by Megan Torres

Created on: June 23, 2008   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

The successful photographer doesn't just take the subject "as is". A skilled portraitist can recreate the subject using the magic of basic techniques. Whatever your aim in portraiture, a fine portrait will always be a creative accomplishment. Like any worthwhile achievement, it requires a thorough understanding of basic technique.

When you think of a studio space, you may think of your local portrait studio, with all of its different rooms and fancy equipment. Since the background is usually six feet wide, you will need at least 7 feet of wall space. If you could manage ten feet it would be better so that you can put lights off to the side, but it is not necessary. You will also need ten to twelve feet in front of the wall.

Determining the pose is the starting point for all good portraits. You want to use a pose that is most flattering to the features of the subject. The most direct pose is the full face pose. In this pose both ears are visible. This may be the simplest pose, but is not always the best approach since the subject may appear stiff. A more pleasing appearance can be achieved by having the subject rotate his or her shoulder to a 45 degree angle for the 3/4 face pose. Also have your subject cross his or her legs at the ankle; it produces a more natural, relaxed flow to the body. For a profile pose have your subject sit at a 45 degree angle from the camera like in the 3/4 face pose, but have them turn their face away from the camera until only one eye is visible.

Now you need to prepare to take the photograph of your subject. You will want to make sure that you have your camera at the right height; the lens should be at eye level unless you are trying to correct a flaw of the subject's. When you are focusing on the subject the eyes should be sharply in focus for the entire face to be satisfactorily in focus. To get the correct exposure for skin-tones you should set your meter to its incident mode and place it next to your subject's face to take a reading. Use the exposure indicated by the meter reading.

You will want to know if your photo lab can retouch any final prints, especially if your clients have any blemishes or glare on their eye glasses. If they don't have a photo retouching service you could invest in a product like Adobe Photoshop to do your own retouching. Have the photo lab scan your images to a CD and have them save it as a High Resolution file. If possible use a TIFF file - the information is uncompressed so you get better quality. If you have many clients and retouching to do, it would be wise to invest in a good scanner; it will pay for itself over a short period of time. If you will be doing it yourself it may take some practice to get good but the effort is worth it.

A successful portrait for one person may not be successful for another. The best way to know what will make your portrait successful is to ask your subject about him or herself, you will learn the best way to bring out your subject's personality. Words can mean different things to different people. Ask as many questions as you need to assure you have a clear and complete understanding. Because the only stupid question is the question not asked.

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