Portrait film photography

17 Film Photography Portfolios That Prove Analog is Still Alive

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Digital photographers have been arguing that analog is over pretty much since digital cameras were invented, but there’s a passionate crowd who insist that film photography is only getting more popular. When it comes down to it, there’s just something compelling about the grainy depth of analog images. Plus, the spontaneous feel of shooting film is hard to imitate when you know you can store hundreds of RAW files on your memory card.

Developing film can be pricey, but analog gear often comes cheap—you can easily pick up a decent SLR from brands like Pentax or Minolta for under $100 on eBay. And with companies like Impossible Project and Lomography reviving instant film photography, there are more and more options out there for shooting analog.

Does this sound like a style of photography that might interest you? Have you taken a look through analog photography portfolios to get a feel for how this style comes across to those who might be looking to book you? If not, we’ve got a treat for you.

Currently based in Tel Aviv, by way of Vancouver, Canada, Jill Schweber provides us with one of those analog photography portfolios that is full of personality and movement. She’s worked with Editorial Magazine, Nakid, Contributor Magazine, and Junk. Schweber uses a vertical scroll to display her images in a way that fills up the whole page.

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UK photographer Leanne Surfleet specializes in dreamy, surreal film photography. She’s worked with Lomography, shooting on their instant film camera, as well as with indie film company Impossible Project. Surfleet uses a classic serif font for her horizontally scrolling portfolio, which showcases a large volume of work using dropdown menus for easy navigation.

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This Brighton, UK-based photographer shoots both analog and digital fashion photos, and is also the co-founder of skate and streetwear platform By The Level. Brown has worked with an impressive roster of clients, including Nike, New Balance, and Converse. She organizes her work by separating it into commercial and editorial projects.

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calvin is a Barcelon-based film photographer. Film photography began as a way to have souvenirs from Calvin’s travel. It has now become a passion for Calvin and he tries to capture things he finds beautiful, whether people or places.

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Most recently, this Toronto photographer has shot for Galore, as well as behind-the-scenes work for Roy Woods. She’s a pro at capturing the vibe of a party or a set via 35mm film. Fullad shows off a relatively simple approach to analog photography portfolios, using a horizontally scrolling theme to show off a small selection of work.

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Check out Fullad’s photos in our feature on tattoo artist Jess Chen

Based in London, Cian Oba-Smith shoots only on film, documenting dirt bikers in English suburbia, the Islamic community in Iceland, and a tiny island off the Irish coast. These are just a few of Oba-Smith’s unique film projects. The analog photographer has also been featured in a slew of publications, from The Guardian to Dazed & Confused.

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Located in Toronto, photographer Katie Sadie often shoots on 120mm film. Her analog photos are crisp and carefully composed. Sadie especially excels at capturing street scenes, documenting unique personalities and locations on a recent road trip across the United States. She draws attention to her latest work by placing it at the top of her portfolio menu, and making a new series her default homepage.

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Chase Castor is a Kansas City-based photographer and filmmaker. He specializes in documentary photography, capturing the environments around him with a careful eye, as well as documenting political events, like the recent Fight for 15 minimum wage protest in Kansas City. Castor uses a blog page to share updates about his work while keeping the rest of his portfolio uncluttered.

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Based in Oregon, Rachel Jane Lemme is both a photographer and a fiber artist. Her analog photography is intimate and richly colored, with a similar vibe to her fiber artworks, which tend towards organic shapes and are often photographed in natural settings. She divides her portfolio up between her artwork and her photos using a simple sidebar menu.

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Originally from Kenya, Lorraine Khamali is a London based photographer and filmmaker. Khamali’s work involves capturing and documenting intimate portraits showcasing beauty of the ordinary, culture and telling stories inspired by her life experiences and interests in art, literature, music and film whilsts combining fashion and documentary to create her narratives.

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This London-based creative works with mixed media and edits Aether Magazine, in addition to taking gorgeous analog photographs in cities like Stockholm and Tokyo. Mia Sakai organizes her dreamy photography in a neat grid, and uses a sweet pink-and-blue pastel background to make her work stand out and add a poppy aesthetic to her portfolio.

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Based in London, photographer Francesca Allen has been nominated for awards by Magnum and Saatchi, and exhibited at galleries including the Serpentine and Southbank Centre. Her analog photos are full of personality and color, and she uses a click-through gallery theme to let each one shine.

