Photographers across all genres can be found in the Flickr community and we want to shine an extra spotlight on as many of them as possible. Photography genres span across different specialities, locations and subject matter and each one deserves a moment of appreciation. We’ll be doing just that with our new Through the lens series, starting with a favorite, portrait photography. Weddings, school photos, headshots, family portraits might be what comes to mind when you think about portrait photography, but there’s so much more to this important style of photography.
Portrait photography can be described in many ways but at its heart, portrait photography is that special style of photography that captures the essence of a subject, usually a person – no shade to the pet photographers out there, we’ll get to you later in the series. Portraits capture emotion and convey human connection. They tell the story of a moment in time, details big and small all caught in a single frame. That story is created through the use of specific lighting and gear, noting the details caught in a slight change of a facial expression and focusing on the composition of the subject within the frame.
No matter what the photographer’s approach may be, portrait photography forms the connection of a viewer to the photo’s subject and retells a memory of a moment in time and those captured moments speak to us. On Flickr, we are lucky to have access to portrait photography from some of the very best around. We spoke with several portrait photographers in the Flickr community about their processes, their passion and thoughts on shooting portraits.
Lou Noble
First up is Lou Noble – professional photographer, Flickr member and Editor-in-chief of The Photographic Journal.
What emotions or messages do you aim to convey in your portraits?
What I try to convey in my images, above all, is a sense of honesty, a lack of artifice. I’m hoping that the honest moment my subject and I have created together comes across to the audience.
How has your portrait photography evolved since you started?
Oh wow…we’re talking 20 years of evolution…one big way is that I’ve become more interested in movement, and how allowing my subject to play with movement can be another avenue towards an honest image.
Can you share one tip about taking portrait photos that is something you always apply to your own process?
If there’s one thing I would recommend, it’s to talk to your subject. The more you get to know someone, the better you’re able to photograph them.
Steve (englishgolfer)
Steve also known as ‘english golfer’ on Flickr has been sharing photos to Flickr since 2017. He enjoys photography and is open to learning as he goes, but for this round, we’re looking to learning some tips from him.
Do you prefer natural light or studio setups for your portraits, and why?
Studio light all day! I’m a deep admirer of people who take great pictures using natural light but I always want to have control over the light. Living here in Sweden, natural light can be hard to come by in the winter months as well and I can’t always rely on the sun shining when I need it to! I really like using a second light behind my subjects to provide, for example, a vignette or to back light smoke and as such studio light is my go-to almost 100% of the time when someone asks me to take their picture.
What’s the best advice you’ve received as a photographer, and how did it impact you?
Oh that was a tough question! If it was just to do with portrait photography I’d have to say I was once told (and shown!) how using the auto white balance on your camera wasn’t the best practice when in a studio setting. Even if you have stable lighting, it can change subtlety during the shoot meaning more work to do when post processing. A big time saver when you have loads of photos to go through! As such I always set my white balance now to Flash or a custom setting to get consistent results. Another piece of advice I took on board quite quickly is never trust the LCD screen on the back of your camera. It can be a lot brighter than your computer screen! So it might look nicely exposed on your camera but woefully under exposed in real life.
How has your portrait photography evolved since you started?
Another tough question! At the end of the day, this is just a hobby for me and something I just do to recharge my batteries. I found doing just “head and shoulders” shots a tad boring. As such I soon started to incorporate props – chairs, sunglasses, smoke, anything really! – more and more in my photos as this adds that something extra. It also helps if your model is a little nervous to have something to interact with so I have a shelf full of items (mostly sunglasses bought in second hand stores) that we can use.
Kiarash Sadigh
Cinematographer Kiarash Sadigh, has a way with light and composition so it’s no surprise Kiarash had some great tips to share with us about taking beautiful portraits.
What emotions or messages do you aim to convey in your portraits?
I love the human face and I find it to be one of the most fascinating things to observe and study. I am mostly attracted to the subtle changes in my subject’s face at the moment when I bring the camera up to my eye and aim for a shot. It is at this moment that something miraculous is transmitted; if luck strikes my subject lifts a veil to expose for a moment a story that they’ve been yearning to tell, however in other cases they tend to adopt a new veil which might be either a way for them to tell a new story or to cover something they like to conceal . Either way it’s a miraculous moment that lasts for the length of the shutter speed and that’s why I like portrait photography so much. I find this little miracle to be missing in most candid portrait photography.
How has your portrait photography evolved since you started?
I used to think that I need more gear to achieve better results. The world of photography is dominated by gear talk and it can be distracting to many but I don’t think like that anymore. These days one prime lens and a window is all it takes to make me happy and help me achieve what I want.
What equipment and lenses do you rely on most for portrait work?
My main camera system is the Pentax 67II, and I shoot the majority of my portrait work on the Pentax 105mm f/2.4. My second go-to system is the Mamiya C330f with the 80mm f/2.8 lens. For travels and higher speed work I sometimes rely on my Nikon f100 with the Nikon 35mm f/2 or Nikon 50mm f/1.8. I rarely use artificial lights, so I always aim to find the right angle of the sun or the right window.
If you’ve found some inspiration from these wonderful portrait photographers, then now is the time to dig in and start connecting with more photographers on Flickr. We hope you’ll take these tips and start snapping some of your own portraits and share them with us on Flickr. We can’t wait to see what you’re creating!
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photo credit on feature image: Ahmad Hammoud, Morten Edvars, Géraldine Carvalho,Carlos Montesdeoca, Luis Avilesortiz