Timeless Portraits
PORTRAIT TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
TIMELESS PORTRAITS by Wayne Radford
HOW TO CREATE CLASSIC TIMELESS PORTRAITS
colour and black & white
www.portraittipsandtechniques.com
PORTRAIT TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
ISBN: 978-0-9872871-0-6
TIMELESS PORTRAITS by Wayne Radford
“When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.” - Ted Grant 1929 -
BEST VIEWING Adobe Reader 9 - View > single page.
Mac Preview- View > single page.
iPad > Recommend installing the app “Good Reader” via iTunes or install into iBooks from computer.
TABLE of CONTENTS Introduction
About this book
4
How to create “timeless portraits”
Clothing selection
5
Selecting backgrounds
Colours, tones and textures
16
Background distractions
20
Breaking my rules
22
Type of lighting techniques
25
Improvisation
26
Sweet light
27
Subtractive light technique
28
Additional portable light
30
Rule of Thirds and Golden Means Ratio
33
Perspective
41
Creating Heart & Soul”
46
Natural lighting
Composition
Expression and Mood Conclusion
54
INTRODUCTION TO TIMELESS PORTRAITURE
Welcome, well you have probably heard the saying, everyone is a photographer today. With iPhones, compacts and DSLRs owned by so many, it certainly appears that way. As a full-time working photographer for the past 26 years and 20 years prior, as an keen enthusiast, I was initially concerned with the over saturation of image makers. But when the dust settled, I came to accept that everyone has the right to record or create images, not just pros and enthusiasts. Parents want to record their children’s birthdays, special events and holidays etc. as they have always done, just easier with digital capture.
Before I start, I have to tell you I’m not an experienced writer in fact this is just my third ebook. I’m a working photographer first and foremost and my writing is based on my daily work experiences. Each page is written in a “how to” style to help you better understand how to make your portraits timeless. My style is classic and timeless, mostly in black and white. I have no interest in trendy, vivid colour as I don’t believe it offers my clients long-term value. The aim of each session is to create portraits that will endure generations and families will enjoy and never tire of. My portraits don’t date.
This book is for the photographer who wants to pre-plan his/ her portrait sessions and produce timeless art for their clients. So if you’re a professional or keen enthusiast reading this, don’t feel threatened, your skills and continual education should put you many years ahead. Throughout this book my aim is to give you sound advice on developing your technique and style, by showing you actual studies and diagrams on how I create portraits.
A timeless portrait in its purist form is a simple portrait. It should be simplified by clothing selection, background selection, lighting, composition and expression. They should also harmonise with the rooms they are displayed in. These are just a few elements required for a timeless portrait which I will explain in more detail throughout the following chapters.
HOW TO CREATE TIMELESS PORTRAITURE Firstly, let me breakdown the elements and look at each one in detail - clothing, background, lighting, composition and expression. I know there are other elements but these in my opinion are the main ones I use to create a classic, timeless portrait.
clothing
SELECTION For me the selection of clothing in style, texture and colour/ tone is the most important of the elements. This is the starting canvas that dictates what backgrounds I will use, what style of lighting would suit and to some degree the expression or mood of the subject. Example: If my subject/s are dressed in dark colours, then I would generally select a dark to medium tone background to avoid a high contrast between clothing and background. I want the face to contrast against the darker background and clothing. Also no heavy patterns, labels or motifs. Generally black and white images are the most timeless, but colour portraiture, if designed correctly will also work.
This timeless portrait demonstrates the simple technique of plaindark clothing, non-distracting background, good lighting and moody expression. Contrast is between the face and background/clothing. It’s created with natural light using subtractive lighting technique.
clothing SELECTION continued The colours of clothing worn by the subjects should be selected to match the room decor where the portrait will be displayed. The same way a interior designer would choose colours for a rug or furnishings to match a room setting. If you’re photographing groups, try to get some colour or tone balance amongst the group so no single person stands out. In other words if you want a low-key look (dark and moody), you will need your subject/s in darker clothing and everyone to have similar tones or colours. (no contrast in clothing) Same for high-key (light/pastel) you need everyone to match or harmonise, not contrast against each other. Example: Having two people in white and one in navy blue will look unbalanced in both colour and black and white portraiture. A better high-key/pastel option would be matching shades in cream, beige or different textures and shades of white. See Study 1
An example of darker clothing against a darker background allowing the face to stand out. So selecting clothing needs a lot more thought for the end product to be timeless. Lighter clothing would dominate, taking away from the face.
clothing SELECTION continued The following images demonstrate how to tie in colour
As I said earlier, for me, the clothing dictates the
selections with a simple background.This portrait was
background colour/tone and texture, which dictates
taken inside the opening of a garage against a concrete wall.
the mood. In this study, it is light pastel clothing against a light background creating a soft feel. I decided to pose the girls in a quiet relaxed sleeping style. The pose has a lot of “S” curves and flow to it, the rest is Photoshop.
colour swatch of clothing colours & background
converted to black & white -
STUDY 1 - pastel portrait
the tones are close & low in contrast
This was to be a “pastel” or high-key portrait session in either colour or sepia monochrome. The sisters dressed in
converted to sepia warm instead of cool grays
all light clothing with some texture in their tops. One outfit was slightly cool the other warm - not a problem for Photoshop to match up for colour.
These swatches show the low contrast between clothing and background, which suits high-key and pastel portraits.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L 200 ISO - 1/100s F5@95mm
© Wa yn e Ra dfo r d 2 0 1 2
I used a texture overlay and softening effects to enhance the mood of the portrait. Remember it started with matching light coloured clothing, and then matched to a light concrete foreground and background. The pose was designed to be relaxed and have a flowing composition. Then Photoshop is applied to enhance NOT fix.
clothing SELECTION continued
STUDY 2 low-key (dark) portrait In this study I chose an old fire station door as my background. The wall was a faded light pink colour which wasn’t ideal because when I convert to black and white the wall would record lighter than her face. Remember I always want the face to be the lightest tone in a timeless low-key portrait. First I straightened the walls by using Photoshop’s edit > transform > distort tool, then re-cropped the image to suit. Knowing the blue jeans and the reds in the door, girl’s top and fire hydrant will all record mid greys in a basic black and white conversion, I opted to use Photoshop’s “black & white” conversion, where I can control the strength of tones. I adjusted the red and blue sliders to darken and the yellow to lighten the face. Fortunately the reds all had different textures, which created more interest.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L 400 ISO - 1/80s F4@75mm
clothing SELECTION continued
Next I opened the image in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Yes I could have done the whole process in Nik or Photoshop: however while I felt Photoshop handled its part better, Nik could handle the larger areas of the pink wall with its control points. Each to his own there are so many ways to complete a task. I quite often integrate different software to get the result I want. I’m not set to any one way I love playing with this stuff to see what I can create. That’s why we’re artists. You know what I mean. To finish it off I applied a vignette, a texture overlay and darkened the print a bit more for mood and held the face back. Note: Lightroom could also had been used instead of Photoshop to convert to B&W and control the reds, blues and yellow.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
© Wa yn e Ra dfo r d 2 0 1 2
clothing SELECTION continued
LOW - KEY
HOW TO SELECT COLOURS Next step is how to select colours to suit a theme or project.
Next is an example of a pastel or high-key clothing selection
As discussed previously, if photographing in colour, it’s best
with some accents.
to look at the colours in the room/s where the portrait will be
This may suit a young girl’s room that has a pink theme.
displayed and select clothing colours to complement or
The accents may come from the bedspread or curtains.
harmonise with the settings.
Make sure that any accents don’t overpower - they are only accents. In fact they could be in the matting and framing.
If the settings are dark warm tones, then dressing in pastels or cooler tones will most likely not work certainly not for a
Most important is the selection of the main clothing, the
timeless look. Same with light, airy high-key settings
accents are a bonus.
dressing in dark tones creates too much contrast against the room settings.