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Let’s Take a Look at Film Portrait Photographers

While most of the photographers listed below show more than just portrait photography in their analog photography portfolios, we wanted to separate out these 5 photographers specifically so that if you are interested in film portrait photography, you can browse through these photographers’ work and get inspired.

This Boston-based photographer uses 4×5 film to capture mesmerizing portraits of Mars, right here on Earth. Cassandra Klos has photographed Mars simulations in Hawaii and Utah, documenting the people who devote their time to living the way astronauts on Mars would in order to further space travel research. Recently, her work was published in Time Magazine. Klos uses a simple horizontally scrolling theme to showcase her work.

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Selected for the Portrait of Britain Award in 2016, this British photographer is definitely an expert when it comes to portrait shots. Matheson often shoots on 120mm film, and her images are always crisp and neatly composed, capturing her subjects in moments that let their personalities stand out. She keeps the selection of work on her portfolio brief, making sure that her best images are the focus.

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3. Phoebe Kelly

Currently a student in Brisbane, Phoebe Kelly excels at capturing meditative moments with analog photography. Her portraits of friends are evocative and personal, and her photos of her travels around the world offer small glimpses into her life. If you’re looking for analog photography portfolios that keep things easy-to-navigate, Kelly organizes her photography neatly with a variety of different collections making for the perfect example of easy browsing.

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Ana Topoleanu excels at capturing stunning landscapes and portraits alike. Whether it’s a shot of a crowded Barcelona beach or quiet Chilean mountains, her analog photography is always a visual treat. Topoleanu is originally from Romania, but has lived in many countries and is now based in Mexico. Her use of full-page images on her portfolio website really helps the film grain and the small details in her 35mm photos stand out.

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Based in New York City, photographer Tess Mayer works at Interview Magazine. Her photo work ranges from documentary to portraiture. An ongoing series following her younger sister growing up is definitely a work to watch. Mayer neatly divides her personal work into a separate category from her commissioned photography.

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Analog Photography Portfolios Have Never Been Easier To Create

Are you feeling inspired to build your own portfolio of analog photos? We hope taking a look through this extensive list of talented photographers shows you just how possible building a professional, clean, easy-to-navigate site is.

With Format, it’s really as simple as picking the theme you love, and customizing it from there.

We’ll even let you try out Format free for 14 days to make sure it’s the right platform to showcase your photography career.

Nothing to lose and a thriving photography business to gain. Try Format today to showcase your analog photography portfolio.

Cover image by Jill Schweber.

Want to see more of our favorite portfolios? Check out the best online portfolios by Format’s best…
Fashion photographers
Portrait photographers
Wedding photographers
Illustrators
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Artists using animated GIFs

11 Amazing Film Photographers Share Their Best Tips for Shooting Film » Shoot It With Film

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Written by John Adams III

Here at Shoot it with Film, our entire mission is to be a source of education, creativity, and collaboration to the analog photography community.

When I first got into photography, I had so many questions. About everything.

I had begun to find tons of people online who were creating amazing work, but found that many times they were hard to get in contact with when it came to asking for a tip, an opinion, or general advice.

Anything I’ve learned about photography, and specifically film photography, can be directly attributed to the willingness of people (whom I had never met before!) to share educational information with me.

Image credit: @nadja.amahn

That kindness and generosity that was shown to me by complete strangers has directly influenced my trajectory in photography and is truly what makes the film photography community so unique.

Film photography and community are two inseparable concepts.

In the spirit of community and readily accessible education, I reached out to some photography buddies, many of whom are the same people who shared their knowledge of photography with me when I was first beginning, and asked them a simple question:

What is your favorite film photography tip?

These are artists I deeply respect, and I hope that as you read through this compilation of knowledge supplied by friends in the community that you can glean something that will help you out in your own photographic journey and allow you to turn around and help someone else out who may be struggling.

Image credit: @izackmr

Film Photography Tip #1 – From Han Phan:

The first tip for shooting film comes from Han (@hawnfawn), an amazing photographer and all around advocate for film photography.

Han writes:

Don’t be afraid to invest in and try expired or discontinued film. Some of these [film stocks] weren’t advertised as being stored properly, and I didn’t even like the images I saw of Kodak Portra NC, but after giving multiple expired stocks a try, I was thoroughly surprised.

Shooting expired film can be an excellent way to limit costs when shooting film, and it also can be a tool to experiment creatively. Expired films can sometimes act differently than new film due to color shifts and fading that come with the age of the film.

