Essential Elements of Portrait Photography: Lighting and Posing Techniques to Make Everyone Look Their Best

by Bill Israelson

Overview

Creating an idealized image of a subject is a portrait photographer's job. However, the approach is not quite formulaic. From one subject to the next and one day to the next, there are different goals and scenarios—on Monday, you may be tasked with photographing your subjects under cloudy skies on a beach; on Tuesday, you may need want to downplay your client's wide hips in the studio; on Wednesday, you may want to create dramatic lighting for an actor's portfolio—on-stage. Every day, there is a unique challenge to meet, often under varying conditions. So, how do you make a magically good portrait during every shoot?

In this book, Bill Israelson shows you how to tackle the problem of creating a great portrait of your every client. Beginning with a discussion on equipment essentials, breaking the discussion into two topics—gear for studio work and portable equipment for location work.

Next, you'll learn simple posing strategies for making women, men, kids, and groups looks their best in any presentation. You'll learn how to position the body from head to toe to maximize assets and downplay common problem areas.

Lighting is the backbone of every image. In the studio, you have complete control over every facet of the lighting—from its hardness or softness to its color temperature and direction. On location, the basic principles of good lighting still apply—but the quality and quantity of light is subject to change. Israelson shows you how to harness the available light and supplement it when needed to create saleable images every time.

With straightforward, jargon-free text and a wide range of image examples, this book will help you quickly learn how to improve your portrait results to create client-pleasing portraits every time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608957521
Publisher:	Amherst Media, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/22/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	743,779
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Bill Israelson is a portrait and wedding photographer based out of the Panama City/Destin Florida area. He operates a state of the art studio, and is happy to go the distance, work as hard as he can, and do whatever it takes to provide value to his customers. As a young teenager in the ‘70s Bill used his Dad’s Minolta SRT-101 35mm SLR camera which soon became his “go to” camera for high-school year-book work and taking photographs of friends. His photography journey had begun, and Bill had been “bit” – since then, photography has been his strongest interest. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s Bill employed a Pentax ME Super 35mm SLR with a variety of Tamron lenses to photograph family, friends, and events. After years of producing thousands of negative strips, Bill went both digital and professioanal in 2006. Bill currently conducts photography workshops ranging from the fundamentals, to advanced lighting techqniques. Rarely, is he seen without a camera strapped to his shoulder – he is the real-deal; an enthusiast, perfectionist, and above all a passionate photog. Look for Bill’s work at: www.williamisraelson.com

Table of Contents

Author Biography 5

Introduction 6

The Goal of This Book 6

Obstacles to Good Photography 9

Learning to See the Light 9

Exposure 9

Posing 9

I'll Fix It in Photoshop 11

Photography Is Art-But It Involves Technical Know-How 12

1 Equipment 14

What Equipment Do I Need? 14

The Basic Portrait Photography Kit 15

DSLR Body 15

Tech Tip: Digital Sensors 18

Lens 20

Tech Tip: Aperture and F-Stops 22

Flashgun 23

Loupe 24

Tech Tip: Ambient, Incident, and Reflected Light 25

Tripod 25

Light Meter 26

All That in One Small Bag! 27

Mobile Equipment 27

Scrims 27

Portable Battery Pack and Strobe 28

Reflectors 28

Studio Equipment 29

Light Meter 29

Strobes 29

Softboxes and Umbrellas 29

Reflectors and Flags 30

Backdrops 31

Stands 31

Advanced Studio Equipment 32

2 Photographs People 35

Idealize the Subject 35

What You "See" Is What You Get 37

Posing: Keep It Simple 37

Posing Women 38

Posing Men 39

Posing Children and Families 40

Glamour and Fashion 45

3 A Simple Process 47

Key Light 48

Fill Light 48

Rim Light 49

Step 1 Gainfully Evaluate Light Sources 49

Analysis 50

Selection 54

Step 2 Compose the Image in Your Mind 56

Step 3 Position and Pose Your Client 59

Step 4 Measure Light Sources and Set Camera Controls 60

Tech Tip: White Balance 61

Step 5 Position and Set Power to Light Sources 64

Tech Tip: ISO 65

Step 6 Take an Exposure, then View the LCD and Histogram 66

The LCD: Seeing Is Believing 66

Tech Tip: Histogram 68

The Histogram: Seeing Is Verifying 69

4 Outdoor Portraits 72

The Person Is the Central Object of Your Photograph 73

The Background 73

Tech Tip: Lens, Aperture, and Depth of Field (DOF) 74

Close Background 75

Distant Background 77

Panoramic Background 77

Diminishing Line and the Horizon 77

Sunlight 78

Bright and Sunny Sky Techniques 80

Using On-Camera Flashgun 83

Using Off-Camera Flash (Mobile Strobes) 83

Shady Areas Under a Bright Sun 84

Overcast and Cloudy Sky Techniques 86

Tech Tip: RAW versus JPEG 87

Beach Photography 89

5 Studio Portraits 96

The Studio as a Workspace 96

Incident Light Meters 96

Lens Selection 96

Strobes 98

Tech Tip: Focal Plane Shutter and Flash Synchronization 100

Softboxes 101

Feathering the Light 101

Umbrellas 101

Grids 102

Reflectors 102

Flags 102

Backdrops and Props 102

Tech Tip: Light Ratios 103

Camera Support 104

Light Ratios 104

Portrait Styles 105

Short Lighting 105

Broad Lighting 105

High Key 105

Mid Key 109

Low Key 110

Tech Tip: Inverse Square Law 110

6 Indoor Portraits 114

Reflecting Light Off the Ceiling 115

Using a Window as the Key Light 116

7 Practice, Practice, Practice 120

Now You Are Ready! 120

Follow the Process 120

Review Your Work with a Critical Eye 123

Editing the Digital Image 123

Attend Workshops and Photography Seminars by Great Photographers 124

A Short List of the Photographers Whom I Admire Most 124

Index 126