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QUICK TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING PEOPLE

People - what would the world be like without them! Out-and-about, or inside a set-up studio, or wherever, people look and act so differently.
LENSES: Telephoto lenses used to be de rigeur for people shots. Indeed, they are flattering, and enable the photographer to shoot candids from a safe distance. But now wide-angles are getting popular. They can give a dynamic look to an image, pull in the subject's environment, and mean the photographer has to get close in and engage with the subject.
FILM: Fine-grained film is usually suitable for classic portrait work, but has to be balanced with the fastest possible film speed to reduce movement blur and contrast. So 200 - 400 DIN works well in most situations.
  • Very fast films (1000 DIN upwards) will give a grainy look to the image, which might be right for 'gritty' street or industrial scenes, or character faces.
  • Slow film (50 -100 DIN) will enhance contrast in sharply lit situations, as well as colour saturation, which can add graphic impact.
  • Don't forget, you can get some interesting colour shifts by cross-processing film - which means developing slide-film using print-film processing, or vice-versa.
FOCUS: Like lenses, these days pretty well anything goes when it comes to focus - just flip through a fashion mag! However for portraits and close ups, it rarely works if the eyes are not in focus; for a semi-profile, focus on the nearest eye.
LIGHTING: Lighting for portraits is usually fairly soft. When outside, light cloud is ideal, as it avoids the black-eye-socket syndrome of bright sunlight. Watch out for shadows under the nose and chin in bright light too.
  • A difference in light values of 1 stop, or maximum 2, between lit and shadow sides of the face will give good modelling; less looks flat, more looks harsh. Taking people near an indoor window which is covered by a net curtain is simple and effective.
  • If using flash, a diffuser will soften it. Or prop up a reflector diagonally opposite a strong light source - a large piece of white card is fine.
  • Backlighting can look terrific - compensate an automatic exposure reading by opening up a stop or two. Silhouettes are fun too - expose for the background.
TIMING: Reflex shots are great for spontaneous candids, and kids, who get bored quickly. For posed portraits, take time to relax the subject before shooting.
APERTURE: Large apertures - say f4 - are good to throw distracting background out of focus. Small apertures - f11 or more - will help to show the subject's environment clearly.
FILTERS: Soft-focus filters can be flattering if used judiciously, and coupled with a wide aperture. Warm-ups will compensate for cold skin tone caused by blue skies (whatever they are…)!