See more of Han’s work at @hawnfawn and hwnfwn.com.

Image credit: @hawnfawnImage credit: @hawnfawnImage credit: @hawnfawn

Film Photography Tip #2 – From Daniel Grant:

Daniel (@visionsofajamaican) writes:

Don’t listen to the YouTube film bros. Shoot what you want to shoot! What really matters is that you’re out there making images. Just because it’s the most talked about camera or process doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for your own personal workflow. Start where you can. The only thing that matters is the work you produce, not what you produce it with.

Daniel makes a huge point. There are hundreds and hundreds of film cameras out there just waiting to be discovered and shot, yet the internet will sometimes make it seem like only a few select cameras and lenses are worth using.

I encourage you to experiment and shoot with what you have and to try cameras out just for the sake of experimentation. Not every tool we use has to be the most popular tool out there on the market.

See more of Daniel’s work at @visionsofajamaican and visionsofajamaican.com.

Image credit: @visionsofajamaicanImage credit: @visionsofajamaican

Film Photography Tip #3 – From Ashlee Tough:

This brings us to our next tip by Ashlee (@ashleetough), an amazing portrait photographer based out of Perth.

Ashlee writes:

Equipment nor film stocks are what makes the photographer. And it’s okay if you can’t afford lighting, backdrops, the best camera, or if Portra/Cinestill is too expensive for you. It’s what you create with what you have available to you and the love for film photography that’s important. Everything else is a matter of resourcefulness, so don’t get discouraged by comparing yourself with all the YouTubers with their Leicas and Contaxes.

For every expensive process or piece of gear, there is almost always an inexpensive (albeit potentially more time consuming or lesser quality) method or option as well. At the end of the day, we are all out here with the common goal of making images – how you go about that mission is a personal decision.

What both Ashlee and Daniel are in agreement on is that using the tools you have access to is far more beneficial of a method than chasing gear and equipment simply for the sake of it being “the best.”

You can check out Ashlee’s portrait work at @ashleetough.

Image credit: @ashleetoughImage credit: @ashleetoughImage credit: @ashleetough

Film Photography Tip #4 – From Nadja Amahn:

Nadja (@nadja.amahn), a portrait photographer based out of Southern California writes:

Be ready for your photos to live as a fond memory in your head should anything go wrong. Go in accepting that there’s always the possibility of failure.

Film is all about experimentation and process! Sometimes during those experiments, things don’t go as planned – That’s okay.

Accepting that things can go wrong is a great step towards liberating your approach to film photography and will allow you to take more risks when making images.

See more of Nadja’s work at @nadja.amahn and nadjaamahn.com.

Image credit: @nadja.amahnImage credit: @nadja.amahn

Film Photography Tip #5 – From Joe Perri:

Joe (@joeperri) writes:

A big decisive element for me that aids in the look of my film work [is] pushing and pulling, when and why – I have no problem shooting box speed and do so very often in varying conditions. However, I find that when I’m in a scenario where the lighting is constant throughout a roll, whether that be a cloudy day or shooting at the last hour of light, I like to consider a push or pull on specific stocks.
I often like to shoot in scenarios where the light has contrast and color already in it, and although I like the punchiness of it, I’ve found that a pull really helps subdue the tones. In such scenarios, I enjoy shooting Portra 800 and pulling to 400. This takes down the contrast and opens the shadows a bit, but you’re still getting punch in the light, so it kind of evens things out and makes it pleasing to the eye.

I love this tip from Joe because pulling C-41 film is such a creative and unique way to experiment and is a process that’s hardly ever talked about. When he first described his process to me, it quite literally blew my mind.

You can check out Joe’s work on Instagram at @joeperri and on his website at joeperriphoto.com.

Image credit: @joeperriImage credit: @joeperriImage credit: @joeperri

Film Photography Tip #6 – From Cayetano González:

Cayetano (@aboutlight_) writes:

It is crucial with film to understand the technicalities behind the medium in order to understand how to create the perfect atmosphere. Getting the correct exposure is a must, but remember this is only 10%-20% of the real deal. The message behind the image, your vision, and your own point of view is what’s going to make your photography stand out.

The fundamentals of film photography are extremely important, and are necessary to learn in order to create any level of work within the field.

Cayetano makes a great point in that learning the technical aspects of analog photography is only one aspect to making an amazing image – what’s going on behind the camera, in your mind, is most important to the realization of a stand out image.