I suggest, if you want to improve your colour portraiture, you should acquire an interior designers colour wheel which will
Here is an example of low-key colours that may suit a dark
explain how to use complementary and accent colours.
warm tone setting I have also included some accent colours that may complement the setting. These accent colours may exist in accessories in the room such as paintings, rugs, lounge fabric etc. The accents may be the trim of the clothing, but not a dominant selection.
LOW - KEY
HIGH - KEY
clothing SELECTION continued
HOW COLOURS APPEAR IN BLACK & WHITE In real terms, the subjects may be dressed in red and blue or variations of these colours (burgundy and navy) and you have chosen a medium to dark green background. These red, green and blue colours come from a Gretag Macbeth
So when you convert to black and white in Photoshop, you
calculator. When converted with a basic desaturation, we get a
may darken the green background and lighten the red and
range of very uninspiring grey tones. (below)
blue clothing to varying strengths, but dark enough to allow the faces to stand out. Example of tones:
112
107
97
FACE
GREEN RED
BLUE
When converted using Photoshop’s Black & White Layer
This demonstrates how the clothing contrasts against the
Adjustments, or Lightroom, we can adjust each colour in varying
background and how the faces contrast against the clothing
strengths to suit our artistic requirements. (below)
and background. See study 3 for further demonstration.
75
54
92
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
clothing SELECTION continued
STUDY 3 - BW conversion The background in this study is an old truck body - red and light grey. Clothing is blue jeans, medium pink top and the foreground is green. The red, green and magenta were darkened and the yellow and blue (face and jeans) lightened using a Photoshop’s Black and White Adjustment Layer conversion. The grey part of the truck body was darkened with a curve adjustment layer, so the face is the lightest mass area.
G
G
B
B M
GRETAG MACBETH CHART
DESATURATED B&W
M
PHOTOSHOP B&W
These charts show conversions to black and white using
Notice these colours are from the Photoshop Black & White
the standard desaturation and Photoshop. You can see the
Adjustment Layers, which would make adjusting tones
shades of grey in the middle chart are very similar to each other except for the white and light grey.
127 easy, as above.
112 64
Below is a scale I recommend for Low-Key and Pastel/ High When I recommend colours for black and white, it’s not so
-Key. It shows the range of tones for clothing that would suit
critical what colours the subjects wear. Example: One in
each key. It’s only a guide to give you a starting point to
green, one in blue and one in magenta. This wouldn’t work
experiment for yourself.
well in a colour portrait but in black and white, they will harmonise perfectly.
< pastel / high key range>
TIPS FOR SELECTING CLOTHING COLOURS FOR A TIMELESS PORTRAIT
1 Look at the type of portrait you want to create - is it low key or high-key? (dark or light) 2 Match the tone of clothing to the background. ie: medium / dark background, select darker clothing. : pastel / light backgrounds, select lighter clothing. The idea is to have the face contrast against the clothing and the background, not the clothing. 3 If creating colour portraits, check the colours of the room the portraits will be displayed in. Select colours that will harmonise with the room setting. Remember, the faces need to stand out, not the clothing colours. 4 Light tones project forward and dark tones recede. For black and white low-key portraits, black clothing is not necessarily the best. Darker tones such as navy, burgundy and chocolate will print with more detail and reds, blues and greens are good choices for midtones. They are very adjustable in post production. (see page 11) 5 Be aware that in black and white, reds, blues and greens can appear the same shades of grey, so some post production may be necessary to create more contrast. (see page 11) 6 When selecting colours or tones for a high-key portrait try to match clothing and background as close as possible (see page 15). Shades of white on white or pastels on soft muted tones. Generally this will produce the opposite effect to a low-key portrait. This time the face will appear darker and the hair eyes and lips will feature. 7 Clothing with texture, such as knitted woolen jumpers and denim photograph well. 8 If your main photography is colour, I recommend investing in an interior designers “colour wheel” to further enhance your skills in designing wall decor portraiture.
selecting
BACKGROUNDS STUDY 4 When searching for a suitable background for a timeless portrait, the direction of the light comes first as it dictates the placement of the subject to the background. I then try to keep it simple. I don’t want cluttered backgrounds of reflections and bright objects distracting from the subject. There are times where I will use busy backgrounds, but it has to be part of the story telling or environment related to the subject, otherwise I keep it simple. Timeless portraits shouldn’t be dated by location or fashion, so keeping the clothing and the backgrounds simple goes a long way towards achieving this style of portrait. The image opposite was taken against old concrete walls that had peeling paint to give some texture. The idea was to select a background that tied in with his karate outfit. In this case, light on light.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/250 s F4@200mm
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 5
This is what I refer to as a double background. By using a secondary object or people in the background, you can add interest and depth to your image. In this case I have placed the young lady between the finials and chose an angular perspective to create more depth. I tried some exposures without the foreground finial, but they lacked interest. By placing her brothers in the background, I created a connection within the group without losing her as the focal point. I use this technique on most sessions and the clients love it.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/100s F4@ 200mm
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 6 Another simple background this time I selected a set of curved handrails in front of an old building. I was attracted to the warm colour tones of the handrails and sandstone building. I liked the idea of the young girl’s skin tones harmonising with these elements. Although I prefer long sleeves for the timeless look, this worked beautifully. Simple and timeless, but her dress colour was a cool contrast, so I changed it in Photoshop to a warm burgundy colour - the parents had no objection. Although they chose this image, I chose a different one from the
Raw image from camera - pre Photoshop
same set. (see page 18) The handrail design also created some interest and dynamics. I recommend that you look around and use the elements available to you. Doors, weathered walls, handrails, fences, stone walls - the list is endless, but I suggest using parts of these elements as backdrops or props, instead of the whole thing. Less is more.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
I chose this image over the previous one as I felt it was more engaging. Her parents chose the previous image due to the smile. The image was desaturated slightly, the background darkened, vignetting applied, skin softening and her dress was changed from a cool colour to a warmer tone through Photoshop.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
X STUDY 7 - background distractions Avoid broken light coming through trees if possible or any bright objects that are lighter than the face. I always try to keep the face the lightest mass area in a low-key style portrait. If you can’t, at least place your subject/s against a solid area so retouching is an easier task. In the bottom image I used the clone tool to remove the background highlights, which allows the girls faces to come forward. I could have also darkened the highlights down, but usually clone them out. It’s a personal choice.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 8 - background distractions
With this portrait, the beach was the background. I raised the camera angle slightly to avoid a group of rocks in the background but couldn’t avoid the ones just behind the boys. I wanted a more pastel look to the portrait and these rocks were creating too much contrast, so I simply cloned them out to create a softer feel.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 9 - Breaking my rules I had earlier photographed the boys against some cliffs and rocks which were medium to dark tones, so their dark blue colours were suited to that low-key theme. That is darker colours against a darker background, allowing the faces to be the lightest mass area, as shown in previous studies. I liked the late, hazy and muted sky and wanted to take advantage of it but would it work as a pastel portrait? With a back shot I didn’t have to worry about the faces but it was the dark navy blue clothing contrasting against the sky and sand that my eyes were drawn to. So to make it work, I had to decrease the contrast. Before that though, I wanted to make the image more panoramic. I had originally composed the image to create a square portrait it was also centered, as I didn’t trust my outer auto focusing points. I decided to extend the left-hand side by adding a selection and a bit of cloning. Some Gaussian blur to the sky and sand, stronger at the edges. Next I imported the image into Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and selected the high-key preset and made adjustments to suit. I also increased the structure to the hair and clothing and reduced the dark tops a bit more. See next page for finished portrait.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/250s F4@200mm
While in Silver Efex Pro, I toned the image “coffee” and created a subtle border. A heavy border would have been too strong. Decreasing the contrast and bringing out more detail in the hair and clothing has helped make the portrait more interesting. The same effects can be achieved using Photoshop’s distort > diffuse glow to create the high-key styling and the high-pass filter for texture. I highly recommend Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 for black and white conversions and stylizing. Is this a pastel portrait? Well not in the purists mind, but I think it works as an art piece and if matted and framed to suit a high-key setting, then YES. TIPS: simple uncluttered background and foreground, plain coloured and long clothing, shallow depth of field, texture in the subjects, some softening and subtle border.
