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PORTRAITS

Beautiful portraits, it is a real art. First you need to know your instrument, your camera, very well. Key is that you know which changes in a setting which effect on your scene would cause. For a great portrait you need to keep several things in your mind.

SKINTONE: white balance and exposure
Skin tones are known and are recognized by everyone. Determine the color in the image with the white balance function of the camera. Adjust the colour balance, if the lighting conditions would change.
Over-or underexposure of the face is more a rule than an exception if you are not sufficient to control these issues. Center-weighted metering is usually more accurate than multi-pattern or matrix metering. The result is an average hue that you will have to assess in relation to the skin of your model and if it is necessary, will use an exposure compensation .

It is important that you assess your first portrait images critically: study the brightness (using the histogram) and skin color and use a correction if it is needed!

REDUCE SHADOWS: Use soft light
Clear and direct sunlight is not the first choice for portrait s. The shadows are hard and coming from above, the image contrast is very high. On such days look for places with "open shade": not the hard, dark shadow of a building but the shade of trees. A reflective surface in hard shadow, for example sand or bright floor tiles, is also a solution. If you photograph inside, turn enough lamps and light on but not the ceiling light above your model.

DEPTH OF FIELD: low aperture number + zoom
Choose the smallest aperture to get a nice blurred background (the person would be isolated from the background). If you can provide any aperture, you maybe a scene selection called 'portrait'.
The depth of field is also determined by the focal length. Tele Lenses with 85/100 EFL are generally the most suitable for portraits. In a normal digital camera, this means a minimum of 3 to 5x optical zoom. The greater the focus length (more zoom) the blurred the background would be.

COMPOSITION: eyes are the key
The main element of your portrait are the eyes of your model. It is better not the head but the eyes to use as the base of the composition and use also the 2/3 grid line rule. The result looks more natural.
Note also that there should be no disturbing elements in the background: the horizon just above the shoulders of your model seems to 'behead' him. The best choice is a smooth background.

EXPRESSION: get spontaneity
The expression of the face makes a picture special. Most people feel uncomfortable as a model. Make sure he/she has something to do, lead him/her off and use continuous shooting.

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