You can check out Cayatano’s portraiture on Instagram at @aboutlight_ and his website at cayetanogonzalez.com.

Image credit: @aboutlight_Image credit: @aboutlight_Image credit: @aboutlight_

Film Photography Tip #7 – From Alex Massek:

Alex (@riversideblues) writes:

Film has taught me to slow down my process during a shoot. I used to shoot at a much faster rate with less thought going into each photograph. It’s important to consider all the varying factors that are going into the moment you’re capturing. This could be the movements of the model, lighting, exposure, placement of props, or anything else that can impact the final result.
It’s perfectly okay to take a second during the shoot to take a step back and adjust and think about how all these aspects are coming together and if they in fact are telling the story you want. So, always remember to take a moment, meter for the shadows, visualize the current layout of the scene versus the story you are trying to tell, recompose, and then find the right angle to tell that story.

This is a really great tip from Alex and raises the question: Why race to the final image? Film photography is inherently a slow process and takes time for its full potential to be realized.

There can be many pressures when on set: pressure from the model, the director on set, time limitations, gear limitations, and even pressures from yourself to “get the shot.” Slowing down and focusing on the intention behind each shot, before the shutter is even fired, will result in a calmer shooting experience, higher confidence while shooting, and an intentional shooting experience.

Check out Alex’s portrait work on Instagram at @riversideblues.

Image credit: @riversidebluesImage credit: @riversidebluesImage credit: @riversideblues

Film Photography Tip #8 – From Izack Morales:

Izack (@Izackmr) writes:

A lot of the time, the idea that film is expensive to shoot holds us back from shooting more film. We love to shoot film and that’s why we get into it, but, at the same time, the fact that it is expensive makes people overthink too much (for example: questioning if every single thing is ‘worth the shot’). As a result, we stop shooting as much as we should, and then we end up with a heavy paperweight full of dust on our shelf, or we end up seeing more photos taken of the actual camera than photos taken with the camera. Don’t let the main thing you use in film photography, film, to be the reason you don’t experiment and shoot as much as you can.

This tip from Izack is very meaningful to me because I have been guilty of allowing the fact that I’m shooting with film to hold me back from being as creative/experimental as I otherwise would be if I had a digital camera.

Film is a very exciting medium to utilize for photography – if you’re on this site you probably agree. With that being said, it’s good to consider not getting so hung up on the fact that you’re “shooting film” and it’s finite nature.

View Izack’s editorial and fashion work on Instagram at @izackmr and his website at izackmorales.com.

Image credit: @izackmrImage credit: @izackmr

Film Photography Tip #9 – From Brandon J. St. Jean:

Brandon (@brandonjstjean) writes:

I’d say one of the biggest tips I’ve used for film photography was using a light meter. It’s such a simple tool, yet it nails it for me every time and I’m not guessing what settings to use for my portraits

Unless you are keen on the Sunny 16 rule of metering, a light meter is absolutely essential for consistent results in film photography. One look at Brandon’s work will provide all the evidence you may need on the benefits of a light meter to achieve properly balanced and metered images.

Check out Brandon’s portraiture on Instagram at @brandonjstjean and his website at brandonjstjean.com.

Image credit: @brandonjstjeanImage credit: @brandonjstjeanImage credit: @brandonjstjean

Film Photography Tip #10 – From Wesley Verhoeve:

One of my favorite tips is from Wesley Verhoeve (@wesley) who is a portrait and documentary photographer based out of Amsterdam and New York.

Although not specifically about analog photography, his wisdom struck me as priceless for any photographer looking to achieve goals within this field.

Wesley writes:

My main and most important tip is to not wait around for opportunities and assignments. Instead, self-assign stories or shoots that you want to be hired to do, whatever they may be. Want to be a photojournalist for the New York Times? Self-assign a story about a super interesting person in your home town and go do it, then share it, then rinse and repeat. Want to be a fashion photographer? Seek out a local designer or shop, pitch them an idea, shoot it, share it, then rinse and repeat.

If you love to shoot, go shoot it. This tip from Wesley encouraged me to get off my butt and self-assign some work.

If you love the idea of self-assigned work, check out Wesley’s book “NOTICE” available for pre-order on his site here.

See more of Wesley’s work at @wesley and wesley.co.