TIPS FOR SELECTING BACKGROUNDS FOR A TIMELESS PORTRAIT
1. Find the light direction first 2. Avoid background distractions such as bright highlights, signage and broken light through trees. If you can’t, be prepared to darken them down. You want the face to be the lightest area in a low-key portrait (study 5) and the darkest in a high-key/pastel portrait.(study 4) 3. Try and relate the tones or colours of the background to the clothing, such as dark on dark and light on light. Avoid exact matching, have some tonal contrast between clothes and background. 4. If creating a colour portrait, check the room colours where the portrait will be displayed. There’s no point having a green tree background if green doesn’t suit the room setting. 5. Use parts of props and objects (see Study 3) and use a shallow depth of field setting, such as F2.8 to create a strong bokeh. (the way background blur is rendered)
natural
LIGHTING I find some new photographers entering the professional level of photography have a low understanding of what really makes a quality portrait. I was fortunate in my early years to attend various workshops with some true legends of lighting. Their influence was life changing and indelible. Although I shoot mostly on location, I use the studio lighting techniques I was taught to create mood and style. This is done with subtractive lighting and reflectors and occasionally a soft box or beauty dish with a small electronic portable flash. The problem today is too much flat lighting, and no modelling or shaping of light to create mood and soul. I hope I can show you a better way.
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 10 The top photo demonstrates improvisation. A translucent reflector was used as a background and a couple of black reflector cases to subtract light from the girls LHS. Otherwise the light on her face would have been very flat. There is also a small white reflector in front of her at waist level. Ideally I would have used my larger black cloth to do a stronger subtraction but I left it in the car, thinking I wouldn’t need it. Then I saw an opportunity to do a demo and had to improvise. A black or dark coat would have worked and a piece of white card would work as a background. Yes, I know it’s dark on white but I said I was improvising. The open sky in front of her was enough to light her face without dark eye sockets. The reflector under her just gave it more sparkle.
natural light through door opening
setting sun behind the shed
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 11
Main light through the door opening. Light is subtracted on the LHS of her face by deeper shadows created by the light fall off at the back of the room. Light subtracted from above by the roof. SHED WALL
THE SWEET LIGHT......... To capture the softest light, the young girl was placed near level with the door opening and about 2 metres in. The idea is not to place her in the centre or too close to the opening threshold this allows the light to wrap more evenly and creates a softer highlight to shadow transfer. This technique uses the weakest light, known as the sweet light. It’s like a giant 3x2 metre soft box. No reflector was used.
Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
STUDY 12
natural LIGHTING continued SUBTRACTIVE TECHNIQUES
Awning
Building
(roof)
FRONT OPEN The recessed area behind the subject is subtracting light from his LHS. The main light is from the open sky being pushed under the overhead awning (roof) creating the angle of light. The light grey concrete adds additional fill to a white reflector on the path in front of him.
setting sun behind the shed
OPEN SKY
recessed area
STUDY 13
These sisters were under the same overhang as the previous portrait. Instead of standing in front of the recessed area, as shown in the previous diagram, they stood beside a medium-toned wall. Medium toned walls offer some subtraction but not as strong as darker areas.
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 14 This portrait was taken of my younger son, in a fire break area not far from home. It was a cold overcast day with some good cloud formations that I wanted to take advantage of. In this case, using a reflector wouldn’t give me the dramatic skies I was looking for, so I combined natural ambient light with flash. The original daylight reading was 1/80s @ F4.5 I readjusted this to 1/60s @ F5 then set my camera to 1/250 @ F5. I then set the flash power and distance to subject, based on a flash meter reading of F5. To simplify this, I’m allowing a difference of approximately 2 stops between ambient light and flash. The flash is the main light illuminating the subject and the ambient light is 2 stops less, therefore underexposing the sky giving a more dramatic look. My position is on the ground to get as much sky behind him as possible. The camera is a Canon 5D with a 24mm lens and the flash was an old, but faithful, Lumedyne portable flash with a 30” soft box. Photoshop CS4 was used for postproduction.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D + 24mm F1.4L ISO 200 1/250s @ F5 - LIGHTING natural light as fill with main light from Lumedyne flash + 30” soft box
BLACK & WHITE VERSION
portrait
COMPOSITION STUDY 15
In my previous ebook PORTRAIT TIPS and TECHNIQUES - Natural Light Portraiture, I wrote a chapter on composition that covers the “rule of thirds” “golden ratios” and “perspective”. I would suggest attaining a copy of this ebook for more detail on this subject, however I will talk about some case studies here, as it is part of the timeless portrait process. Composition is about the placement of people or elements within an image to create a harmonious balance and relationship. Learning to place elements of interest on
ORIGINAL RAW IMAGE
these intersecting points will make your images more interesting than centering your image.
The image above shows the “rule of thirds” intersecting lines at her left eye and hands. It’s best to learn where these intersecting lines are on your camera and then compose in camera for more accurate composition.
These so called rules are really only guides or starting points. Some photographers snub their noses at these
Re-cropping in post production may not give you the desired artistic result.
“rules”, but I think they should be learnt, so you can make better informed artistic decisions on how you want your image to appear.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
portrait COMPOSITION continued
STUDY 16 The plan for the top image was to place the boys in the top third section and have them walk to the lower left hand corner so I placed the intersecting point in the middle of the boy on the right. In post processing however, I started playing with the cropping and preferred a more panoramic style. I then repositioned the top right intersecting line on his face and cropped the lower section out.(bottom image) Photoshop was used to darken the sky and the foreground and the background was blurred using Photoshop’s “lens blur” filter. The image was then opened in Nik Silver Efex Pro2 and I selected the preset 030 Film Noir 3 and made slider adjustments to suit. Usually the images open up too dark, so adjustments are necessary. Finally a rough border and “coffee” toning was added The final result, next page, was a moody black and white portrait of boys being boys.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/250s F4@ 130mm
portrait COMPOSITION continued
RULE OF THIRDS In this portrait the intersecting point was placed on the girl’s eye, which also happened to line up with the horizon due to her position on the rocks. The angle of the rock wall’s leading line to the horizon also creates a better perspective and more interest. Note the girl’s position. She has been placed so her face and the dog are against the mid-tones of the rock wall. Dark background and darker clothing allows her face to come forward.
STUDY 17
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
GOLDEN SPIRAL
1:1.618 Golden Means Ratio 3:2 Aspect Ratio of DSLR
STUDY 18 RULE of THIRDS or GOLDEN SPIRAL Well this will cause some debate. Some will say thirds, others will say spiral. The two images here show both options. The top image is the original cropping, captured for the rule of thirds. The golden spiral option at the bottom is post-production cropping. It’s a good example to show that cropping later is not always ideal. I prefer the top image as I feel the bottom needs more space above and below the boy. If I had planned to use the golden spiral, I would have stepped back or reduced the zoom lens to include more. The golden means: spiral / triangle / rectangle are slightly narrower proportions compared to a 35mm digital SLR which is a ratio of 1:1.5, the same as the rule of thirds. The golden means ratio is 1:1.618 Example: an image from a DSLR measuring 10x15” proportion would be 9.27x15” for the golden means ratio.
portrait
PERSPECTIVE
Canon 5D - 24 F1.4L - 200 ISO - 1/200s F4
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
STUDY 19
One of the key parts of composition is perspective. As stated before, my previous ebook has more indepth information about the dynamics of this subject. Perspective is broken into two parts one is the angle of view and the other is perspective distortion. Rather than repeat the previous book details, I’m going to talk about each image presented in this chapter and give you some practical tips on the how and why. Before I start, let me briefly touch on what the two perspective parts are. ANGLE OF VIEW: This is the position of the camera. When photographing children, I like to get down to their height. It can also be the angle of the camera in relationship to the elements such as walls, fences, etc. PERSPECTIVE DISTORTION: The lens choice. A telephoto will produce compression between the subject and background, creating wonderful blurring within that field particularly when combined with an aperture set for a shallow depth of field. eg F2.8. Wide angle lenses create a wider angle of view, which is ideal for showing the relationship between the subject and surroundings.
