Special Feature: Portraiture

This edition’s special feature is all about the art of shooting people up close, namely Portraiture.

Since 2019 the genre has been recognised with gold medals in both print and digitals available in the National Exhibition.

We are honoured to be able to bring you articles by Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP EPSA GPSA and Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP, who between them have won three of the four golds on offer over the two years.

In addition, the feature contains two articles by CameraTalk editor Paul Whitham LPSNZ, intended to help put those new to the genre, or those nervous about how to begin.

Flying Red Dess by Scott Fowler - model Georgia Baynon

Paul Whitham LPSNZ Asks: What is Portraiture?

AS AN INTRODUCTION to the genre of portraiture, let’s look at a definition.

A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.

Types of portraiture

Portraits can roughly be classified into three main groups.

Candid

A candid portrait is one taken without the subject being aware of the fact. These pretty much did not exist before the invention of photography. To many people candid photos are their favourite types, as real emotion and genuine facial expressions can be captured. Often such expressions are lost when the person is asked to pose for the camera. This is particularly true when taking pictures children. You will often obtain much better results if you simply record what they are doing naturally, rather than asking them to do something.

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You can take ‘candids’ during a studio session. You simply ask the person to move around rather than pose, and you take the images without warning. Often the images taken between the poses will be better than the posed shots.

Classic

The classic portrait is posed, and the image is dominated by the subject. While the subject is aware that their image is being recorded, it is not necessary that they are engaging with the camera.

Generally, props will be kept to a bare minimum. While less true today, when portraits were painted the attire that the person was wearing was used to denote social standing. This is because the absence of surroundings makes it difficult to determine much about the person from the image itself.

To maintain the focus on the subject the background will generally be simplified, either by using plain backgrounds or using wide apertures that have a very shallow depth of field.

A subset of the classic portrait is the ‘headshot’. This is a modern form of portrait that only focuses on the head and upper body, against a plain background. They are produced mainly for commercial marketing purposes.

While not a hard and fast rule, classic portraits are taken with lenses with a narrow field of vision, with 50mm or 85mm primes being the choice of many photographers. For outside portraits many photographer like to use a 70-200mm f2.8, as the compression achieved also helps the subject stand out in the final image.

Environmental

An environmental portrait is also posed, but rather than dominating the image, the subject is shown in their environment. The intention is that the viewer can learn more about the person by looking at the situation they have been shot in. As a result, environmental portraits tend to be shot using wider lenses than those used for classic portraits.

Portraiture

By Scott Fowler FPSNZ EFIAP EPSA GPSA

YOUR VISION FOR portraiture is unique to you. The look you want in your portraits, the depth of the shadows and the amount or type of lighting you use, are all your choice.

Have confidence in your ideas, your vision, and remember it takes time and practice to achieve the look you want. It’s taken me many years of practice to achieve what I create, what I capture.

As photographers we put ourselves, our ideas and even our assumptions into our work. We interpret and create what we’re thinking. At first glance we imagine that great portraiture captures the very soul of the person being photographed, when in truth it is more about the soul of the photographer.

You, not the subject, decide that moment when to press the shutter. Every decision has to happen at the moment you press the shutter. The more you understand how lenses and sensors behave, how light works and the digital darkroom, the more you will be capable of creating wonderful portraits.

Portraiture knows no bounds. The lighting you use, depth of field, lens, outfit, location, makeup plus much more all play a part. And let’s not forget the finishing of the image in the digital darkroom. Is the image going to be part of a composite; have you thought about lighting issues, perspectives, placement of the subject in the background? Is it a stand-alone image, or perhaps an environmental portrait?

When I am considering a portrait, I go through a list of options, and I write my ideas (my vision) down. This is called story boarding. Write down all the elements that will be important for the success of the portrait.

What is the vision I want to create?

What is the subject of the portrait, hair length and colour, body shape and height?

What location will I use, what lighting, lenses, clothing, make-up and hair, what time of day (especially if using natural light) and will I need help?

You (the reader) need to write down as many of the different elements you can think of for your idea to be successful.

