People Photography - Tips & Tricks on Photographing People

 People are one of the most difficult subjects to photograph. People have different emotions and personalities which make them interesting to capture. And yet, in many cases, photographs of people are usually unfocused and do not provide a clue as to why the photo was taken in the first place.

I understand that not everyone is interested in photography. Besides, photography is also a broad field and becoming a pro would take a lot of time and effort. But by learning the basics such as the general settings for taking portraits or tightening your composition, things which take only a few minutes to learn, can have a really powerful effect on your photos.

When we talk about photographing people, the first image that comes to mind is that of a smiling face. There’s really nothing wrong with this kind of portraiture but you can add a little creativity to make your photo more interesting and memorable. Most people just want to take simple photographs - you know, people smiling, posed in front of a building or a landmark – images which might not sell at an art gallery. And yet, these memorable moments, when captured with greater eye for detail can become a work of art you will be proud to display in your own home.

The ways you can photograph people falls into three categories: portraiture, candid and glamour. Each type of photography has its own requirements and considerations and differs on the feeling that each image hopes to convey.

 There are two types of portrait photography: the formal portrait and the informal portrait. Formal portraits are usually taken in a studio (such a yearbook photos) and are usually undertaken by professionals. On the other hand, informal portraits are taken spontaneously. These are the kinds of photos you take when you’re out with your friends, or when you want to capture a memorable event. In informal portraiture, you usually combine the person and the location to create a memory shot.

Because it is usually done by amateurs, many informal portraits have terrible results. People cannot decide which part of the scene they want to show and end up showing everything, which then results in an image showing nothing.

Perhaps you’re familiar with this process – you ask your subject to stand in front of a tourist attraction, you ask them to smile and “click!” If you take photos this way, then there’s a chance that you will forget who that person is and why you took his/her photo in the first place. This process defeats the purpose of photography – to share the same emotions and memories to a person who wasn’t there.

When you’re taking an informal portrait, only two things are important: your subject’s face and the background scenery. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when taking informal portraits of people:

1. Balance the light. Determine which element of the composition and do your best to help the other element get lighter. If your subject is not getting enough light, then you might want to turn on your flash. If your subject is brightly lit in the background, you can either reposition him/her or use fill flash.

2. Choose the right lens. A wide angle lens can distort your images while a short zoom lens (85mm to 100mm) will let you shoot from a good working distance. This has a lot of advantages: there is little or no distortion and you give your subject breathing space. Also, with a zoom lens, you can get a variety of shots easily since you don’t have to move to get tighter head shots.

3. Depth of field. According to many experts, the best aperture for portraits is f/11 since it provides sharper images and more depth on the face. Of course you can always experiment, but make sure you select an f-stop that gives you the maximum depth of field and a fast shutter speed to prevent blurring.

4. Look for props. Get a map or any element that will make it obvious where your subject is and what’s going on. This will add more meaning and insight when you look back to your photos after a couple of years.

Continue on to page 2 to learn about candid and glamour photography.