Help on portrait picture

SandyG

Hello all,

I've just started a beginners photography class & our first assignment is taking an 'outside portrait' I think I'm making this more difficult than it really is :scratch but I'm confused as to what a portrait picture can be. A single subject/person? place or object?

Thanks in advance:thumb



~ Sandy

Stan

Or just the camera orientation. An object taken in portrait rather than landscape orientation. Keep it simple.

Stan

LiquidAir

My guesss is they want you to take a picture of a person outdoors. Richard Avedon (who is famous for his portriats) defines a portrait is a picture of a person or group who is aware of the photographer. There are other definitions, but that is a good place to start. I suspect that the reason for specifying that the portrait be taken outdoors is that outdoor light is typically quite different from indoor light and presents a specific set of challenges to the photographer.

Seneca

Well I did my own portrait...and this is what I consider a portrait. I portrait of someone...not something.

System

LiquidAir wrote:

My guesss is they want you to take a picture of a person outdoors. Richard Avedon (who is famous for his portriats) defines a portrait is a picture of a person or group who is aware of the photographer. There are other definitions, but that is a good place to start. I suspect that the reason for specifying that the portrait be taken outdoors is that outdoor light is typically quite different from indoor light and presents a specific set of challenges to the photographer.

sounds good to me-

System

Seneca wrote:

Well I did my own portrait...and this is what I consider a portrait. I portrait of someone...not something.

well texas, that's a sight better than my sp-

Seneca

gefillmore wrote:

well texas, that's a sight better than my sp-

Well I think that's a compliment...so I will say "thank you"! It was a little hard to set the tripod, focus the camera on a dead spot, set the timer, run to the spot and act natural. I hate the fact that I didn't fix my necklace - agh!!!!!!!!!

Seneca

Swartzy

Nice job Seneca
Great lighting and focus..even if you did have to run into position, stay still, quit breathing and not blinking :ivar

christulk

Seneca wrote:

Well I think that's a compliment...so I will say "thank you"! It was a little hard to set the tripod, focus the camera on a dead spot, set the timer, run to the spot and act natural. I hate the fact that I didn't fix my necklace - agh!!!!!!!!!

Seneca

Well done Seneca, you did well - a really nice photo You managed to pull off the run and natural look brilliantly.

If you are worried about the necklace - take another shot to share with us...

Scott_Quier

Seneca wrote:

Well I think that's a compliment...so I will say "thank you"! It was a little hard to set the tripod, focus the camera on a dead spot, set the timer, run to the spot and act natural. I hate the fact that I didn't fix my necklace - agh!!!!!!!!!

Seneca

Very nicely done. Just wondering, did you, by any chance, use any fill-flash on this?

I don't like the running, etc so I bought one of these 50' extension cords for my remote trigger. Now, I just cap the viewfinder (to block stray light), move into position and trigger the camera. It does the AF after I'm in place, etc.

Still have the problem of pointing the camera at myself without breaking the lens, but that's a personal issue that I'm working through.

Seneca

Swartzy wrote:

Great lighting and focus..even if you did have to run into position, stay still, quit breathing and not blinking :ivar

Yes I took one deep breath and held it...if you look real close you can probably see that.:D

Seneca

Scott_Quier wrote:

Very nicely done. Just wondering, did you, by any chance, use any fill-flash on this?

I don't like the running, etc so I bought one of these 50' extension cords for my remote trigger. Now, I just cap the viewfinder (to block stray light), move into position and trigger the camera. It does the AF after I'm in place, etc.

Still have the problem of pointing the camera at myself without breaking the lens, but that's a personal issue that I'm working through.

No flash fill...yes I did have a cap to block any other light coming in.

Seneca

christulk wrote:

Well done Seneca, you did well - a really nice photo You managed to pull off the run and natural look brilliantly.

If you are worried about the necklace - take another shot to share with us...

Yes I thought of that...I actually am working on it again...but the rain here in Texas just won't seem to stop. Hopefully soon.

Thanks for the kind words.

SandyG

Beautiful picture Saneca thanks for sharing. One of my assignments is to take my own portrait so your picture gives me an idea of what I need to do. Better get outside and take it before it starts raining

dlphotography

Outdoor Portraits
Just be careful for back lighting and harsh shadows when it comes to outdoor photos. Be sure to shoot in the shade, but that runs the risk of a washed out background if very sunny.

You could read up more on lighting here: Lighting Techniques

These were some UCLA models I had to do for their fashion show.