Image credit: @wesleyImage credit: @wesleyImage credit: @wesley

Film Photography Tip #11 – From Vince Perry Jr.:

Vince (@vincentperryjr) writes:

When it comes to shooting portraits and film, never disregard the chance that you could blow out skin tones on your subjects (especially people of lighter complexion) when over exposing your film stock. Yes! Film retains highlight detail very well, but don’t get lazy when metering your light. It can be easy to favor a larger aperture – you may prefer an aperture like f/4 over something smaller like f/8 for your portrait, but are you willing to run the risk of possibly blowing out your highlights?
Take into consideration how you are metering. Is it strictly highlights, shadows, or an average metering? Figure out what method fits for your style and gets the results you want. Put that skin tone first.

As a portrait photographer myself, I can vouch for the fact that skin tones are extremely important in portraiture, and you do not want to blow the skin out under any circumstances.

For those who may not be familiar with the term, “blowing out the highlights” refers to inadvertently overexposing an area of an image to the point where there is no visual information at all and all you see is white. This is very common in digital photography and can happen in certain circumstances in film photography as well.

As you can likely imagine, blown out areas of the skin in a portrait is not a great way to create a flattering image.

Check out Vince’s editorial and videography work on Instagram @vincentperryjr.

Image credit: @vincentperryjrImage credit: @vincentperryjr

Thank you so much, John! John is a regular contributor here at Shoot It With Film, and you can check out his other articles here, such as a 5 Film Photography Mistakes to Avoid and the best light meter app for film photography. You can also check out more of John’s work on his website and Instagram.

If you have questions, leave them below in the comments, and you can check out all of our film photography tutorials here.

Portrait photography | Professional studio photography

It is very, very problematic to overestimate the relevance and effectiveness of a well-formed business portfolio. And if until recently it was perceived as nothing more than a beautiful, but absolutely meaningless toy, today the situation has changed dramatically. At the moment, it is an indispensable attribute, on which the image of a person, his recognition and popularity in the eyes of the public essentially depend. Increasingly, the ability to not only produce a product or service, but to correctly present it to a potential audience in the most positive light comes to the fore. This is what is used for portrait shooting , the professional execution of which allows you to convey in the frame all the best features and characteristics of a person, thanks to which the viewer develops a trusting attitude towards the person being portrayed and an involuntary desire for a closer acquaintance with him.

A little about how portrait photography works

The relevance of portrait photography and its relevance

Portrait photography is widely used today in many industries and areas of human activity. In some of them, such pictures are simply indispensable. Most often they can be found in the following areas: nine0005

Portrait photography is indispensable on corporate websites;
Official pages of the company in various social networks;
Unified corporate blog, private blogs of company employees;
Specialized forums and other sites of a similar type;
Marketing;
Business portrait as an element of a modern resume;
Communication with the media and print media;
Business correspondence via e-mail; nine0016
All kinds of promotions involving corporate symbols.

Features of the filming process

Portrait photography is a highly responsible process. Here every element is important, every detail can be of paramount importance, and the final result and its success depends on a number of factors, including:

How well a portrait photographer can get along with a person, create a comfortable working atmosphere on the site in which the client will feel easy and free; nine0016
Is the wardrobe used successful, does it fit the concept that portrait shooting provides and does it match the style of the company;
Did the make-up manage to emphasize all the advantages and advantages of the person being portrayed;
Whether the lighting scheme is correctly selected, whether the background is built correctly;
How well the business portrait is retouched and whether it matches the client's vision.

As you can see, in reality, not everything is as simple as you might think initially. That is why you should always trust real professionals who are able to take into account all these factors and ultimately provide exactly the product that the client so needs. In this aspect, a family photo shoot is very demanding, especially with the participation of children - only real masters can cope with such an event. nine0005

Terms of Reference - Special Attention to Detail

portrait shooting begins with the preparation of a technical assignment, which, among other things, includes the following items:

The place where the studio photo shoot will be held;
Start time and duration of shooting;
Used locations, their number, sequence and frequency of change;
Number of people portrayed;
Number of photos to send to the client; nine0016
Number of pictures to be retouched;
A range of additional options - portrait shooting is underway with or without the involvement of a stylist and makeup artist;
Payment for services and legal support of a photo session.

The total cost of shooting is formed based on the data declared by the customer. It’s worth saying right away that a professional photo shoot in a studio simply cannot have a low price tag. But there are exceptions - self-taught photographers are active on the market, who offer clients super results with minimal financial investment. However, one should be wary of such proposals - it is likely that the quality of the final photos will match their cost. nine0005

It's better not to take risks, so if you need high-quality portrait shooting , entrust it to professionals. They will not only provide the desired result, but also create images that fully meet the client's vision, his needs and wishes.

