Working with one light and some kind of diffusion, take as many photos as you need to get one good example of:
Front light
Rembrandt light – loop or closed loop
Short light
Broad light
Split light
Front Light
Rembrandt Light (loop)
Short Light
Broad Light
Split Light
A few considerations:
Put a chair for your model as far from furniture and other obstacles as you can. Sit at the same level as your subject. Or both stand. But be at the same level.
Pay attention to anything distracting behind the subject. move it if you can or try facing in another direction.
You will need to be able to move the light around your subject.
Turn off any other lights besides the light you are using for the portraits.
Diffuse the light.
Settings: Shutter Speed – Keep the shutter speed fast enough to freeze both your motion and your subject’s motion. For a camera this may be 1/60. For a cameraphone it may be slower possibly 1/15. I personally would never shoot with shutter speeds that long. I would keep to 1/125 and 1/30.
Aperture – Use your widest aperture.
ISO-You may have to use a high ISO. Keep it as low as you can.
Put your five final photos in a post on OpenLab with a short description of your process, which was the easiest? which the hardest? Which one makes your subject look the best?
a model ( It could be yourself. Then you will also need a tripod.)
Portrait Poses
Front view
3/4 view
Profile
Front view. Photographer: Celeste Sloman
Three-quarter view. Photographer: Celeste Sloman
Profile. Photographer: Nadav Kandar
Focal Length
The focal length of a lens is defined as the distance in mm from the optical center of the lens to the the sensor when the lens is focused on infinity. This varies on the camera and the lens.
Focal length controls: Magnification and angle of view
Focal length is described as short, normal ie close to human vision, or long.
Wide Angle Distortion-created when using a wide-angle lens AND the camera is very close to the subject. The object close to the lens appears abnormally large relative to more distant objects, and distant objects appear abnormally small and hence more distant – distances are extended.
Focal length and proximity to the camera affect how a person’s face looks in a photograph. A wide focal length and proximity between the subject and the camera create wide angle distortion and will distort a person’s features.
Photographer: Chip Simons
Think about selfie sticks. What are they for but to get the camera away from your face? This makes the photograph look more complimentary to the subject. This is really important with a cameraphone because it has a wide angle lens. The center of the lens and the sensor cannot be very far apart given the thin design of cellphones.
When shooting with a crop-frame sensor such as a Canon 60d, approximately 65 mm will be the most flattering to your subject.
When shooting with a full-frame sensor, 85 mm is generally thought to be the most flattering focal length for portraits
Focus
When shooting a portrait, the subject’s eyes must be in focus. Full stop. period.
Generally, portraits are shot with shallow depth of field to separate the subject from the background. Be careful to have enough depth of field so that the subject’s face from what is closest to the camera to what is farthest is in focus.
If you are shooting with a cameraphone that has portrait mode, it will blur what it calculates to be the background to simulate shallow depth of field.
Portrait Lighting Styles
There are a 5 basic lighting styles for portrait photography. Each style is defined by how light falls on the face.
Rembrandt Light – the model is face forward, main light is at 45 degrees and casts a light on the opposite side of the face to form a triangle on the cheek.
Michael B. Jordan. Photographer: Peggy Sirota
2. Broad Light-model’s face in 3/4 view-light falls on the side of the face with the visible ear. Good for controlling the reflections on glasses.
Danny Devito. Photographer: Gregory Heisler.
3. Short Light-model’s face is in 3/4 view, the light falls on the side of the face with the features. (Not on the side with the visible ear.)
Aretha Franklin. Photographer: Matthew Jordan Smith
Pick a food product. Create two completely different photographs, either of which could be used for an advertising campaign for that product. Shoot one inside and one outside. Shoot one with a person in it and one as a still life. Shoot one so it is light and bright and one where the light is dark and moody. It is up to you how they are different.
If you don’t have lighting equipment, try using a window during the day as your main light. Use diffusion and reflection as you would with artificial lights. Or take at least one of your ideas outside. Note the weather looks rainy most of the week except for Saturday. plan ahead.
Adjust your final two images in Lightroom.
Put the final two images in an album on Flickr, with at least 10 of the photos it took your to get to your final image.
Sometimes, we can’t completely eliminate direct reflection when shooting glass. Instead, we need to diffuse it.
For example, if you want to photograph a product in a glass or hard plastic bottle and you need to see the label or the bottle is not transparent. Then you use diffusion to soften the direct reflection.
Backlight doea not work in every case!
With one side light.
With a side light, diffustion and fill.
With a side light, diffusion,fill and a second light on the background.
Create a food product shot with a product in glass or hard plastic packaging, controlling direct reflection. Be clear what do you want to say about the product. It needs to be the hero of the shot. Use an eye-level of low angle shot.
If you don’t have the materials to make a sweep, then use a shorter product such as a jam jar or even a tube of something with a three-quarter or overhead angle. Side light or set the light between a side light and a front light and use diffusion and reflection.
Build up the shot with props to bring out your message and be visually appealing.
Bring into lightroom and adjust.
Post your final image with a description of your process.
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