​Twenty Practical Portrait Photography Composition Skills

Twenty Practical Portrait Photography Composition Skills

No.1 The use of simple background highlights figures.

It is important to select the background of the shooting, if use appropriately, it can be a good background of the atmosphere, the complex background is easy to disperse the attention of the audience, so when shooting should try to select the background of simple harmony, so that better highlights the subject. If in indoor photography, use the level angle, you can give priority to the use of a wall or a background cloth, the overlooking angle can be taken into consideration in the use of linen or floor. If the outdoor photography can blur the background with the consideration of large aperture, or looking for beautiful building facades, dense flowers, you can also through looking up to the sky as the background, or overlooking the shooting background in grassland. In short, as long as the selection of the background to the principle of simplicity, you will find a suitable shooting scene and perspective. Whatever what kind of portrait photography, wedding photos, baby photo, or even family photo and so on, all are applicable for this rule. You can try to get some beautiful picture with your friends or family, and transfer them onto canvas prints, they will be surprise.

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No.2 Use infectious background to create aesthetic images.

Concise background can make people become more prominent in the picture, but the picture without the story, which can't well replacement images of characters in the environment, so only suitable photo portrait. If you want the picture is more readable, you should according to the characteristics’ intentions, or subject to choose background, you can try to choose more aesthetic landscape or content of the environment as a background to rich and colorful pictures. Especially when using wide Angle lens, this is particularly important, so wide Angle lens will include more pictures of the environment, so the choice of background becomes more important. You also need to pay attention to arrange the positions of the characters in the picture, which can highlight characters for the aesthetic and the characteristics of the photo.

No.3 Choose a large aperture to obtain a shallow depth of field.

As mentioned earlier, the larger the aperture (e.g., f / 1.8, f / 2.4), the smaller the aperture value, the smaller the depth of field; The smaller the aperture (e.g., 18, f/f / 22), the greater the number aperture setting, the greater the depth of field. To get photos of a shallow depth of field, should first consider using large aperture. Large aperture in portrait photography and plays a very important role in the human body art photography, the beauty of the shallow depth of field blur effect can be obtained, at the same time, it can also help us in the case of low ambient light, ensure a higher shutter speed.

No.4 Close to the subject to get a shallow depth of field.

If you want to get a shallow depth of field, let background get blur, the simplest method is the distance from the model and the background under the condition of unchanged, let the camera close to the model so that you can easily obtain the effect of a shallow depth of field, figure prominently, background also got along with nature blurry. When filming pay attention to the foreground cannot be mixed and disorderly scenes, because as soon as close to the camera model, the foreground will appear and relatively clear in the picture.

No.5 Let the background get away from your subject to get a shallow depth of field

Change the distance between model and the background is also one of methods to obtain a shallow depth of field, arrangement model and the background to keep a certain distance (you don't have to close to the model) which can also get the perfect shallow depth of field effect. In simple terms, the further away from the background model, the easier it is to form a shallow depth of field, obtained from the larger blur effect. So you can try to use these methods to get some photo for yourself or friends with blurry background to highlight the subject, and make the photo print on canvas, you will achieve special outcome.

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No.6 Let the people become the visual center of the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds composition can be divided into vertical trichotomy and horizontal trichotomy. In the portrait photography, make the picture average is divided into three equal horizontal, vertical, place each line on characters main trunk, and the character of the face or eyes on one of its four intersection points which can more clearly to highlight the character entity.

No.7 Curve composition method which is to display female body soft feeling.

Curve composition is divided into S - shaped and C - shaped composition. During the filming of female people like often use S or C shaped composition to show their body soft and sexy. Which is the most commonly used type s composition, C - shaped composition in the performance of the feminine body also has very good performance, only relative S-shaped structure chart show strength to weak. Usually when a fitness of women standing naturally,, will be able to shoot from the side to beautiful S-shaped curve, and if the front shot from the point of view, you need to model is tilted slightly body. In addition to these two angles, but also through the formation of a more sexy S shaped curve. You can take some picture for your girlfriend, and make them as canvas prints which will be a nice gift, your girl friend will love you very much.

No.8 Slash composition method which stretch character shape aesthetic feeling.

Slash composition is often used in portrait photography. When the character's body or body movement appeared in the picture, in the form of diagonal lines and occupy large enough space, slash compositions are formed. Slash composition of stretch, the display of the slender figure of women or to beautify the subject body material deficiencies have very good effect. Portrait with this kind of composition method, the model should have at least one foot instep to, so that the body lines extend from the legs to the instep, in order to have the effect of elongated body line.

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No.9 The triangle composition method which shows the stability of the picture.

The triangle composition is a kind of typical composition form in portrait photography, which is divided into 3 kinds, which are right triangle, triangle and oblique triangle. When shooting, the use of the body of the body of the body or the action of the pose to constitute a triangle. This composition has a very strong sense of stability and upward impact, the character of the face as the visual center is usually located in the top of the triangle.

No.10 Horizontal format composition.

