When addressing the portraits, whether of our loved ones, family, friends or even strangers, be careful many details, but one not always essential that you pay too much attention is the composition. Fundamental to convey feelings, highlight an item or simply to reflect a mood, take good care of the frame helps greatly to improve our portraits.
Although the subject is the main element, we usually worry too, when portraying, take care of basics like lighting, choose a good environment or to achieve the right moment to capture a smile or a look. But sometimes we forget that it is essential to examine carefully the framing stage and select the most appropriate according to our claims.
Let’s review some simple tips to take care of this detail and thereby improve our portraits. As you see, are very simple and just take them into account and experience to see how to achieve optimum results.
Set all the attention on the subject. Sometimes the elements of the environment can be a distraction when observing a picture, so take care not appear tree branches, or anything that takes too much prominence in our composition. If in certain circumstances can not be removed from the frame, as we integrate our portrayed in it, but always giving greater emphasis and only we add objects or backgrounds that add visual interest. Or you can serve to add information about the subject itself.
Caring for the fund: It’s very basic, but you have to study it well. Sometimes we find a neutral background for a detailed picture, we must then use a large aperture opening to achieve an appropriate blur. Still, not bad to take multiple shots with different angles to see which fund (more or less out of focus) is more appropriate.
Experiment with different angles: As just discussed, sometimes by simply moving the camera to a position higher or lower we can do much to improve matters. Caring perspective, moving slightly and making our turn the neck slightly portrayed can achieve better results and eliminate background elements that can distract.
Fill the frame: It is more common in beginners to take full-length portraits, but we must try to close and fill the frame with the face of our sitter. It is something that is not to be afraid, because sometimes a great foreground, with a deep look or a nice smile can be a great portrait.
Keep your eyes on the upper third of the frame (or not). Is a norm, a rule inherited from the painting, which just makes for more natural portraits. But, as always insist, we can skip the rules and experiment. You can get more original and striking portraits if we make an exception to this.
And as always discussed, the important thing is to put all this into practice. Try it, shoot lots of pictures and let’s not forget that the most important in a portrait is the subject. So always try to make the best of them, capturing its essence through his eyes.
(Photography: By Ameno Cordova)
VS Photography. 