the subject because that's the only part of the image that's clear and in sharp focus. How do we get DOF? We open up our apertures! The wider our aperture, the shorter the DOF. Open up wide (F1.4 or 2.8) for short DOF, and stop down to F16 for deep DOF. I go into DOF in more detail in the Exposure Guide (covering aperture, shutter speed, & ISO).

OK, at this point we have learned to think before we shoot; to take into consideration our subject's age, tone, hair color, clothing color, and eye color, and then choose the best background for our pictures. We've learned to look around and make sure we avoid unnecessary and distracting objects in our pictures (like phone poles, tree trunks, or someone's dirty old socks laying on the chair next to our subjects). We've learned to consider using a photo background to emphasize the attractive aspects of the subject we're photographing, and in so doing, removing any background distractions. Also, we've learned to avoid direct sunlight when shooting outdoors. And when we don't have the freedom to change a distracting background, we've learned some techniques we can use to deal with it. Not bad for just a few paragraphs, huh? It won't be long before you'll be doing all this preparation automatically. You'll glance around your shooting locations, make mental note of things to avoid, choose the best location to place your subject, and know exactly what to do when the shoot begins. If you're shooting in your studio or at a client's home or office, you'll have taken note of your subject's age, gender, hair & eye color, facial imperfections, and body form. You will then know exactly what type of background(s) you'll want to use, which light modifiers (umbrellas, softboxes, etc.) to bring along, and what results the client expects.

Next, we have to ask ourselves: What do we want to emphasize in our picture? How will we direct our viewers' eye to our subject? If it's an outdoors photograph, how will we separate our main subject from any other distracting elements in our photograph? At which angle should we shoot? Is it important to establish place in this photograph (i.e., is it important for the viewer to know where our subject is? Or do we want to hide the location)? If we're shooting people, what is our victim's least appealing feature (i.e., a large nose, a bald head, pot belly, lotsa wrinkles, etc.:)? How can we hide or de-emphasize it? What's our subject's most appealing feature (i.e., eyes, profile, smile, boobs - oops! sorry, I couldn't resist:)? How can we emphasize the attractive aspects of our subjects? Look at your subject's face; notice if there's a blemish or other aspect that we would want to minimize or hide (nobody wants to get a portrait of themselves with a great big pimple on the end of their nose). Every photographer should have a small make-up kit as part of their studio setup, to hide blemishes and some powder to use if the subject's skin is oily (especially the forehead) to eliminate shiny spots.These are the questions photographers have to ask, before we shoot. THINK before you shoot! MAKE a photograph - don't "take" a snapshot! Now for a few techniques we can use to make our subjects look great in our portraits:

Be Creative: Endeavor to make your photographs say something more than "this is uncle Donald." Yes, every picture of uncle Donald will be a picture of uncle Donald. But instead of just being of interest to the few people who know uncle Donald, make it an image of an older man sitting thoughtfully, perhaps on his front porch. Make your photograph say something that everyone can find interesting, not just the few who know the subject. Uncle Donald can be sitting in his rocking chair on his front porch with a cigarette dangling from his fingers, or his pipe held gently in his hand as he gazes, thoughtfully, downward. You would also have placed uncle Donald in a position so that his face is appropriately lit, perhaps with half in a medium shadow, to give shape and interest. Also consider making the picture black and white, as well. The results will be so much better than the average, run of the mill, portrait. Those who know uncle Donald will remark: "Isn't that just like uncle Donald - sitting on the porch with his favorite pipe," and those who don't know uncle Donald will admire a scene that has universal interest as a study in human nature. With today's photographic magic it's easy to make a picture using a ChromaKey backdrop, and drop in any background you like; uncle Don can be in New York's Central Park, or in a forest, or anywhere else you can dream of. And don't just read this and say it sounds like a good idea - make some images like this just as soon as you can.

Quickie Technique 101: Portraits - Where do we put the camera? Which part of the face do we focus on? How far away should we be? First, use a tripod. When? ALWAYS! Unless it's impossible, always use a tripod, and get a remote trigger, as well. After getting all the shots we can with a tripod-mounted camera, then you can remove the tripod and shoot freehand. Let's start out by learning that we always must consider not only where we choose to place our light, but also learn that we can add a little drama to our photography by considering the exact opposite of light. What's that? It's SHADOWS, of course. One of the great benefits of having lighting equipment (or placement of our subjects in available light) is it allows us to choose exactly where we put the light and where we put the shadows. Look at the example photos below, and you'll see what I mean. So let's start by learning that shadows are just as important as the highlights, and controlling the lighting also means controlling the shadows, and that's what this guide is about to teach you. OK, let's get started.

Setting up:

1) Place the camera about 8-12 feet away from the subject (or at as close to that as is possible);

2) Set the camera (on the tripod) at subject's eye level;

3) Use a lens of approximately 85mm (or set your zoom lens to around that);

4) Set the camera's aperture to f8 (or between f5.6 to f11 or as close to that as we can reasonably get);

5) Focus on the eyes;

6) Light one side of the face brighter than the other (half in medium to heavy shadow - see images below); if you're using lighting equipment, place one light at about a 45º angle on each side of the subject's face and set the fill light (the light on the shadow side of the subject) at around 50% or 1/2 the power as the main light. Place a third light behind the subject, hidden from the camera's view, and pointing towards the background to light the backdrop and blow away the shadows and provide depth and separation. If you have a 4th light, place it next to or slightly behind the camera to provide the "catch light" in the eyes (the little white dot seen in the eyes to give it the "live" feel. If you're shooting outdoors or using available light, place the subject in a position that allows for medium to heavy shading on part of the face. You can also use a white poster board (available at art supply stores, office product stores, and many other places - I got mine at a drugstore for .39¢) or if you're in a pinch, use even a white towel, pillowcase, sheet or similar item as a reflector to "bounce" some of the ambient light onto the shadow side of the victim's face to create the appropriate lighting effects. The very BEST solution to proper lighting is to have some studio lights; but just placing your victim in the proper place with available light is just fine to start with. I'll explain the "why should I do this" for each of these steps in another guide.

