Todays most popular portrait styles are broken down with lighting diagrams and exposure information, as well as the story behind the shot, to create an indispensable reference for anyone interested in making more up to date, professional style portraits.
Portrait Photographer’s Style Guide is a hardworking recipe book of inspiring portrait photography. The first section of the book explores professional portrait techniques across a wide variety of styles and genres that echo the full range of images in today’s magazines, advertising and modelling shots. From gritty urban looks to classic poses, readers are provided with all the ingredients they need to recreate these styles. A 3D diagram of the studio or outdoor equipment setup accompanies each image, and explanations describe precisely how the image was shot in terms of format, lens, exposure, aperture and lighting. The second half of the book provides professional advice on handling commissions, setting fees, understanding copyright and planning shoots. It also includes practical shooting tips, an overview of essential equipment, and step-by-step tutorials.
This cookbook-style guide to portrait lighting contains all the ingredients necessary for a successful photo shoot. With 60 two-page spreads highlighting the techniques used to create stunning portraits alongside the portraits themselves, aspiring photographers will have a clear sense of both the "how" and the "why" of good lighting. Difficult questions such as How can I downplay a double chin and dark shadows under the eyes? and How can I produce a soft, romantic feel in a woman's portrait? Are addressed and resolved in this no-nonsense guide to good lighting.
Infuse your images with glowing, luminous light From high-profile wedding and portrait photographer Elizabeth Messina comes this beautiful guide to shooting lush, romantic portraits exclusively in natural light. Whether you’re photographing children, weddings, maternity and boudoir, or portraits of any kind, The Luminous Portrait will inspire you with Elizabeth’s personal approach and award-wining images, sharing the art to making flattering portraits that appear “lit from within.”
All great portraits, whether they are taken on film or digitally, depend on the photographer's ability to use light and pose the subject. Learn the essential techniques of these two important elements and you'll produce remarkable images every time. Book jacket.
Effective commercial portraiture is heavily reliant on clean, crisp lighting looks that emphasize color, contrast, contours, and texture to allow viewers of magazines, newspapers, television, and movies to view a product or model/celebrity in a precise and predetermined way that suits the overall marketing campaign and leaves viewers with a specific, conscripted feeling about the product /person being shown. Crafting this type of polished lighting requires absolute proficiency with the tools of the trade, from flash, to beauty lights, to softboxes, to gobos and gels. It also requires thinking outside the box to create lighting with a “hook”—a certain quality that binds the look to the brand identity and can be carried out repeatedly across several advertising campaigns. Whether you are producing album cover art, lingerie shoots for an intimates catalog, or production stills for television shows or movies, Jennifer Emery will give you the technical and creative skill set you need to thrive artistically, work efficiently with models and set designers, and win repeat clients. Beginning with essential strategies for finding and casting talent, paying/trading with that talent, and creating an open dialogue throughout the directorial stages, Jennifer builds a solid foundation from which the artistic concept can spring forth. In the following chapters, she presents text and images that will instruct readers on creating numerous looks/projects, including: (1) Beauty lighting for beauty/cosmetics ads (2) High-Key Lighting for a magazine cover shoot, (3) Lighting groups for a movie/TV poster, (4) Sculpting light for boudoir/lingerie/swimsuit/nude photograph, (5) Working with speedlights/flash for editorial fashion and lifestyle shoots, and (6) Lighting exterior locations for high fashion and fashion editorial work. Armed with these skills, photographers will be able to approach any commercial lighting job with a repertoire of skills, an ability to overcome challenges, and the confidence needed to nail the shot every time.
The ability to create an effective portrait is probably the single most important skill any aspiring photographer must master. Few professional photographers, whatever their area of specialization, can hope to have a successful career without ever being called upon to create a likeness of another person. The Portrait Photography Course is designed to build a student photographer's experience and get him or her started on a rewarding career. Detailed tutorials cover every aspect of studio and location work, from composition and psychology to complex lighting schemes, equipment options, and digital retouching. Portfolios of exemplary images showcase individual photographers' work and demonstrate techniques explored in the tutorials, while interviews with top portrait photographers shed insight into their methodologies and philosophies. Presented and written by a leading portrait photographer, this book is an indispensable guide to taking professional pictures.¿
Without light, there is no photograph. As almost every photographer knows, the word “photograph” has its roots in two Greek words that, together, mean “drawing with light.” But what is less commonly acknowledged and understood is the role that shadow plays in creating striking, expressive imagery, especially in portraiture. It is through deft, nuanced use of both light and shadow that you can move beyond shooting simply ordinary, competent headshots into the realm of creating dramatic portraiture that can so powerfully convey a subject’s inner essence, communicate a personal narrative, and express your photographic vision.
In The Dramatic Portrait: The Art of Crafting Light and Shadow, Chris Knight addresses portraiture with a unique approach to both light and shadow that allows you to improve and elevate your own portraiture. He begins with the history of portraiture, from the early work of Egyptians and Greeks to the sublime treatment of light and subject by artists such as Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. Chris then dives into a deep, hands-on exploration of light, shadow, and portraiture, offering numerous lessons and takeaways. He covers:
• The qualities of light: hard, soft, and the spectrum in between
• The relationships between light, subject, and background, and how to control them
• Lighting patterns such as Paramount, Rembrandt, loop, and split
• Lighting ratios and how they affect contrast in your image
• Equipment: from big and small modifiers to grids, snoots, barn doors, flags, and gels
• Multiple setups for portrait shoots, including those that utilize one, two, and three lights
• How color contributes to drama and mood, eliciting an emotional response from the viewer
• How to approach styling your portrait, from wardrobe to background
• The post-processing workflow, including developing the RAW file, maximizing contrast, color grading, retouching, and dodging and burning for heightened drama and effect
More and more men are seeking out great portrait, commercial, or fashion photography. For working photographers, photographing men may be one of today's greatest new opportunities. But, while there are dozens of books, guides, and workshops on photographing women, there's been practically nothing comparable for men… until now! Jeff Rojas's Photographing Men is today's definitive full-color guide to every aspect of modern male photography. Rojas builds on his unique in-person course, which has made him Google's #1 go-to search result for knowledge on photographing males. Rojas covers posing, styling, posing, lighting, post-production, and more, showing how to achieve outstanding results and maximum creative expression. You'll discover how to: Make male clients look natural, masculine, and confident Skillfully document your male clients' best attributes, physical and emotional Define every man's face shapes, body shapes, and other features Compensate for flaws and perceived flaws, including acne, baldness, double chins, gray hair, wrinkles, and large features Overcome the challenges of styling male subjects, including big, skinny, and short men Understand how a suit should really fit your subject - and what to do if suits are out of the question Properly light all shapes and sizes of men for portraits, fashion, and commercial images (with complete lighting diagrams, behind-the-scenes images, and gear lists) Get detailed examples and tips for portraits, 3/4 poses, and full-length poses Photograph entrepreneurs, managers, prosperous men, innovators, "classic" and "handsome" men, athletes, muscle men, underwear models, and even movie stars Complement every man's features in post-production techniques And much more