Portraits
A portrait isn't just a well-exposed face: it's a person, a light and a relationship between the one taking the photo and the one posing. Technique matters, but what sets a good portrait apart is the expression. In the simulator, the mug is your model: try focal lengths, apertures and times of day just as you would with a person.
Focal length and distance
Focal length decides how far away you stand, and distance defines the proportions of the face. With a wide-angle up close, the nose grows and the ears disappear. Between 85 and 135 mm, at 6 to 10 feet (2 to 3 m), the proportions look natural and the background blurs easily: that's why they're the classic portrait focal lengths.
The wide-angle has its place, though. A 35 mm from a certain distance enables the environmental portrait, where the surroundings explain the person as much as their face does: a craftsman in his workshop, a musician in her rehearsal space.
Face portrait, 85 mm. Portrait with context, 35 mm.
The same model with two different approaches.
The eyes and focus
In a portrait, the eyes are the center of attention. If they're sharp, the image works even if an ear is out of focus; if they're not, nothing makes up for it. Use a single focus point or eye detection, and always focus on the eye closest to the camera.
Look for the catchlight too, the small reflection of the light source in the pupils. A window, the sky or a reflector is enough to create it, and without it the eyes look lifeless.
Flattering light
The soft light of a window or an overcast day is the most forgiving. Place the person at about 45 degrees to the window: the lit side gives shape and the shadow side adds volume. If the shadow is too strong, fill it with a reflector on the other side; a piece of white card is enough.
Avoid direct midday sun, which makes people squint and casts hard shadows under the brows and nose. If there's no alternative, look for open shade (a doorway, the shadow of a building) or place the person with the sun behind them as backlight and expose for the face.
How to direct people
- Keep talking throughout the session: the most natural expressions appear between poses.
- Give specific, positive instructions: "turn your shoulders slightly toward the window" works better than "just act natural".
- Ask them to push their forehead slightly forward and lower their chin a little: it defines the jawline and avoids a double chin.
- Give them something to do with their hands: hold a mug, adjust their jacket, lean against a wall.
- Show them a good shot halfway through the session. Confidence shows in the eyes.
The background is part of the portrait
Before you shoot, look behind the person. A lamppost growing out of their head, a garish sign or a horizon cutting through their neck ruins the image. Move a few steps, change the camera height, move the person away from the background or open the aperture to turn it into soft blobs: the greater the distance between them, the more it will blur.
Look at the background before the face.
Your turn: three portraits of the same person
With a friend or family member, in a session of about 30 minutes.
- Take a face portrait at 85 mm (or with your phone's 2× or 3× lens) next to a window, with the person at 45 degrees to the light.
- Take an environmental portrait at 35 mm (or at 1×) somewhere that says something about them.
- Take a third one backlit at golden hour, exposing for the face.
- Pick your favorite and ask them which one they prefer: it won't always be the same.