This wide-angle portrait shows the environment around the boys. It gives a sense of place that in years to come they can look back on and know where they were at this moment. I chose a low angle of view, as the boy in front is a lot taller than his younger brothers. Also I selected a view that included the rock wall angling into the scene. Many photographers prefer to use their telephoto zooms for portraits but I think this is a fair example of using a wide-angle lens to create a different dynamic. TIP: Always keep the subjects in from the edges to avoid any edge distortion caused by wide-angle lenses.
STUDY 20
Canon 5D - 24 F1.4L - 160 ISO - 1/320s F4
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued This portrait shows how dynamic a wide-angle lens can be for portraiture. A powerful angle of view was created by sitting on the ground in a position that captured the strong leading lines of the subject and his bike, plus the dramatic sky. (shown below)
If you didn’t know much about bikes, you may think this could have been taken 40 years ago - a truly timeless portrait. A simple and uncluttered scene with neutral dark clothing and good lighting, side lit by the low setting sun plus a 20” beauty dish positioned left of camera to highlight the chrome and fill the shadows around the engine.
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
STUDY 21
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 100 ISO - 1/80s F4.5@135mm
The low angle of view combined with the leading line of the fence and the compression of a zoom lens, gives this portrait a interesting perspective. The fence also subtracts some light from boys right-hand side, creating some modeling light. In keeping with the timeless portrait philosophy, the boys are dressed in dark clothing and I have placed them in front of dark areas allowing their faces to stand out.
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/50s F4.5@165mm
Shooting across the tracks at a low angle of view shows more curve in the tracks as they dip over in the background. The 70-200mm lens creates the background to subject compression, giving a beautiful bokeh. The colour insert shows the children’s clothing colours which are perfect for a black and white conversion. Note how the focus is on the faces and not the clothing or background.
45
portrait
EXPRESSION & MOOD
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/160s F3.5@155mm
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued Expression in a portrait is the visual communication between subject and camera/photographer. It can convey many human emotions, varying from one to another instantly. For example, a child may be happy one moment and crying the next and then back to happy in a short time. Some posed portraiture in the past had a very stern and stiff look, over posed I guess. Today, people are looking for a more casual and natural look that is representative of their personalities. Keeping with the “Timeless Portrait” theme I generally find the “heart and soul” expression is the most popular. It isn’t the big broad smile with a mouth full of teeth it’s the quiet look. It can evoke many moods from pensive, sultry, shy, inquisitive, intense and with a hint of a smirk, happy. This style isn’t as easy to create. For me creating happy portraits is easier, but it only shows one mood. I want the viewer of the portrait to be drawn to the image by their own interpretation of that image. We all see and interpret images in our own way, that’s what art is about. Don’t think that I don’t take happy portraits. I do, however I find portraits that evoke our emotions as viewers have a timeless longevity. If you apply all the other tips through this book for creating a timeless style and apply the soulful expressions, you’ll be creating a piece of timeless art.
Soulful..... Many people over the years have referred to my work as soulful and this portrait, I believe represents that. Some say it’s sad, some pensive, some a special quiet moment. The main thing is, it provokes deeper thought than seeing a smiley or cheesy expression. Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued “SOULFUL”
Soulful expressions are about the the eyes - “the windows to the soul”. The more open they are, the better.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued “SOULFUL”
HOW TO CREATE THE LOOK The timeless, soulful look is about the eyes, the facial muscles and the mouth. The eyes need to be open wide, no squinting. Facial muscles need to be relaxed, no frowns or tension and the mouth relaxed to show a slight pout and true shape. For the best results I like the head to be tilted slightly down and the eyes to look up to the camera. This will show the full roundness of the bottom area of the eyes in fact it should show a small amount of white under the iris.The look up adds more interest than looking straight ahead. Next is the mouth. What type of mood do you want to portray, happy or pensive for example. This will take practice. For a happy look, I ask for a little smirk not a heavy smile. I don’t want the mouth to stretch too much. For a pensive or moody look, I ask them to breath softly through their lips and as the lips close gently and create shape, I’ll take the shot. PRACTICE PRACTICE and PRACTICE. Tip: talk to them quietly. This image is one of my all-time favourites. It appeared on the front of my previous ebook and I think it represents a good example of a soulful image Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
SOFT SMILE (smirk) is easier for most to create than the soulful look. As discussed on the previous page, it also takes practice to get the look just right. Of course what’s right will be different for each of us but when practising try different levels of smiles, you’ll find what is right for you. The portrait on the right represents what I would call a contemporary timeless portrait. Nothing to date. no signage, neutral dark and long clothing, relaxed pose, (head down-eyes up), expression that exudes attitude interesting perspective shallow depth of field Normally I would like a darker background but his clothing and hair frame his face nicely. IMPORTANT: I much prefer working on a tripod and looking over the top of the camera when creating these soulful looks. It allows me to connect with the subject, which I believe gives a much better rapport and result, instead of a black box in front of my face.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
Just enough soft smile without losing the lip shape. This also avoids the cheeks rising due to over smiling and causing the eyes to squint. Her head tilt adds interest to the overall expression. Again, timeless.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/100s F4 @ 200mm
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
There is no mystery to their expressions here. Just one emotion, they’re happy. Interactive portraits suit the happy genre. If the boys were to look soulful in this image, I think it would look wrong. I personally prefer the soulful look when the eyes are engaging the lens or the photographer, but a happier, playful look when connecting with each other. TIP: To recap on previous chapters, note the boy’s dark clothing against a medium-dark background allowing their faces to come forward. Also their heads are placed in front of a solid background and not tree branches - this keeps it simple and uncluttered. Also the low angle and perspective also give a more interesting composition.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
When all else fails, you just have to photograph what’s in front of you!!!!!!!!!
conclusion Thank you for viewing this ebook and I trust it has given you additional knowledge on approaching quality portraiture. This particular genre of photography is a lot harder to learn than the more candid approach that is so common today. However, learning all skills of photography gives you the expertise to adapt to any style you want, whether classic, contemporary or candid. My early learning started in the studio 26 years ago in the more traditional style. Learning about lighting and posing and how to capture expressions was extremely valuable as it has given me the knowledge to pursue many genres of portraiture. To learn the art of expression will take practice and I mean practice with all different ages and personalities. There is no one fit for all. It is a feeling that you get when you know it’s right. Try practising with your camera on a tripod, and get the feel of eye contact and direct rapport with your subject. It will slow you down, but that’s the idea, then you can discard the tripod if you wish. Many photographers may tell you posed portraiture is old school - I say no. These people are the very people who lack true knowledge and experience of the craft and try and take the easy route. Knowledge is power and the more you have the better photographer you will be. It will allow you to follow your dreams and be the photographer you deserve to be, not what someone else says. Finally, on the subject of old school and new school, I like both schools. Knowledge allows me to do both. If you enjoyed this ebook, you can find more tips & techniques at www.portraittipsandtechniques.com Thank you again for purchasing my ebook and happy shooting. Cheers Wayne
TIMELESS PORTRAITS by Wayne Radford
HOW TO CREATE CLASSIC TIMELESS PORTRAITS
colour and black & white
www.portraittipsandtechniques.com
PORTRAIT TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
ISBN: 978-0-9872871-0-6
TIMELESS PORTRAITS by Wayne Radford
“When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls.” - Ted Grant 1929 -
BEST VIEWING Adobe Reader 9 - View > single page.