Creativity takes courage, limited only by your imagination and skill level. Fill a bag with clothes that might work in a location; find a model, then see what happens. I do this with

new models to get to know them, to see how they work, what kind of looks I can get and to try new ideas. Practise, and just play.

Once you have your concept on paper and are happy with the initial idea, find the subject,let’s say a model. Contact the person, give a brief outline of your concept and ask if this is something he or she would be happy to do for you. Consider using a professional model instead of a beginner if portraiture and posing is new to you; they know what they are doing and you can concentrate on the camera and lighting. Then meet for a more detailed outline of the idea; check that the outfit/costume will fit. Ask if they have any concerns or worries and if they have any ideas to make the concept a success. Talk about a model release and any remuneration.

Find your location and visit at the time of day you will be shooting, especially if it’s outdoors and you intend to use natural light as the main source. What if it is a bright sunny day? Will this location still work? Are there other options if necessary? If you are going to use artificial light for the shoot, what gear will you need, and will you need someone to carry it for you? Is there a place for the model to get

Uncertain - model Zoe Phillips changed with privacy? Will the make-up artist (MUA) be with you on the day? Are there toilet facilities and do you need permission to shoot in the location? Keep your storyboard idea with you and write notes as you go to help you remember.

Once you have everything on the list sorted, set a date, a time - and go for it.

With portraiture, I believe that we need to get the subject to ‘become’ the character we are trying to create. I see the models I work with as actors and actresses and spend time getting them into character. I become a story teller. You are trying to convince the viewer that the lie is real. An important part of making it real is the connection between the photographer and the subject in the image.

While the model gets changed and the makeup and hair are being done I check the lighting. Set up the lights (if using artificial) and make sure they are all working as you want them to. I usually spend the first 10 to 15 minutes with the model, capturing images mostly as test shots; I find this allows us to relax, to get over any initial nervousness and see that we are both working towards the same goal. I then start to create the look I want. If I am using artificial light I will start with one light and build from there. If using natural light, I might use a reflector or two to move the light to where it needs to be; this is when another set of hands can be helpful. Regardless of the lighting set up, add a little as you go and check the image in the back of your camera, often.

When doing a portrait shoot I use a tripod as I want to get the sharpest image possible. I check my histogram to ensure I have the information in the capture I need for the digital darkroom. I check sharpness - is it sharp where it needs to be? Perspectives: if this image is part of a composite, will the angles be correct? Is there anything in the scene that I don’t want? Start to look at finessing the image – fixing what you can at this stage saves time and effort in postprocessing. Take your time. Show the model your pictures as you go; they may have some good feedback. Remember to be encouraging.

Most important - have fun! If you and the model are relaxed and having fun it will come through in your images.

Incoming - model Georgia Baynon

Isabella by Lynn Fothergill LPSNZ - North Shore Salon 2020 - Gold Medal : Prints People

Photographing Models - Some Tips

By Paul Whitham LPSNZ

I HAVE BEEN ‘shooting’ models for more than ten years now, and while I do not claim to be an expert in this genre, I thought I would share some tips that I have gathered over the years. I have broken them down into two main groupings. I hope that you will find them useful. While the tips are specific to shooting people, many of them apply to other subjects.

Before you start shooting 1. Get to know your subject

Plan to spend at least the first 10-15 minutes of a session not actually taking any photos. During this time you talk to the subject about what they want from the shoot and what you want from the shoot - both are important. If it is possible I tend to arrange to meet with a new model for coffee, at a public venue, before the shoot, as I find that this settles nerves for both parties. While it applies to all genders, it is a sad fact that women tend to be more body-conscious than men. If you are shooting full or half body shots of women (and they are the clients), it is important to ask them what parts of their body they like and what they do not like. Now this will be very subjective and quite often the person will come up with things that you cannot see (or necessarily agree with).

This step is important because if you present someone with an image that has an area they do not like prominently displayed, the odds are that they will not like the image (unless you are an incredibly good photographer). People are also much more comfortable having their image taken when they believe you will be emphasising their good points. 2. Have a close look at your subject

Again you do this without the camera because the second you pick that up you are likely to miss things, and you should check each time you significantly change a pose.

