Portrait Photography by Garry Edwards
We all know that cameras lie - and I'm not talking about Photoshop manipulation - and the 'lie' that causes most problems in portraiture is the tendency to make people look fatter than they are.
The reasons for this are complex, but are largely concerned with the fact that when we photograph someone we take a 3-dimensional subject with personality and convert it to two dimensions. The 3-dimensional effect is lost and, unless we're very careful, the personality is often lost too.
There are many other features that we (or our sitter) may want to minimise, and I list them here, with the appropriate antidote!
This is not a guide on studio lighting generally.
These lighting and camera positions will minimise the feature mentioned - to emphasise that feature instead, simply do the opposite.
Round head
Camera eye level, backlight, pose with profile towards the camera
Long, narrow face
Camera at high level, diffused main light high, pose full face, head level or pointing slightly down
Prominent cheekbones
Camera above eye level, main light at eye level, head tilted back, full face towards camera
Thin hair
Camera low relative to angle of head, avoid backlighting, head straight, hair tidy
Fat cheeks
Camera slightly above eye level, soft side lighting, head tilted back slightly, avoid full face
Long nose
Camera low, main light low and in line with camera, pose full face towards camera
Wrinkles
Soft and even front and side lighting, positioned fairly low
Scars
Position light so that scar is in shadow
Small eyes
Camera below eye level, main light high, pose with head tilted forward slightly, full face towards camera, subject looking at point slightly above camera
And finally, a word of warning....
All this seems simple - and it is - but remember that everything is relative to the position of your subject.
For example, if you are trying to minimise a long and narrow face, you've lifted the camera up, your main light is nice and high but your sitter then tilts his/her head upwards, the effect will be lost!
Garry Edwards is a commercial and advertising photographer in Bradford, W. Yorks,photographer who also provides training courses in studio photography to both amateur and professional photographers. Please click here for details of his courses (www.commercialphotography1.co.uk/courses.htm).
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