Mac Preview- View > single page.
iPad > Recommend installing the app “Good Reader” via iTunes or install into iBooks from computer.
TABLE of CONTENTS Introduction
About this book
4
How to create “timeless portraits”
Clothing selection
5
Selecting backgrounds
Colours, tones and textures
16
Background distractions
20
Breaking my rules
22
Type of lighting techniques
25
Improvisation
26
Sweet light
27
Subtractive light technique
28
Additional portable light
30
Rule of Thirds and Golden Means Ratio
33
Perspective
41
Creating Heart & Soul”
46
Natural lighting
Composition
Expression and Mood Conclusion
54
INTRODUCTION TO TIMELESS PORTRAITURE
Welcome, well you have probably heard the saying, everyone is a photographer today. With iPhones, compacts and DSLRs owned by so many, it certainly appears that way. As a full-time working photographer for the past 26 years and 20 years prior, as an keen enthusiast, I was initially concerned with the over saturation of image makers. But when the dust settled, I came to accept that everyone has the right to record or create images, not just pros and enthusiasts. Parents want to record their children’s birthdays, special events and holidays etc. as they have always done, just easier with digital capture.
Before I start, I have to tell you I’m not an experienced writer in fact this is just my third ebook. I’m a working photographer first and foremost and my writing is based on my daily work experiences. Each page is written in a “how to” style to help you better understand how to make your portraits timeless. My style is classic and timeless, mostly in black and white. I have no interest in trendy, vivid colour as I don’t believe it offers my clients long-term value. The aim of each session is to create portraits that will endure generations and families will enjoy and never tire of. My portraits don’t date.
This book is for the photographer who wants to pre-plan his/ her portrait sessions and produce timeless art for their clients. So if you’re a professional or keen enthusiast reading this, don’t feel threatened, your skills and continual education should put you many years ahead. Throughout this book my aim is to give you sound advice on developing your technique and style, by showing you actual studies and diagrams on how I create portraits.
A timeless portrait in its purist form is a simple portrait. It should be simplified by clothing selection, background selection, lighting, composition and expression. They should also harmonise with the rooms they are displayed in. These are just a few elements required for a timeless portrait which I will explain in more detail throughout the following chapters.
HOW TO CREATE TIMELESS PORTRAITURE Firstly, let me breakdown the elements and look at each one in detail - clothing, background, lighting, composition and expression. I know there are other elements but these in my opinion are the main ones I use to create a classic, timeless portrait.
clothing
SELECTION For me the selection of clothing in style, texture and colour/ tone is the most important of the elements. This is the starting canvas that dictates what backgrounds I will use, what style of lighting would suit and to some degree the expression or mood of the subject. Example: If my subject/s are dressed in dark colours, then I would generally select a dark to medium tone background to avoid a high contrast between clothing and background. I want the face to contrast against the darker background and clothing. Also no heavy patterns, labels or motifs. Generally black and white images are the most timeless, but colour portraiture, if designed correctly will also work.
This timeless portrait demonstrates the simple technique of plaindark clothing, non-distracting background, good lighting and moody expression. Contrast is between the face and background/clothing. It’s created with natural light using subtractive lighting technique.
clothing SELECTION continued The colours of clothing worn by the subjects should be selected to match the room decor where the portrait will be displayed. The same way a interior designer would choose colours for a rug or furnishings to match a room setting. If you’re photographing groups, try to get some colour or tone balance amongst the group so no single person stands out. In other words if you want a low-key look (dark and moody), you will need your subject/s in darker clothing and everyone to have similar tones or colours. (no contrast in clothing) Same for high-key (light/pastel) you need everyone to match or harmonise, not contrast against each other. Example: Having two people in white and one in navy blue will look unbalanced in both colour and black and white portraiture. A better high-key/pastel option would be matching shades in cream, beige or different textures and shades of white. See Study 1
An example of darker clothing against a darker background allowing the face to stand out. So selecting clothing needs a lot more thought for the end product to be timeless. Lighter clothing would dominate, taking away from the face.
clothing SELECTION continued The following images demonstrate how to tie in colour
As I said earlier, for me, the clothing dictates the
selections with a simple background.This portrait was
background colour/tone and texture, which dictates
taken inside the opening of a garage against a concrete wall.
the mood. In this study, it is light pastel clothing against a light background creating a soft feel. I decided to pose the girls in a quiet relaxed sleeping style. The pose has a lot of “S” curves and flow to it, the rest is Photoshop.
colour swatch of clothing colours & background
converted to black & white -
STUDY 1 - pastel portrait
the tones are close & low in contrast
This was to be a “pastel” or high-key portrait session in either colour or sepia monochrome. The sisters dressed in
converted to sepia warm instead of cool grays
all light clothing with some texture in their tops. One outfit was slightly cool the other warm - not a problem for Photoshop to match up for colour.
These swatches show the low contrast between clothing and background, which suits high-key and pastel portraits.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L 200 ISO - 1/100s F5@95mm
© Wa yn e Ra dfo r d 2 0 1 2
I used a texture overlay and softening effects to enhance the mood of the portrait. Remember it started with matching light coloured clothing, and then matched to a light concrete foreground and background. The pose was designed to be relaxed and have a flowing composition. Then Photoshop is applied to enhance NOT fix.
clothing SELECTION continued
STUDY 2 low-key (dark) portrait In this study I chose an old fire station door as my background. The wall was a faded light pink colour which wasn’t ideal because when I convert to black and white the wall would record lighter than her face. Remember I always want the face to be the lightest tone in a timeless low-key portrait. First I straightened the walls by using Photoshop’s edit > transform > distort tool, then re-cropped the image to suit. Knowing the blue jeans and the reds in the door, girl’s top and fire hydrant will all record mid greys in a basic black and white conversion, I opted to use Photoshop’s “black & white” conversion, where I can control the strength of tones. I adjusted the red and blue sliders to darken and the yellow to lighten the face. Fortunately the reds all had different textures, which created more interest.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L 400 ISO - 1/80s F4@75mm
clothing SELECTION continued
Next I opened the image in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. Yes I could have done the whole process in Nik or Photoshop: however while I felt Photoshop handled its part better, Nik could handle the larger areas of the pink wall with its control points. Each to his own there are so many ways to complete a task. I quite often integrate different software to get the result I want. I’m not set to any one way I love playing with this stuff to see what I can create. That’s why we’re artists. You know what I mean. To finish it off I applied a vignette, a texture overlay and darkened the print a bit more for mood and held the face back. Note: Lightroom could also had been used instead of Photoshop to convert to B&W and control the reds, blues and yellow.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
© Wa yn e Ra dfo r d 2 0 1 2
clothing SELECTION continued
LOW - KEY
HOW TO SELECT COLOURS Next step is how to select colours to suit a theme or project.
Next is an example of a pastel or high-key clothing selection
As discussed previously, if photographing in colour, it’s best
with some accents.
to look at the colours in the room/s where the portrait will be
This may suit a young girl’s room that has a pink theme.
displayed and select clothing colours to complement or
The accents may come from the bedspread or curtains.
harmonise with the settings.
Make sure that any accents don’t overpower - they are only accents. In fact they could be in the matting and framing.
If the settings are dark warm tones, then dressing in pastels or cooler tones will most likely not work certainly not for a
Most important is the selection of the main clothing, the
timeless look. Same with light, airy high-key settings
accents are a bonus.
dressing in dark tones creates too much contrast against the room settings.
I suggest, if you want to improve your colour portraiture, you should acquire an interior designers colour wheel which will
Here is an example of low-key colours that may suit a dark
explain how to use complementary and accent colours.
warm tone setting I have also included some accent colours that may complement the setting. These accent colours may exist in accessories in the room such as paintings, rugs, lounge fabric etc. The accents may be the trim of the clothing, but not a dominant selection.
