Portraits and Lighting: An Introduction

A portrait taken in front of a building's white brick exterior wall in downtown Winnipeg.

There is so much that could be written about the capturing of portraits. A few things to consider to start: when taking standard portraits:

• Generally - regarding the Rule of Thirds - a person's eyes should be placed in the top third of the frame. It is important that the eyes are in focus.

• The Rule of Thirds can be used in a variable of ways to capture stylized closeup and farther away portraits.

• It is important to consider lighting. Direct (non-diffused) sunlight or artificial light on a person's face is not a photographer's friend. Using a diffuser can help to diffuse direct light on the face. Photographers are often pleased with a cloudy day - as the clouds act as diffusers.

• 'Soft boxes' can be a source of artificial direct or diffused light. They can be used to set the lighting for some very controlled and stylistic portraits.

• When using an external, controllable flash, it is important to know what 'bounce flash' is, and how to use it effectively.

• It is often helpful to set your metering off the cheek bones of the subject with the lightest skin.

• For group photos - ensure that each person's face is fully visible.

• For photos involving more than one person - consider having subjects on different 'levels'.

• The hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise and the hour Dawn - before the sun comes up over the horizon - and dusk - after the sun has just gone down over the horizon - is called 'The Golden Hour' and is a great time to take portraits and photos. Link: Taking Advantage of The Golden Hour (Adobe)

There's a start.

My beautiful Mother. With an exterior window behind her.