When taking portraits, is closer always better?
Feb 15, 2023 14:18:07 #
Sadly, on this forum and from what I see in this many other online media, camera club print competitions, and even what is more discouraging, in some professional association publications and competitions, traditional fine portraiture is dying a slow death. There is some good stuff out there but it is becoming a rarity. I was invited to judge a local camera club competition yesterday and came home with a headache- rough stuff!
The problem is simply that very few folks are LEARNING learning the BASICS. They have no foundation in rudimentary lighting, posing techniques, facial analysis, and communicating and directing their subjects. There are legions of photograhers "running before he can walk" and the results are NOT GOOD!
Some folks don't believe there should be "rules" in artistic endeavors. Well, if you want to become a musician you need to learn the notes, how to read music, and all the technicalities after which, when mastered, you can apply your own creativity and style. If you want to become a creative writer, a poet, or an author, you have to learn the alphabet, how to spell, and a least, some basic grammar. This does not preclude creativity and originality. The rules are the tools with which you create your images.
I participate in this and one other forum. Just about every week there is a question like "I have to shoot 20 headshots at my office, for the annual report, what equipment do I need"? Of course, you need some proper and appropriate equipment but it is hard for me to explain that if you actually know what you're doing, you can create decent portraits with one simple lig source and a reflector- anthg else is "whipped cream on the cake"!
Unfortunately, all the required basics can NOT be gleaned from a U-tube video, even if presented by a top shooter. A condensed "boot camp" kind, of course, would take at least a month. A real training period would take a year. The courses, ideally, would have to run parallel with actual on-the-job expereince. Even if one could take up an intensive course at a community college with a good vocational photography course or even a 4- year university fine-arts degree program, even the best professors, can not Teach TALENT, WORK ETHIC, COMPASSION, PEOPLE SKILLS, and INTRINSIC CREATIVITY. These attributes can be encouraged and promoted by example but can not be learned by instruction.
The "index tabs" on your notebook shod read: Lighting, Posing and Body Mechanics, Optics, Perspective, Facial and Body Analysis, Composition, Final Presentations, Subject Preparations- clothing, props. makeup, hairstyle, etc. Each of these topics has at least, a dozen subsections.
Lots of folks around here are preoccupied with pixel counts, diffraction, artifacts, gear, etc. They are continuously looking for real or imagined trouble instead of interesting people and personalities- subjects and good indicative expressions. I have to remind them that great photograhic portraits were produced long before digital technology was introduced to photography. Incredibly beautiful and impactful portrait images were made with what is now considered outmoded materials and gear. In fact, some of the newfangled technology has become a detriment and a deterrent to good portraiture because folks are so busy fiddling with their gear, they become distracted from their subjects.
This is not a rant- Ranting means speaking loudly and angrily. I am not angry- just a bit disappointed and needed to point out a few facts.
The problem is simply that very few folks are LEARNING learning the BASICS. They have no foundation in rudimentary lighting, posing techniques, facial analysis, and communicating and directing their subjects. There are legions of photograhers "running before he can walk" and the results are NOT GOOD!
Some folks don't believe there should be "rules" in artistic endeavors. Well, if you want to become a musician you need to learn the notes, how to read music, and all the technicalities after which, when mastered, you can apply your own creativity and style. If you want to become a creative writer, a poet, or an author, you have to learn the alphabet, how to spell, and a least, some basic grammar. This does not preclude creativity and originality. The rules are the tools with which you create your images.
I participate in this and one other forum. Just about every week there is a question like "I have to shoot 20 headshots at my office, for the annual report, what equipment do I need"? Of course, you need some proper and appropriate equipment but it is hard for me to explain that if you actually know what you're doing, you can create decent portraits with one simple lig source and a reflector- anthg else is "whipped cream on the cake"!