LOW - KEY
HIGH - KEY
clothing SELECTION continued
HOW COLOURS APPEAR IN BLACK & WHITE In real terms, the subjects may be dressed in red and blue or variations of these colours (burgundy and navy) and you have chosen a medium to dark green background. These red, green and blue colours come from a Gretag Macbeth
So when you convert to black and white in Photoshop, you
calculator. When converted with a basic desaturation, we get a
may darken the green background and lighten the red and
range of very uninspiring grey tones. (below)
blue clothing to varying strengths, but dark enough to allow the faces to stand out. Example of tones:
112
107
97
FACE
GREEN RED
BLUE
When converted using Photoshop’s Black & White Layer
This demonstrates how the clothing contrasts against the
Adjustments, or Lightroom, we can adjust each colour in varying
background and how the faces contrast against the clothing
strengths to suit our artistic requirements. (below)
and background. See study 3 for further demonstration.
75
54
92
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
clothing SELECTION continued
STUDY 3 - BW conversion The background in this study is an old truck body - red and light grey. Clothing is blue jeans, medium pink top and the foreground is green. The red, green and magenta were darkened and the yellow and blue (face and jeans) lightened using a Photoshop’s Black and White Adjustment Layer conversion. The grey part of the truck body was darkened with a curve adjustment layer, so the face is the lightest mass area.
G
G
B
B M
GRETAG MACBETH CHART
DESATURATED B&W
M
PHOTOSHOP B&W
These charts show conversions to black and white using
Notice these colours are from the Photoshop Black & White
the standard desaturation and Photoshop. You can see the
Adjustment Layers, which would make adjusting tones
shades of grey in the middle chart are very similar to each other except for the white and light grey.
127 easy, as above.
112 64
Below is a scale I recommend for Low-Key and Pastel/ High When I recommend colours for black and white, it’s not so
-Key. It shows the range of tones for clothing that would suit
critical what colours the subjects wear. Example: One in
each key. It’s only a guide to give you a starting point to
green, one in blue and one in magenta. This wouldn’t work
experiment for yourself.
well in a colour portrait but in black and white, they will harmonise perfectly.
< pastel / high key range>
TIPS FOR SELECTING CLOTHING COLOURS FOR A TIMELESS PORTRAIT
1 Look at the type of portrait you want to create - is it low key or high-key? (dark or light) 2 Match the tone of clothing to the background. ie: medium / dark background, select darker clothing. : pastel / light backgrounds, select lighter clothing. The idea is to have the face contrast against the clothing and the background, not the clothing. 3 If creating colour portraits, check the colours of the room the portraits will be displayed in. Select colours that will harmonise with the room setting. Remember, the faces need to stand out, not the clothing colours. 4 Light tones project forward and dark tones recede. For black and white low-key portraits, black clothing is not necessarily the best. Darker tones such as navy, burgundy and chocolate will print with more detail and reds, blues and greens are good choices for midtones. They are very adjustable in post production. (see page 11) 5 Be aware that in black and white, reds, blues and greens can appear the same shades of grey, so some post production may be necessary to create more contrast. (see page 11) 6 When selecting colours or tones for a high-key portrait try to match clothing and background as close as possible (see page 15). Shades of white on white or pastels on soft muted tones. Generally this will produce the opposite effect to a low-key portrait. This time the face will appear darker and the hair eyes and lips will feature. 7 Clothing with texture, such as knitted woolen jumpers and denim photograph well. 8 If your main photography is colour, I recommend investing in an interior designers “colour wheel” to further enhance your skills in designing wall decor portraiture.
selecting
BACKGROUNDS STUDY 4 When searching for a suitable background for a timeless portrait, the direction of the light comes first as it dictates the placement of the subject to the background. I then try to keep it simple. I don’t want cluttered backgrounds of reflections and bright objects distracting from the subject. There are times where I will use busy backgrounds, but it has to be part of the story telling or environment related to the subject, otherwise I keep it simple. Timeless portraits shouldn’t be dated by location or fashion, so keeping the clothing and the backgrounds simple goes a long way towards achieving this style of portrait. The image opposite was taken against old concrete walls that had peeling paint to give some texture. The idea was to select a background that tied in with his karate outfit. In this case, light on light.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/250 s F4@200mm
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 5
This is what I refer to as a double background. By using a secondary object or people in the background, you can add interest and depth to your image. In this case I have placed the young lady between the finials and chose an angular perspective to create more depth. I tried some exposures without the foreground finial, but they lacked interest. By placing her brothers in the background, I created a connection within the group without losing her as the focal point. I use this technique on most sessions and the clients love it.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/100s F4@ 200mm
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 6 Another simple background this time I selected a set of curved handrails in front of an old building. I was attracted to the warm colour tones of the handrails and sandstone building. I liked the idea of the young girl’s skin tones harmonising with these elements. Although I prefer long sleeves for the timeless look, this worked beautifully. Simple and timeless, but her dress colour was a cool contrast, so I changed it in Photoshop to a warm burgundy colour - the parents had no objection. Although they chose this image, I chose a different one from the
Raw image from camera - pre Photoshop
same set. (see page 18) The handrail design also created some interest and dynamics. I recommend that you look around and use the elements available to you. Doors, weathered walls, handrails, fences, stone walls - the list is endless, but I suggest using parts of these elements as backdrops or props, instead of the whole thing. Less is more.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
I chose this image over the previous one as I felt it was more engaging. Her parents chose the previous image due to the smile. The image was desaturated slightly, the background darkened, vignetting applied, skin softening and her dress was changed from a cool colour to a warmer tone through Photoshop.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
X STUDY 7 - background distractions Avoid broken light coming through trees if possible or any bright objects that are lighter than the face. I always try to keep the face the lightest mass area in a low-key style portrait. If you can’t, at least place your subject/s against a solid area so retouching is an easier task. In the bottom image I used the clone tool to remove the background highlights, which allows the girls faces to come forward. I could have also darkened the highlights down, but usually clone them out. It’s a personal choice.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 8 - background distractions
With this portrait, the beach was the background. I raised the camera angle slightly to avoid a group of rocks in the background but couldn’t avoid the ones just behind the boys. I wanted a more pastel look to the portrait and these rocks were creating too much contrast, so I simply cloned them out to create a softer feel.
selecting BACKGROUNDS continued
STUDY 9 - Breaking my rules I had earlier photographed the boys against some cliffs and rocks which were medium to dark tones, so their dark blue colours were suited to that low-key theme. That is darker colours against a darker background, allowing the faces to be the lightest mass area, as shown in previous studies. I liked the late, hazy and muted sky and wanted to take advantage of it but would it work as a pastel portrait? With a back shot I didn’t have to worry about the faces but it was the dark navy blue clothing contrasting against the sky and sand that my eyes were drawn to. So to make it work, I had to decrease the contrast. Before that though, I wanted to make the image more panoramic. I had originally composed the image to create a square portrait it was also centered, as I didn’t trust my outer auto focusing points. I decided to extend the left-hand side by adding a selection and a bit of cloning. Some Gaussian blur to the sky and sand, stronger at the edges. Next I imported the image into Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 and selected the high-key preset and made adjustments to suit. I also increased the structure to the hair and clothing and reduced the dark tops a bit more. See next page for finished portrait.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/250s F4@200mm
While in Silver Efex Pro, I toned the image “coffee” and created a subtle border. A heavy border would have been too strong. Decreasing the contrast and bringing out more detail in the hair and clothing has helped make the portrait more interesting. The same effects can be achieved using Photoshop’s distort > diffuse glow to create the high-key styling and the high-pass filter for texture. I highly recommend Nik Silver Efex Pro 2 for black and white conversions and stylizing. Is this a pastel portrait? Well not in the purists mind, but I think it works as an art piece and if matted and framed to suit a high-key setting, then YES. TIPS: simple uncluttered background and foreground, plain coloured and long clothing, shallow depth of field, texture in the subjects, some softening and subtle border.
