PRACTICING PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

The image on the left was inspiration for those below. I found the way that the photographer styled, angled and lit the model captivating and suited the model as it showed off her facial features. The use of the background set being black allowed the model to stand out and made the picture come out clearer. The use of a bottom light helped to emphasise her facial structure. I imagine that the model was also lit from behind the photographer as her eyes are beaming with the reflection of light, helping to emphasise her dramatic eye look and desirability in her eyes.

I found that at the start whilst taking images, it was hard to determine where the model was lit from. After turning on the front lights and background lights, I decided that the model was lit from a low angle in front of the model. This helped to light her entire face whilst showing off her facial features which is how I take the photographer to have done this.

 

I then decided that the images I originally took were too lit from the front, I felt that it blurred her face slightly and made her look too pale in comparison to the model on the top left. Therefore I chose to move the light further back and therefore her face structure was more visual, her face returned to her natural skin colour and she appeared more like the model in the top left. I did find that giving the directions to the model more difficult than expected. Therefore, I know for the future that specific directions work best with allowing the model to understand exactly what is wanted of them for the ‘vision’ of the shot.

I took inspiration from this image as I felt it showed off her facial structure. I found the way that she was photographed very sophisticated and well lit. The way in which the model is positioned helps to convey a provocative but child-like in the way that her lips are slightly parted creating a playful vibe. The head angle being slightly tilted to the left adds to the playful vibe and the way that her chin is slightly pointing upwards makes her seem more sophisticated. I noticed that the model had a white/cream background making the vibe seem more chilled. I found that the photographer took the image with the flash enabled as her eyes have a reflective beam in them which they decided not to Photoshop out to make it appear more natural. I also believe that she may have been lit from the top left side but also in front of the model, this is evident in the reflection of the light upon her left shoulder.

In this shot I decided to use a black background rather than white/cream like the photographer did above as I found that it added more focus to the model, it allowed the camera to capture a better quality image and also made the model look more striking. Although the clothing worn is not similar to the image above, it is still visible that the lighting strikes the models left shoulder. I know for next time to ensure to use a jet black screen to ensure it is not see through, or to use Photoshop before uploading my shot publicly.