Melissa (right) was firmly of the belief that she could only be photographed from her left hand side, to the point that I could not get a good expression from her shooting from the right. Swapping her to the other side instantly got the looks I was going for.

Now, if you are in a relationship you will know that your partner probably doesn’t like you staring at beautiful young women who may or may not be wearing many clothes. However, in the name of art, this has to be done.

Basically you are not actually looking at the subject but rather the individual elements that will eventually form part of the image. In particular you are looking for two different things that may present issues to you.

2a - Body Shape

Supposedly, the ideal of beauty is that the body has perfect symmetry, running in a vertical line down the nose. The reality is that few people have this and one side of their body will be a slightly different shape to the other. The old adage that a person has a “best side” is actually true.

For example, noses very rarely run straight but often curve towards one side of the face. If you shoot the nose with the curve running towards you then you end up with a nose looking larger than it would with the face turned the other way.

If you examine the images below you will see what I mean. Bruce has broken his nose several times so that it angles off to one side. Notice how the nose appears larger from one direction than the other.

2b - Wardrobe issues

By this I mean the likes of labels, tags, hanger strings, bra straps and loose threads. Before taking the shot you should also ensure that clothing that should not be in shot is not.

While you can fix a lot of these issues in Photoshop, if you can eliminate these issues at the time of the shoot you will save so much time. Obviously there are times when you simply can’t avoid an issue, but at least you are pre warned that you will need to fix in post.

During the shoot

Having done all this prep work it is now time to start shooting. At this point it is very easy to get caught up in the technical details of what is going on, and lose sight of the person in front of you.

Communicate

The odds are that the person in front of the camera is nervous, and the easiest way to get them to relax is to talk to them. Generally I will talk about anything and everything when I am not directing them in terms of what I want out of the images.

Show rather than tell

This particularly relates to posing. There are lots of words that can be used to describe ways in which the body can be moved, either as a whole or in parts. Trying to use them will likely confuse both you and your subject. I have found that it is easier to show the model what you are wanting them to do.

Don’t touch without permission

This should go without saying, but never touch a model without first asking their permission. This applies to all aspects, including hair and attire. If you are a male photographer this is a situation where having another female at the shoot can come in extremely handy. It’s always perfect, even when it is not

Never ever say, “This is not working” when you have a model in front of you.

The reality of any shoot is that things will go wrong, or at the very least not to plan. It may be that a light is not giving you the results that you want, or the pose is not working, or a hundred other things that in your mind are resulting in you not getting what you want.

You may recognise where the issue is, but in the mind of the model, when they hear “this is not working” all they will equate it to is that they are not performing as you expect. So, in these circumstances simply say, “We have those shots; let’s try something different.”

Show the model the best shots

Finally, people need feedback, so it is important that you show the model the back of the camera from time to time. However, be selective and only choose those images that are likely to make the final cut.

This is a simple exercise to see how asymmetrical a face is. Take a straight on photo of a person then in photoshop split the image vertically through the nose. Then take each half, copy it and then flip it to make a complete face. Do the same for the other side and then compare the three images.

What Makes a Great Competition Portrait?

By Paul Willyams APSNZ AFIAP MNZIPP

I HAVE THOUGHT about this a lot, and of course I could share lighting and posing tips with you. But you don’t need to know them to take great portraits – I certainly didn’t when I started. But I did have a sense of what I was looking for in a portrait: an emotional reaction from the viewer, with words such as:

Just don’t call it ‘nice’!

So, how do you create an intense portrait?

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8. Have a concept, but stay flexible.

Keep it simple, head and shoulders shots preferred, minimise distractions.

Engage with your subject, explore their personality.

Capture the eyes.

Create a mood, a feeling, a story (real or invented).

Use props, clothing, styling and symbols; encourage playing.

Use light, shadows and colours to create mood.

Timing – capture the emotional moment.

Hine ki te pounamu by Paul Willyams - Portrait Gold Medal, National Exhibition 2019

Molly by Paul Willyams - Portrait Gold Medal, National Exhibition 2020