TIPS FOR SELECTING BACKGROUNDS FOR A TIMELESS PORTRAIT
1. Find the light direction first 2. Avoid background distractions such as bright highlights, signage and broken light through trees. If you can’t, be prepared to darken them down. You want the face to be the lightest area in a low-key portrait (study 5) and the darkest in a high-key/pastel portrait.(study 4) 3. Try and relate the tones or colours of the background to the clothing, such as dark on dark and light on light. Avoid exact matching, have some tonal contrast between clothes and background. 4. If creating a colour portrait, check the room colours where the portrait will be displayed. There’s no point having a green tree background if green doesn’t suit the room setting. 5. Use parts of props and objects (see Study 3) and use a shallow depth of field setting, such as F2.8 to create a strong bokeh. (the way background blur is rendered)
natural
LIGHTING I find some new photographers entering the professional level of photography have a low understanding of what really makes a quality portrait. I was fortunate in my early years to attend various workshops with some true legends of lighting. Their influence was life changing and indelible. Although I shoot mostly on location, I use the studio lighting techniques I was taught to create mood and style. This is done with subtractive lighting and reflectors and occasionally a soft box or beauty dish with a small electronic portable flash. The problem today is too much flat lighting, and no modelling or shaping of light to create mood and soul. I hope I can show you a better way.
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 10 The top photo demonstrates improvisation. A translucent reflector was used as a background and a couple of black reflector cases to subtract light from the girls LHS. Otherwise the light on her face would have been very flat. There is also a small white reflector in front of her at waist level. Ideally I would have used my larger black cloth to do a stronger subtraction but I left it in the car, thinking I wouldn’t need it. Then I saw an opportunity to do a demo and had to improvise. A black or dark coat would have worked and a piece of white card would work as a background. Yes, I know it’s dark on white but I said I was improvising. The open sky in front of her was enough to light her face without dark eye sockets. The reflector under her just gave it more sparkle.
natural light through door opening
setting sun behind the shed
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 11
Main light through the door opening. Light is subtracted on the LHS of her face by deeper shadows created by the light fall off at the back of the room. Light subtracted from above by the roof. SHED WALL
THE SWEET LIGHT......... To capture the softest light, the young girl was placed near level with the door opening and about 2 metres in. The idea is not to place her in the centre or too close to the opening threshold this allows the light to wrap more evenly and creates a softer highlight to shadow transfer. This technique uses the weakest light, known as the sweet light. It’s like a giant 3x2 metre soft box. No reflector was used.
Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
STUDY 12
natural LIGHTING continued SUBTRACTIVE TECHNIQUES
Awning
Building
(roof)
FRONT OPEN The recessed area behind the subject is subtracting light from his LHS. The main light is from the open sky being pushed under the overhead awning (roof) creating the angle of light. The light grey concrete adds additional fill to a white reflector on the path in front of him.
setting sun behind the shed
OPEN SKY
recessed area
STUDY 13
These sisters were under the same overhang as the previous portrait. Instead of standing in front of the recessed area, as shown in the previous diagram, they stood beside a medium-toned wall. Medium toned walls offer some subtraction but not as strong as darker areas.
natural LIGHTING continued
STUDY 14 This portrait was taken of my younger son, in a fire break area not far from home. It was a cold overcast day with some good cloud formations that I wanted to take advantage of. In this case, using a reflector wouldn’t give me the dramatic skies I was looking for, so I combined natural ambient light with flash. The original daylight reading was 1/80s @ F4.5 I readjusted this to 1/60s @ F5 then set my camera to 1/250 @ F5. I then set the flash power and distance to subject, based on a flash meter reading of F5. To simplify this, I’m allowing a difference of approximately 2 stops between ambient light and flash. The flash is the main light illuminating the subject and the ambient light is 2 stops less, therefore underexposing the sky giving a more dramatic look. My position is on the ground to get as much sky behind him as possible. The camera is a Canon 5D with a 24mm lens and the flash was an old, but faithful, Lumedyne portable flash with a 30” soft box. Photoshop CS4 was used for postproduction.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D + 24mm F1.4L ISO 200 1/250s @ F5 - LIGHTING natural light as fill with main light from Lumedyne flash + 30” soft box
BLACK & WHITE VERSION
portrait
COMPOSITION STUDY 15
In my previous ebook PORTRAIT TIPS and TECHNIQUES - Natural Light Portraiture, I wrote a chapter on composition that covers the “rule of thirds” “golden ratios” and “perspective”. I would suggest attaining a copy of this ebook for more detail on this subject, however I will talk about some case studies here, as it is part of the timeless portrait process. Composition is about the placement of people or elements within an image to create a harmonious balance and relationship. Learning to place elements of interest on
ORIGINAL RAW IMAGE
these intersecting points will make your images more interesting than centering your image.
The image above shows the “rule of thirds” intersecting lines at her left eye and hands. It’s best to learn where these intersecting lines are on your camera and then compose in camera for more accurate composition.
These so called rules are really only guides or starting points. Some photographers snub their noses at these
Re-cropping in post production may not give you the desired artistic result.
“rules”, but I think they should be learnt, so you can make better informed artistic decisions on how you want your image to appear.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
portrait COMPOSITION continued
STUDY 16 The plan for the top image was to place the boys in the top third section and have them walk to the lower left hand corner so I placed the intersecting point in the middle of the boy on the right. In post processing however, I started playing with the cropping and preferred a more panoramic style. I then repositioned the top right intersecting line on his face and cropped the lower section out.(bottom image) Photoshop was used to darken the sky and the foreground and the background was blurred using Photoshop’s “lens blur” filter. The image was then opened in Nik Silver Efex Pro2 and I selected the preset 030 Film Noir 3 and made slider adjustments to suit. Usually the images open up too dark, so adjustments are necessary. Finally a rough border and “coffee” toning was added The final result, next page, was a moody black and white portrait of boys being boys.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
FINISHED PORTRAIT
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/250s F4@ 130mm
portrait COMPOSITION continued
RULE OF THIRDS In this portrait the intersecting point was placed on the girl’s eye, which also happened to line up with the horizon due to her position on the rocks. The angle of the rock wall’s leading line to the horizon also creates a better perspective and more interest. Note the girl’s position. She has been placed so her face and the dog are against the mid-tones of the rock wall. Dark background and darker clothing allows her face to come forward.
STUDY 17
GOLDEN TRIANGLE
GOLDEN SPIRAL
1:1.618 Golden Means Ratio 3:2 Aspect Ratio of DSLR
STUDY 18 RULE of THIRDS or GOLDEN SPIRAL Well this will cause some debate. Some will say thirds, others will say spiral. The two images here show both options. The top image is the original cropping, captured for the rule of thirds. The golden spiral option at the bottom is post-production cropping. It’s a good example to show that cropping later is not always ideal. I prefer the top image as I feel the bottom needs more space above and below the boy. If I had planned to use the golden spiral, I would have stepped back or reduced the zoom lens to include more. The golden means: spiral / triangle / rectangle are slightly narrower proportions compared to a 35mm digital SLR which is a ratio of 1:1.5, the same as the rule of thirds. The golden means ratio is 1:1.618 Example: an image from a DSLR measuring 10x15” proportion would be 9.27x15” for the golden means ratio.
portrait
PERSPECTIVE
Canon 5D - 24 F1.4L - 200 ISO - 1/200s F4
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
STUDY 19
One of the key parts of composition is perspective. As stated before, my previous ebook has more indepth information about the dynamics of this subject. Perspective is broken into two parts one is the angle of view and the other is perspective distortion. Rather than repeat the previous book details, I’m going to talk about each image presented in this chapter and give you some practical tips on the how and why. Before I start, let me briefly touch on what the two perspective parts are. ANGLE OF VIEW: This is the position of the camera. When photographing children, I like to get down to their height. It can also be the angle of the camera in relationship to the elements such as walls, fences, etc. PERSPECTIVE DISTORTION: The lens choice. A telephoto will produce compression between the subject and background, creating wonderful blurring within that field particularly when combined with an aperture set for a shallow depth of field. eg F2.8. Wide angle lenses create a wider angle of view, which is ideal for showing the relationship between the subject and surroundings.