Unfortunately, all the required basics can NOT be gleaned from a U-tube video, even if presented by a top shooter. A condensed "boot camp" kind, of course, would take at least a month. A real training period would take a year. The courses, ideally, would have to run parallel with actual on-the-job expereince. Even if one could take up an intensive course at a community college with a good vocational photography course or even a 4- year university fine-arts degree program, even the best professors, can not Teach TALENT, WORK ETHIC, COMPASSION, PEOPLE SKILLS, and INTRINSIC CREATIVITY. These attributes can be encouraged and promoted by example but can not be learned by instruction.
The "index tabs" on your notebook shod read: Lighting, Posing and Body Mechanics, Optics, Perspective, Facial and Body Analysis, Composition, Final Presentations, Subject Preparations- clothing, props. makeup, hairstyle, etc. Each of these topics has at least, a dozen subsections.
Lots of folks around here are preoccupied with pixel counts, diffraction, artifacts, gear, etc. They are continuously looking for real or imagined trouble instead of interesting people and personalities- subjects and good indicative expressions. I have to remind them that great photograhic portraits were produced long before digital technology was introduced to photography. Incredibly beautiful and impactful portrait images were made with what is now considered outmoded materials and gear. In fact, some of the newfangled technology has become a detriment and a deterrent to good portraiture because folks are so busy fiddling with their gear, they become distracted from their subjects.
This is not a rant- Ranting means speaking loudly and angrily. I am not angry- just a bit disappointed and needed to point out a few facts.
Feb 15, 2023 14:29:50 #
Feb 15, 2023 20:40:17 #
Dickwood33 wrote:
I have found that shooting in 'burst' mode improves your odds of getting a decent composition, eliminates many of the eye blinks and head turns that ruin a shot. 1 to 2 seconds in slow burst mode should do the trick and give you a good selection from which to choose. Doesn't take really any longer than a single exposure.
If I have blinkers and/or those who just cant keep still, yes this does work well . I have done this myself many times.
Cheers and best to you
Feb 15, 2023 22:26:40 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Sadly, on this forum and from what I see in this m... (show quote)
As a longtime pro shooter, and a longtime Professor of Photography at a state university, I hear you loud and clear , E.L. Shapiro.
Folks, after you learn all the "rules" of portraiture, be sure to throw them all out, and then also make those other shots. Just look for the essence and personality of your subject, what makes them unique or interesting. Get to know them a bit and let them know you, even if just for a short while, and your shots will reflect that intimacy.
You can make great portraits with wide angle, macro, normal and telephoto lenses and any quality of camera, using any medium, film or digital, SLR, DLSR, Mirrorless, smartphone , whatever.
Here some of my older ones ,long before digital cameras, before auto exposure modes, before autofocus, before EVFs.
1) A renowned Lakota Sioux Medicine Man, that just happens to be blind. Window light only. Tri-X ASA 400 film.
2) Watergate Mastermind, G. Gordon Liddy. B&W film, shot from below to make him look more imposing. He loved the shot, LOL
3) Oscar winning Filmmaker Spike Lee. He was being totally uncooperative so I just moved him by the window and made this close-in shot. Everyone said I really captured his essence, and it became one of my most worldwide published portraits, go figure. B&W film, wide angle lens
4) A Mexican sheepherder watching over a flock of sheep in Wyoming in the winter, with his horse and gun to ward off hungry coyotes . B&W film, wide angle lens
5) Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa who fought against apartheid., expressing himself during a speech in a church. B&W film, 135mm telephoto lens
6) Noble Peace Prize Laureate, Elie Wiesel, WWII Holocaust survivor, author, humanitarian . In his NYC apartment looking over a photo of himself and a few other emaciated survivors on day they were liberated from German Death camp. B&W film, wide angle lens
7) A Nicaraguan mother on guard over her children at the door of their humble shack of a home, during the bloody Contra vs Sandinista War in Nicaragua , while her husband is away fighting in the Sandinista Army, and she flies the Sandinista Flag to let fighting troops know she supports her government. The look on their faces tells all you all you need to know of the terror and unknown futures of innocent civilians who were easy targets and were killed by ruthless Contra troops . Fujichrome color transparency film, ASA 100
8) About as close and intimate as you can get with World Heavyweight Champion Boxer Joe Frazier in his Philadelphia Gym. Ektachrome tungsten color temp transparency film , ASA 160
Feb 15, 2023 23:49:44 #
gwilliams6 wrote:
As a longtime pro for 50 years, and a longtime Pro... (show quote)
I don't disagree with your approach, however, I don't encourage folks to discard the rules before they understand them. Breaking rules is an art form providing you know which ones to break and how to break them. I feel that is instinctive. Creative photographers don't approach any job or assignment with the sole intent of breaking any rules, they make those decisions on the spot according to their perception and vision.