Preparing for a photo session

We know how difficult and exhausting a photo session of a girl in a studio can be, especially if this procedure is happening for the first time. That is why we do our best to accommodate our clients, creating an atmosphere of mutual trust, warmth and ease on the set, which positively affects not only the mood of the person being portrayed, but also allows us to significantly reduce the shooting time. nine0005

A photo session in a studio with a make-up artist is a service that we recommend to all our customers. A professional master is able not only to hide all the defects of the person being portrayed, bringing them out of the frame, but also to correctly present to the contemplators his main advantages and positive character traits. The formed image should not just be beautiful, bright and self-confident, portrait shooting implies that it will inspire confidence, predisposition and self-confidence.

However, not only makeup is important. Hair and styling are also extremely important. The overall impression of the image presented in the frame largely depends on how well the hairstyle is formed. And this is true not only for women - a male photo session in a studio is also not complete without this component.

Portrait photography also includes a stylist. The selection of a harmonious wardrobe, not only beautiful, but also fully fitting into the corporate style, when it comes to shooting employees, is not as simple as it seems. It even matters where you plan to use the resulting images. If they are posted on the corporate portal, they should be done in the same style as the photos already on it. If this is an ordinary female photo shoot in a dress in a studio, the image can be supplemented with jewelry, as well as some accessories - this will give it additional beauty, brightness and sophistication. nine0005

Shooting in the studio and on the street - distinctive features

Photographing in the studio begins with the selection of a location. There are no problems with this today - we are ready to provide our customers with a huge selection of film sets that differ not only in their pricing policy, but also in the interior. At the same time, we fully grant the client the right to independently decide on the location of the shooting, without imposing our vision on him at all, but only advising him as needed and his desire. nine0005

portrait shooting , carried out on the street, is also in high demand today. This direction is becoming increasingly relevant, which is not surprising, because the frames obtained during its implementation are distinguished not only by their originality, but also by their amazing naturalness, which is simply impossible to achieve under other conditions. When looking at such photos, a strong feeling is created that they were obtained completely by accident. Although in reality everything is completely different - photographing a portrait requires a titanic effort in preparation, although the result is worth it. nine0005

Office photo session - work on the job

Office portrait shooting is a service that is appreciated by most of our clients, allowing them to get the required photos on the job and without even leaving the office. The solution is not only convenient, but also affordable.

When shooting in an informal setting, it would be advisable to receive a certain number of staged shots that will symbolize the friendship that reigns in the team, its aspiration to common goals and solidarity. At the same time, it is important that the viewer does not guess about the staging - shooting a portrait should look as natural and realistic as possible. nine0005

The filming process with the involvement of the management team has some differences. As a location, as a rule, the office of the head is chosen. The background can be either natural, with the addition of a certain entourage, or artificial, for which various backgrounds are used that differ in style and color schemes, as well as in print. The decision is made depending on the specific situation, shooting conditions and the wishes of the client.

Portrait photography of the executive level is not complete without the use of certain paraphernalia, which makes the shots more attractive, making them more vivid and diverse. Various corporate products with printed company symbols, stylish modern gadgets, mobile phones and more look great. The main thing is that everything should be in moderation.

Retouching frames and sending them to the customer

A professional photo shoot does not end at the shooting location. After the lights are off and the equipment is removed, the next stage of work begins - the selection of images and their retouching. The choice of photographs, as a rule, is at the mercy of the customer, which not only saves the photographer's time, but also saves him from painful and useless bickering about this or that picture. nine0005

Portrait shooting is demanding not only for the aspects of conducting a photo shoot, but also for post-processing of frames. Retouching should be not only of high quality, but also moderate - the time when plastic, lifeless dolls without emotions were in fashion has long since passed. First of all, the color gamut is corrected, the exposure is corrected and the photo is cropped, after which it is the turn of summarizing the photos to the parameters agreed in advance with the client.

The photo session in the studio ends just like other shooting processes - the processed images are uploaded to a file hosting service, and the file access link is transferred to the customer. How, where and when he uses it, only he decides. nine0005

Photos are available in two formats. The first is optimized for direct use on Internet pages, the second is with full preservation of the original resolution for printing and other purposes.