This wide-angle portrait shows the environment around the boys. It gives a sense of place that in years to come they can look back on and know where they were at this moment. I chose a low angle of view, as the boy in front is a lot taller than his younger brothers. Also I selected a view that included the rock wall angling into the scene. Many photographers prefer to use their telephoto zooms for portraits but I think this is a fair example of using a wide-angle lens to create a different dynamic. TIP: Always keep the subjects in from the edges to avoid any edge distortion caused by wide-angle lenses.
STUDY 20
Canon 5D - 24 F1.4L - 160 ISO - 1/320s F4
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued This portrait shows how dynamic a wide-angle lens can be for portraiture. A powerful angle of view was created by sitting on the ground in a position that captured the strong leading lines of the subject and his bike, plus the dramatic sky. (shown below)
If you didn’t know much about bikes, you may think this could have been taken 40 years ago - a truly timeless portrait. A simple and uncluttered scene with neutral dark clothing and good lighting, side lit by the low setting sun plus a 20” beauty dish positioned left of camera to highlight the chrome and fill the shadows around the engine.
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
STUDY 21
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 100 ISO - 1/80s F4.5@135mm
The low angle of view combined with the leading line of the fence and the compression of a zoom lens, gives this portrait a interesting perspective. The fence also subtracts some light from boys right-hand side, creating some modeling light. In keeping with the timeless portrait philosophy, the boys are dressed in dark clothing and I have placed them in front of dark areas allowing their faces to stand out.
portrait PERSPECTIVE continued
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/50s F4.5@165mm
Shooting across the tracks at a low angle of view shows more curve in the tracks as they dip over in the background. The 70-200mm lens creates the background to subject compression, giving a beautiful bokeh. The colour insert shows the children’s clothing colours which are perfect for a black and white conversion. Note how the focus is on the faces and not the clothing or background.
45
portrait
EXPRESSION & MOOD
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 400 ISO - 1/160s F3.5@155mm
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued Expression in a portrait is the visual communication between subject and camera/photographer. It can convey many human emotions, varying from one to another instantly. For example, a child may be happy one moment and crying the next and then back to happy in a short time. Some posed portraiture in the past had a very stern and stiff look, over posed I guess. Today, people are looking for a more casual and natural look that is representative of their personalities. Keeping with the “Timeless Portrait” theme I generally find the “heart and soul” expression is the most popular. It isn’t the big broad smile with a mouth full of teeth it’s the quiet look. It can evoke many moods from pensive, sultry, shy, inquisitive, intense and with a hint of a smirk, happy. This style isn’t as easy to create. For me creating happy portraits is easier, but it only shows one mood. I want the viewer of the portrait to be drawn to the image by their own interpretation of that image. We all see and interpret images in our own way, that’s what art is about. Don’t think that I don’t take happy portraits. I do, however I find portraits that evoke our emotions as viewers have a timeless longevity. If you apply all the other tips through this book for creating a timeless style and apply the soulful expressions, you’ll be creating a piece of timeless art.
Soulful..... Many people over the years have referred to my work as soulful and this portrait, I believe represents that. Some say it’s sad, some pensive, some a special quiet moment. The main thing is, it provokes deeper thought than seeing a smiley or cheesy expression. Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued “SOULFUL”
Soulful expressions are about the the eyes - “the windows to the soul”. The more open they are, the better.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued “SOULFUL”
HOW TO CREATE THE LOOK The timeless, soulful look is about the eyes, the facial muscles and the mouth. The eyes need to be open wide, no squinting. Facial muscles need to be relaxed, no frowns or tension and the mouth relaxed to show a slight pout and true shape. For the best results I like the head to be tilted slightly down and the eyes to look up to the camera. This will show the full roundness of the bottom area of the eyes in fact it should show a small amount of white under the iris.The look up adds more interest than looking straight ahead. Next is the mouth. What type of mood do you want to portray, happy or pensive for example. This will take practice. For a happy look, I ask for a little smirk not a heavy smile. I don’t want the mouth to stretch too much. For a pensive or moody look, I ask them to breath softly through their lips and as the lips close gently and create shape, I’ll take the shot. PRACTICE PRACTICE and PRACTICE. Tip: talk to them quietly. This image is one of my all-time favourites. It appeared on the front of my previous ebook and I think it represents a good example of a soulful image Hasselblad 503cx 150mm F4 ISO 400 Kodak T400cn 1/60th @ F4
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
SOFT SMILE (smirk) is easier for most to create than the soulful look. As discussed on the previous page, it also takes practice to get the look just right. Of course what’s right will be different for each of us but when practising try different levels of smiles, you’ll find what is right for you. The portrait on the right represents what I would call a contemporary timeless portrait. Nothing to date. no signage, neutral dark and long clothing, relaxed pose, (head down-eyes up), expression that exudes attitude interesting perspective shallow depth of field Normally I would like a darker background but his clothing and hair frame his face nicely. IMPORTANT: I much prefer working on a tripod and looking over the top of the camera when creating these soulful looks. It allows me to connect with the subject, which I believe gives a much better rapport and result, instead of a black box in front of my face.
All images, text, charts and diagrams are the copyright of Wayne Radford © 2012. All rights reserved. No content can be copied by any means, mechanical or electronic without permission from the author.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
Just enough soft smile without losing the lip shape. This also avoids the cheeks rising due to over smiling and causing the eyes to squint. Her head tilt adds interest to the overall expression. Again, timeless.
Canon 5D - 70 - 200 F2.8L - 200 ISO - 1/100s F4 @ 200mm
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
There is no mystery to their expressions here. Just one emotion, they’re happy. Interactive portraits suit the happy genre. If the boys were to look soulful in this image, I think it would look wrong. I personally prefer the soulful look when the eyes are engaging the lens or the photographer, but a happier, playful look when connecting with each other. TIP: To recap on previous chapters, note the boy’s dark clothing against a medium-dark background allowing their faces to come forward. Also their heads are placed in front of a solid background and not tree branches - this keeps it simple and uncluttered. Also the low angle and perspective also give a more interesting composition.
portrait EXPRESSION & MOOD continued
When all else fails, you just have to photograph what’s in front of you!!!!!!!!!
conclusion Thank you for viewing this ebook and I trust it has given you additional knowledge on approaching quality portraiture. This particular genre of photography is a lot harder to learn than the more candid approach that is so common today. However, learning all skills of photography gives you the expertise to adapt to any style you want, whether classic, contemporary or candid. My early learning started in the studio 26 years ago in the more traditional style. Learning about lighting and posing and how to capture expressions was extremely valuable as it has given me the knowledge to pursue many genres of portraiture. To learn the art of expression will take practice and I mean practice with all different ages and personalities. There is no one fit for all. It is a feeling that you get when you know it’s right. Try practising with your camera on a tripod, and get the feel of eye contact and direct rapport with your subject. It will slow you down, but that’s the idea, then you can discard the tripod if you wish. Many photographers may tell you posed portraiture is old school - I say no. These people are the very people who lack true knowledge and experience of the craft and try and take the easy route. Knowledge is power and the more you have the better photographer you will be. It will allow you to follow your dreams and be the photographer you deserve to be, not what someone else says. Finally, on the subject of old school and new school, I like both schools. Knowledge allows me to do both. If you enjoyed this ebook, you can find more tips & techniques at www.portraittipsandtechniques.com Thank you again for purchasing my ebook and happy shooting. Cheers Wayne
