One of the best ways to improve your environmental portraiture is by not shooting close up to the subject’s face. Photographers often commit this mistake. Sure, tight shots of the subjects’ faces can be very beautiful and moving in many situations. However, portrait photographers should also take into account the environment around the subject and the subject’s context.
The subjects will first be photographed within a studio setting, then with the subject facing the studio backdrop. Then, the backgrounds will be photographed directly opposite the subjects with the subject facing toward the backdrops. Of course, please mention this in your text copy. Due to limitations of technology (and I’m not a photoshop genius), the first image in your catalog probably looks pretty meaningless. Your goal in creating your catalog is to show the viewer a subject’s face (in front of a fairly large and relatively well lit backdrop) with only the barest amount of background. The viewers are left with a strong impression of the subject. And remember, your viewer is the most important part of the process. He/she will be frustrated or delighted by the results, and he/she will become your most valuable customer. Coming up with a good image guide for the photographer is an art form in its own right. She/he is working with three fundamental aspects of our image, each of which should influence the photo to ensure a good result. Location It isn’t enough to shoot the photo from the street. Taking a photo of a subject standing in front of a big white screen downtown is not accurate. The subjects are not even slightly centered, and the horizon might as well be straight overhead. If you’re a landscape photographer, don’t shoot your photos from the fronts of houses. People moving around in staged photographs of cities are not realistic. At best, the photographer controls the light, whereas in real life the subject is completely in control of lighting and the environment. Lighting What light? Generally speaking, in an urban environment, more light is better than more darkness. Less light, on the other hand, can be a bad thing. The subject may be well lit, but the sky can be completely dark, for instance, or there may be no light at all. You might notice that the marionettes in nature photos are almost always captured from behind a tree. Similarly, the well-lit windows in most interior photos probably reflect the sun. The key to putting together a good looking catalog is to use no less than three lighting effects. I find it useful to look up ‘lighting theory.’ Light in Photographs 1. Daylight or Daylight Photography A lampless lens has double the power of a wide lens. Use this to your advantage by positioning your camera somewhere bright and open. Even if the photo is taken at night, choose a brightroom to take the photo. For more on this, see Wayne Gretzky’s photographer background. 2. Daylight Lighting Apertures of f/1.
By staying a few steps away from the subjects, focusing on capturing natural lighting, and using wide angle lenses, your portrait photos will be much more powerful and meaningful for your clients—and for the environment. Read on to learn why. Why Portraits Are so Powerful If you buy a car for your rental, the salesperson doesn’t have to convince you to pull in at the front of the lot. If you’re a rental owner, an attractive, smiling woman is not only more approachable for potential potential renters, it would be the most optimal choice for ratings. By the same logic, attractive men will also be more approachable by prospective tenants and owners—and potentially less expensive for a property manager to manage. The more attractive your brand is, the more attractive your tenants will be, the more attractive your home will appear in photos, and the more attractive your home will be in general. This kind of feeling of value and meaning can add a lot of meaning and credibility to an image. When clients are looking at rental homes from an investment perspective, you can be sure that your home, property, and service will have a lot of thought put into its design, functionality, and features. Additionally, your home will be specifically designed to meet current local demand and assist in making your home stand out. Don’t just try and get more people into your pictures at the expense of design. 5 Ways to Make Your Photos Stand Out 1. Tech Skills Our potential female clients aren’t all car salesmen and car buyers. They don’t want to know things like how to adjust windows or power the air conditioning. But they do want to know how to access informational materials. These materials include a welcome packet or welcome packet card, an owner’s manual, owner’s brochure, maintenance manuals, advertising brochures, and more. If you have the resources, invest in links, banners, and other inviting elements that are easily consumable to your potential client and highly visible to all passing drivers and passersby. 2. Landscaping We all get plenty of sun even in mid-summer California. When we got out of nature and into the real world, there was no place for me to hide from the harsh glare. As a city dweller, you can take advantage of the natural environment by using filters to create a more positive impression on your client. Practice the same trick by starting to garden outdoors. For beach lovers, treating your yard to some flowers may even help you move a space to a more sunnier spot.
Here’s an example taken from the last White House photo op (yes, I’ve seen it all). Unlike the close-up photos of Obama (photo below), this one shows both the President and First Lady in some nice natural lighting. Photo of the President from the Backyard of the Residence Photo of the First Lady from the Living Room Photographer: 49ers Photo of the President from the Frontyard of the Residence Photo of the First Lady from the Kitchen White House Photo Ops Expectations What I’ve learned from these photos and many others has made it clear that when it comes to taking candid photos, they need to “drop the camera.” When a photographer starts an awkward conversation just to get a candid shot – that’s a good sign they’re shooting from too far away. Make your subject feel at ease and shoot from their perspective. Additionally, ask your subject to move a few feet away from you and “drop” the camera to get a more “natural” shot. If your subject is shy and nervous, then introduce yourself and ask “so what do you have to talk about?” and move closer to create an intimate setting. In no time you will have the perfect photo opportunity that you were looking for. Photo of the President from the Backyard of the Residence Photo of the First Lady from the Kitchen Photographer: 49ers Photo of the President from the Frontyard of the Residence Photo of the First Lady from the Kitchen White House Photo Ops Expectations We often talk about the importance of not taking photos of your single best shot (unless of course that’s what you’re trying to achieve). However, there is additional value to taking photos which would be difficult or impossible to take from a standard, more traditional position and/or with a telephoto lens. If you are giving a virtual State of the Union Speech or a press conference, you will want to take a shot of the Speaker from a different angle than you would if you were just standing next to them. Even better, make sure that you position yourself so that you look directly into their eyes the entire time which should give your shot the “ ultimate ‘Social Cat” look. This is the type of shot you usually only catch when your subject is exceptionally candid and the camera can “see” them through the elements.