Do you want to order a photo session from professionals and be sure that the final quality of the pictures will completely and completely satisfy you? Contact us, we guarantee you the high quality of work and the maximum correspondence of the received photos to your concept and desires. Our portrait shooting will surely please you and will be remembered for many years.

Portrait photography: how to photograph a portrait correctly

Publication date: 10/25/2007

For portrait shooting, it is convenient to use telephoto lenses with a fixed focal length (fixes). These lenses have a number of advantages over others. Long-focus optics distort the perspective less, which is very important when shooting portraits. In addition, you can evaluate the depth of field of the scene being shot on the depth of field scale displayed on the lens barrel. An important role in portrait photography is also played by the aperture ratio of the optics used. Autofocus on fast lenses works faster. In addition, a fully open aperture when shooting a portrait allows you to get pictures with a very beautiful blur of the background. nine0005

How to photograph a portrait correctly: shooting rules

When shooting portraits, you need to remember some important rules: to give expressiveness to the picture, you need to focus on the nearest eye of the model, and take the shutter speed no longer than 1 / (for example, for an 85 mm lens - 1/85 ). In the first case, you will prevent the appearance of an unexpectedly sharp nose or chin in an overall unsharp portrait of the model. In the second - guaranteed to avoid the general blur of the picture due to too long exposure. Strong digital noise generated by the matrix at high sensitivity values is undesirable. Use ISO values between 100 and 400. The camera must be set to semi-automatic or manual shooting mode. focus >

Now a quick look at the main types of metering your camera uses

Center-weighted

This method of metering first measures the light level of the entire scene, and then its center point. The result is an average value, taking into account additional data received from the central region. Because the model is usually in the center of the frame, this prime-reading scheme makes center-weighted metering the preferred choice for portraits. nine0005

Spot

Spot metering only takes exposure data for a very small part of the image (1-5%) and ignores the illumination of the rest of the scene. This area is usually in the center of the viewfinder. However, some cameras allow you to select other areas of the frame for metering and meter off-center. Spot metering is a good choice for high contrast or backlit scenes, but use it with care when shooting portraits, remembering to target the area that will form the midtones of the final image. nine0005

Zone

Zone metering is a type of metering that takes data from several different areas within the scene being shot to calculate the average value for the entire frame. This is useful for general low contrast scenes.

Consider an example. Note the complex lighting and tanned skin of the model. The use of zone metering (Example 1) led to an unsatisfactory result: part of the face turned out to be very overexposed. At the same time, by exposing a picture using spot metering (Example 2), you can get a more acceptable option, comparable to the result obtained using center-weighted metering (Example 3). This is due to the lighting conditions, which only an accurate choice of exposure will help you cope with. This example does not mean that you should always use either center-weighted or spot metering for portraits. It all depends on the specific lighting conditions and features of the complexion of the model. Dark, tanned skin reflects less light than lighter skin tones. nine0005

Example 1 Matrix metering

Example 2 Spot metering

Example 3 Center-weighted metering.

In many cases, the desired result can be achieved by correcting the exposure. To increase the overall brightness of the picture, you need to make a positive exposure compensation, and to reduce the brightness - negative.

Lighting for Portraits: Using the Flash

There is a common misconception that flash used outside of the studio makes the image look “flat”. This is true, but only if it is wrong to use its capabilities. It is much worse when, precisely because of poor natural lighting, the portrait turns out to be inexpressive and boring. nine0005

Example 4 Shooting without flash

Example 5 Using the flash.

Example 6 Using flash with power compensation

To illustrate the above, consider the following example (Example 4). Natural lighting in cloudy weather is quite dull, which also affected the colors of the photo. However, using even the built-in flash (Example 5) made it possible to highlight deep shadows on the face and clothes. At the same time, the picture itself became more expressive and did not lose volume. Much greater opportunities are provided by an external flash, which, by adjusting the power of the pulse, allows you to gently illuminate the eyes of the model without overexposing the rest of the face. So, as shown in the example (Example 6). nine0005

Indoor Portraiture: Setting the Light

When shooting in dimly lit rooms, flash is essential. An external flash allows you to direct and adjust the power of the light pulse. In preparation for shooting, it is important to correctly set the ISO value and adjust the flash power. Setting the wrong settings (too low ISO or not strong enough flash) can result in an unwanted change in the color temperature of the picture. On the other hand, shooting at too high sensitivity values can lead to strong overexposure in the photo. nine0005

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