Making the subject look good:

1) To hide facial lines and wrinkles use umbrellas or softboxes (or use an inexpensive "soft-focus" filter);

2) To de-emphasize a large nose, raise camera level slightly and shoot full or 3/4 face, no profiles;

3) To de-emphasize a receding hairline, lower camera slightly or have subject raise head slightly;

4) To hide that 'ol "pot belly" that sneaks up on folks as they age, use clothing that hides it (a suit or sports jacket, is great, or an un-tucked shirt for casual shots), and raise camera slightly to reduce the area of the image in which the pot belly appears.

5) To hide the unappealing. loose flesh that hangs down from the upper arms of plus-sized subjects, place the arms down at their sides, and if they're not wearing suits, have them dress in long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve shirts or blouses. It's also a good idea to have our heavier subjects avoid tight-fitting clothing; loose-fitting clothes in a dark color are best, and if their clothing has any designs (try to avoid "busy" designs - they detract from our images), avoid horizontal stripes like the plague, but vertical stripes are great for "slimming-down" our subjects for a pleasing shot. If you're doing a standing shot of a heavy subject, avoid shorts whenever possible. After all, as photographers, our job is to make our victims look as good as possible, and to feel good about themselves and their pictures.

6) Have the subject sit on a chair and cross their legs at the ankles, and place their hands palm-down on their lap, with one hand sitting on the top of the other. While we may not have the hands and legs showing in our portrait images, this placement will assure the optimum positioning of the head and body. Standing subjects, of course, will be posed somewhat differently, and will be covered in the next portriature guide (Portraiture 102).

7) Have the subject look directly into the camera's lens for several exposures, then look slightly away from the camera in several additional exposures. Make some shots with the subjects looking barely to the left, to the right, looking up and looking down - but just a little bit. Shoot several profiles, several 3/4 faces, and encourage different expressions (serious, slight smile, inquisitive, contemplative, etc.); make lots of exposures (so you'll have many shots to choose from). In order to help you get the interesting and meaningful expressions that make portraits great, if the subject has children, ask them "how did you feel the first time you saw your newborn baby" and watch the expression on their face change - then say "hold that expression! Turn your body a bit to the left, and gaze slightly downward." Then capture that wonderful expression! Ask several of these kinds of questions to elicit looks of joy, sadness, thoughtful, etc., and capture them. Do things like this to get images other photographers only dream about. I've gone into this technique (drawing out amazing expressions from our subjects) in detail in another guide.

Take the time and thought to prepare your photo sessions long before your subject arrives! Learn to know what you want before you put film or a memory card in your camera. Learn to "design" your pictures before you pick up your camera! Take a piece of paper and a pencil, and sketch out what you want in the picture you're considering; this will be a great help in the beginning, and after a few weeks or months of doing this, you'll start to do it all in your head, and won't need the pencil and paper any more.

When you've had a few months of practicing lighting and making professional-looking images, and you've learned how and where to place the highlights and shadows on your victims, start thinking about capturing a subject in a way that the image reveals what you want it to show to the viewers of the finished image. Ask yourself "What do I want this picture to say? What feelings do you want to convey to the viewers of this image?" For example, if the image is of a young, beautiful girl, do i want to convey sexiness and beauty, as when she wears a bikini on the beach? Do I want to show her as a capable and sophisticated businesswoman, as when she dresses in a business suit? Do I want to convey sadness, as when I show her with tears running down her face (as if at a funeral)? There are many different ways to photograph a subject (be it a portrait or a product), and many different ways to convey the feelings that our photographs will elicit in those who see our images. And now, with the modern miracle of digital cameras, we have the fantastic benefit of being able to make an almost unlimited number of exposures, and just "deleting" anything we don't like - without wasting a lot of film - and saving a ton of money on film and developing. So take advantage of these modern miracles, and make some wonderful and wondrous images and videos!

If you're diligent about practicing your photography, if you take the time to look for the details that make great images, and if you're very, very, lucky, you'll wake up one day and realize that you've changed; you'll look at the world differently; you will have developed the "photographer's eye," you will "see" things photographically, things most people never even notice; one day, you'll realize that you've become something special; something different, but different in a most amazing and wonderful way;  you will have become - a photographer! Back to Top

The photo above is called "The Leap of Faith" and is one of the most universally-applauded photographic images of the 20th century. Do you think he made it over the puddle? The wonderful thing about this picture is that we will never know! The beauty is in the uncertainty. The action is captured at the peak of its energy. How much less of an image it would be if it showed the jumper before he left the ground. Or after he landed - either in the puddle or over it.

Notice also how the photographer framed the shot, notice how he made sure to shoot from the side of the picture so the reflection of the jumper fell between the jumper and the camera position - if he shot from the other end of the street, the jumper's body would obscure the reflection in the puddle. Every choice the photographer makes impacts the quality of the image. Think about what you want before taking a picture. Position your subject where it will make the result better. Go read m "Portraiture Guide" and make light your friend!