Horizontal format composition has been widely used mainly because horizontal format accord with people's visual habit and physiological characteristics, because the person's eyes is horizontal, many objects are extended in horizontal direction. Fit in with the character and environment portrait photography, also can be used for filming group portrait, etc.

No.11 Vertical format composition.

Vertical format is vertical rectangle composition, stretch up and down, the picture mode is taken as a way of composition in common use. Vertical format is more emphasis on the vertical factors in the picture, and deep into the picture, taken systemic portrait or bust portrait can use this format.

No.12 Overlooking the portrait

Overlooking the camera Angle above the camera lens in normal eye level, from the high shooting down your subject. From this angle shoot character, the character's body will be compressed, appear on the big under small deformation effect, exaggerated head, body parts are narrow, figures which would behave more lovely and nifty. Facial and if taken when the camera Angle is less than 90 °, which can be easily taken out of the little face beauty photos, eyes also can appear looks bigger than usual. Looking down it's common to "sleeping beauty" shooting Angle, when shooting to be near high-profile attention should be paid to make picture.

No.13 Looking up to shoot portrait.

It refers to the camera shot looking up at the bottom of the subject figures, taken from the bottom up. Screen effect is highly exaggerated effect, spatial perspective effect more strongly. When shooting portraits, from the lower body part of the lens will close to the larger, and far away from the lens face contrast is reduced. With this angle shooting portraits usually will look taller than usual, tall, slender, so if you want to show determination temperament male or female slender figure, you can use this angle.

No.14 Use white space environment atmosphere rendering picture.

White space is actually a easy to understand the concept, white is blank, white space is obviously in the composition of a picture, picture to set aside a certain gap. Figuratively speaking, the picture in the blank and the punctuation plays a similar role in the article. But white space in the photo is not necessarily on the actual meaning of blank, it can be a big with tonal or objects of the same type, such as the sky, the sea, mountains, grasslands, land... White space can make the picture in the visual more comfortable and natural, the photographer can use white space to better control the picture rhythm and emotion, foil artistic conception, give the viewer greater imagination space, makes the viewer perspective on the picture and the emotion is pervading within its denotation. In portrait photography, as the main body of the man, should be arranged in the frame can attract most people pay attention to the position, such as near the golden. Composition in the appropriate space, give the viewer to the imagination.

No.15 Leave blank in characters gaze direction space to extent screen space.

As mentioned earlier, in a photograph, main realities and blank parts are interdependent. Blank part can foil, illustrate the main body, at the same time can also to complement, strengthening the main image. The view of the characters in front of the white space can complement the line of sight of subject space, seeking the balance of the picture.

No.16 Use auxiliary express character temperament.

Appropriate used properly accompany body can better performance or story plot, artistic conception of the image, and strengthen to the theme of the performance, etc. These items can be a bunch of flowers, a guitar, a toy, a pair of shoes or an umbrella, etc. But the use of props to qualify for your subject's characteristics such as gender, age, personality, and be fond of, only suitable for props can have the effect of auxiliary subject expression effect.

No.17 Far scene to express figures and environment.

The features of far scene screen is a large space, landscape levels, and body image small, foil scenery more to fully manifested in a wide range of environments. Shooting far scene in large part to the performance of the overall momentum of the screen, as mentioned in the painting theory "far whichever potential", so the photographer from the big picture to the momentum to win. In portrait photography, the far scene is to cover the subject's entire body, including the feet people face, while the background environment is very large. When shooting, the characters and the background environment by combining the two can get adequate performance. But it should pay special attention to the relationship between the characters and the background.

No.18 Middle scene to express the look and attitude of figure.

Middle scene portraits is the image of the knee above, in addition to show the characters facial expressions, hand movements also seriously more characters, when shooting should pay attention to subject pose, that can be taken further show the characters' inner states. The amount of space, use of middle distance shooting, the picture Further, be helpful for performance characters of physical expression, composition is also more abound change. When filming taller people, pay attention to the subject.

No.19 Close scene express characters facial expressions.

Close-up portrait general photography is the image of the character above the waist, enabling the reader to subject people to produce relatively strong impression. Note that it is preferable to use a telephoto lens to avoid the phenomenon of perspective distortion that may arise, but also can play a virtual background to beautify the effect of the screen. Close-up facial expressions conducive to the performance figures, you can highlight the shooting subject's eyes, the eyes are the windows of the soul. Eye contact is a way of communication and expression, and characterization of infectious eye, you can make the viewer deeply appreciate instant character expression, emotions, better resonate.

No.20 A close-up scene displays the character of local body.

Close-up portrait photographer is one of many favorite shooting. While shooting close-up seems simple, but the composition and selection of portraits of local fashion is varied, for example, a common approach is to shoot close-up shooting the person's face, mainly the eyes, lips. In addition, it can be taken to focus on the performance of other local portraits, such as the performance of the hands, feet, legs, buttocks and other locations. Obviously partial close-up performance will give the picture a different atmosphere. Now in the commercial portrait advertising, often hand prints, foot mold, mold legs, chest mold, in the shooting of these models, is not the most frequently used scene close-up.