You are a photojournalist yet your image has portrait qualities in that you have created good likenesses and captured personalities. Whether you use a window light, studio lights, or a candle, seeing light and utilizing it on the spot requires technical knowledge and talent.
I have attended many classes and lectures given by top photographers and teachers in their respective fields. Many boast that don't care about rules, technicalities, etc., yet I can see in the work that they know exactly what they are doing, and their technique is meticulous. The best teacher let their students in on the nitty-gritty and go into all the details. Some are great photograher but lousy teachers because they just brag about their experiences and tell their students to go with their gut. Students do not necessarily need to emulate their teachers' work but they should come away with some methodologies, approaches, and techniques that they didn't have before the classes. The creative ones will CREATE, and the uncreative ones will become better mechanics.
I am not a photograher of international celeberaties. My clients over the years were mostly ordinary folks. I have photographed a few VIPs, heads of state, political folks, and big business executives but mostof my PORTRAT clients were just regular folks who want or need good, flattening, and characteristic images of themselves or their families. I do quite a bit of corporate work and in the last 20 years have transitioned into mostly commercial and industrial photography.
I have done a bit of teaching over the years- vocational schools, and community colleges and have presented many professional workshops and seminars. I was a photography instructor in the army for the last 8 months of my last tour. I have never had any formal pedagogical training so all I can teach effectively is basic methodologies and enable students to begin doing consistently well-crafted work. When they do well and begin to achieve satisfactory results, that, to me is the best kind of encouragement and impetus for them to improve and create.
Feb 16, 2023 01:23:53 #
E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
I don't disagree with your approach, however, I d... (show quote)
I never said my students aren't given fundamental knowledge and numerous assignments I design to hone their basic skills, but in my Photojournalism , Digital Photography and 35mm B&W film classes I encourage them to embrace and understand how to actually SEE and FEEL something about their subjects. And that is far more critical to the successful realization of their vision, than all the learned techniques in the world. I dont teach my students to mimic or try to be like me, or try to be like any of the many greats of photography I expose them to. As much as they may learn from me, I also learn from them and their fresh perspectives to their subjects.
I apply that to all my subjects, "normal" portraits of just regular folks, in my wedding shoots, reportage and investigative documentary work on the street, even my corporate work over the past 50 years.
Every teacher has different methodology to teaching and different ways to inspire , to encourage and to nurture their students. There is no one way that is best for every student to learn and grow. I try to recognize and give each student what they need to succeed in my classes and succeed as a photographer, whether they want nothing more than to be a better casual photographer, or they want to go on to make their career in journalism or the arts.
The majority of my portraits aren't the ones I have made of celebrities, sports figures, royalty, presidents, political figures and icons of the corporate world. Most of my work is spent covering regular folks like you and me, their plights and causes.
Here some family photos for the Xmas card of my nephew and his family, shot in a park in Texas in December. I shot both loose compositions showing the environment and some tighter ones also. Yes these are digital shots using my mirrorless camera gear and three strobes, but the interactions and expressions of my family members matters more than any techniques here to give them some Xmas card shots. .
Cheers and best to you.
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