When photographing people in their local context there are a number of techniques that I try to use (not all of them in every shot as some are mutually exclusive). Keep in mind the principles of treating people with respect mentioned in our last post:
The saturation of colours that you get with one of these is fantastic. It is particularly useful in getting lovely blue skies but you’ll find that it decreases some of the haze that you often get at this time of year also.
While you can get great results at any time of the day - I love shooting Autumn colours at the end of the day just before sunset when the light is golden. This accentuates the reds and golds even more than normal.
Some people keep their cameras in their bags on days where the sun isn’t shining - but they can actually be the best days. I like overcast days because they help create a mood that you can’t get on a sunny day - plus the images are nice generally nice and rich.
One way to accentuate the colours in your shots is to think about framing your shots in such a way that the different colours contrast with one another. Golden leaves on a blue sky - a red leaf on a lush green grass etc.
Shooting into the sun will result in shadows, lower saturation of colours and lens flare (which further reduces the impact of colours. On Sunny days - keep the sun at your back. If you do have to shoot into the sun use a lens hood or shield your lens with something to avoid lens flare.
Sometimes Auto mode with White Balance won’t give you the most vibrant results. Warm up your colours by increasing the colour temperature a touch (not too much). You can do this by increasing the kelvin numbers or by selecting a setting like ‘cloudy’ if your camera has semi-auto settings. Read more on White Balance here and here.
I don’t use these anymore (I tend to make changes in Photoshop) but in my Film Camera days I did use a warm up filter on occasion to give my shots a slightly warmer glow.
Pull back the exposure on your shots a touch and you’ll find that it gives your colours a slightly deeper saturation. Again - much of this can be done in photoshop - particularly if you’re shooting in RAW.
Of course keep in mind that once you’ve taken your digital shots that you can always boost your shots on your computer afterward. This isn’t the place to go through it (as I mainly focus upon in camera techniques here) but if you shoot in RAW you’ll be in a good position to do some post production on your shots after.
Every on-location portraitist is faced with the challenge of paying attention to the details regarding his or her subject, such as posing, lighting, composition etc. Perhaps the greatest mistake made by amateur on-location portrait photographers is the lack of emphasis placed on a portrait’s background surroundings.
Photographers who do not closely examine the surroundings within the frame of their image are those who come away with images that have great distractions. No high school senior or bride will purchase a portrait in which a tree limb is sticking out of her head. Such distracting elements take emphasis off the subject, and are detrimental to the portraitist’s sales. There is nothing more painful for a portraitist than taking a portrait that is beautifully posed, gorgeously lit, and absolutely unusable … simply because no attention was given to background composition!
Posing and lighting both play enormous roles in the creation of a dynamic portrait. However, background composition is a forgotten component that requires an equal amount of time and thought.
Some things to consider when creating a perfectly composed portrait:
A portrait is about the person, so don’t be afraid to zoom in close! Remember that zooming in does not mean capturing only face shots. You can also capture “tight”, close up shots of your subject sitting on a stool or leaning into a tree.
This is the most natural spacing for a portrait. Try not to divert from this rule unless you are deliberately creating tension. Another exception of this rule is when a subject is full-bodied in the bottom third of the frame.
Rather than eliminate the environment, use it! Doorways, arches, windows, gazebos are all creative solutions that allow for maximum subject focus and heightened visual interest.
Once again, if you can’t eliminate a distracting background, use it to your advantage! By pulling the subject away from the background and shooting on Aperture priority (f4.0), you will create a small depth of field to blur the backdrop and allow for artistic texture. Your subject will stand out of the background without completely removing all creative interest in the shot.
Brick is the perfect background for a portrait! The lines add creative interest, but they also draw attention to your subject. Keep in mind that any “line” used in a portrait is strongest when it comes outside the frame and leads to the subject.
Sometimes eliminating a distraction is simply a matter of moving the camera to another position. To make the best use of perspective, work to change your camera-to-subject angle. Often by moving a little to the right or left, or getting higher or lower, you can completely abolish that distracting tree branch or telephone pole.
You will be guaranteed to sell your portrait creations when you concentrate on background details, make your subject stand out, and invest creative interest in the portrait’s composition.
Hu3..Cite dh lame but baru skrg nk update..ek3
X pedulik nk cite jgk..hu3
3rd raye aku die serang sakit perut yg tahan gaban..x brenti2 ulang alik “bank”..
Lemah rase bdn2 nie..smp rase xmo g knduri kwn uppa..tp ppa said xpe g ptg2 sket..hu3..dh pas mnum ubat yg ABE bg..dh ok sket..so nie few pic mase kat knduri tu..ho3
Uppa X-School mate..
sLMZ..
Hu3..2nd syawal..xde ape2 actvty sgt..kami just dok kat umah & mkn & ptg dlm pkol 5pm we all g new Giant & Parkson kat KB..hu3..Saje jln2..that time hujan sket..but tu x menghalang kami tuk g round bandar KB yg dh mula sibok..Mgkn Sibok dgn warga klate sndiri OR dgn warga lua klate yg membeli tuk bwk blk..temasokla kami..ehehehheh..
KB view with pose by Sajeeda..hu3
Kiteorg kene park kene jauh sket sbb xde parking..hu3..tp xpe asal dpt g tmpt d tuju..hik3
Uppa jd bby sitter jab time nie..hu3
Slm..
Hu3..As per last entry..aku dok cite ttg pertama raya..
(entry kali nie sgt panjang berjela berserta pic yg mcm2)
Skrg aku nk share dgn sume our 1st memory beraya as mrs.Uppa..hu3
MALAM RAYA >>
Hu3..PAs aje berbuka kami & uppa niece..nephew g kat 1 tmpt khas Ba buat tuk anak cucu menantu main mercun/bunga api / sbagainyer..ek3..we call it kebun bersimen..ekekek..so nie few pic yg smpt kami captured as kenangan..hu3
Hu3..Yie main mercun yg ade 30 das..Uppa look like dancing guy..ek3
There is uppa niece & nephew..at back..my FIL..Hu3..Sume dok ralit tgk uppa bakar mercun..
Smpt jgk posing..Pic sblh show our few mercun & bunga api..hu3..Aku pon ade bwk jgk dr kg..bli dgn k.yong..dpt diskaun sket..ek3
Acik..Haikal..Hayyin & me..
Pas settle main bunga api& mercun kami samb. bakar sate..my MIL peram sndiri daging tu..Last pic is my BIL..we call him ABE..ek3
1 SYAWAL >>
Di pagi raya..Pas smyng raya we all mkn dulu..Hu3..Then baru slm2..& sesi penyampaian Hadiah berupa “DUIT RAYA”..hu3
Nie sume time dh settle..Sajeeda yg sgt suke berposing..Kakak & Adik g konon2..tgh deco choc moise..hu3..Sedap cake nie..k.nik yg bikin..ek3
Our 1st memory..Same Ala2 pink to maroonkaler gitu..Np x pkai tudung??Time ni rambut x kering lg..hu3..(Ade aku Kesah)???
Uppa & Our Goodies bag..Dh mcm tradisi..every yer aku bg duit raya & goodies bag..saje suke2..ek3
K.Pah & abe’s turn to give a DUIT RAYA..hu3
Me…K.nik & k.cik yg aku x tau time nie die tgk ape ntah..hu3
