Capturing the Special Moments

Photographs are visual representations of memories. These visual representations are very important to use.

We take many candid shots of places, people, and special moments so that we will be able to better remember the past. We also like to take formal pictures to remember landmarks in our and our loved ones lives.

For example, almost every high school senior has to take senior photos to hand out to their friends. Sweet sixteen, wedding, and graduation photos are also moments that many people believe need to be captured by the camera.

Whether candid or professional there are many tips that can help you capture these moments and the ones you loved better. The first thing that should be realized when taking formal portrait photographs is that portrait photography is very different from regular photography.

The purpose of portrait photography is to bring out and capture the 'essence' of the person you are photographing. A really good picture will say something about the person's character, personality, and/or life.

In addition, the three most important physical things to keep in mind have to do with camera settings, lighting, and the relationship you have with the subject of the photo. These things are often underemphasized by novice photographers.

It is often said that the eyes are the window to the soul. Since the eyes are located on the face and so expressive, portrait photography focuses on the face.

Full body photographs often have too much going on in them to focus on the face and see the 'essence' of the person. All possible distractions from face should be eliminated from the photo.

This effect can be enhanced by a wide aperture setting on your camera. The wide aperture setting will result in a short depth-of-field.

This means that the camera will be able to capture anything that is close to the camera, but it will blur anything that is farther away. By following this technique you can effectively focus on the face, while eliminating the defining and distracting features of the background.

The other camera setting that you should be aware of is the ISO. The ISO should be set as low as possible so that the possibility of digital noise is eliminated.

Some novice photographers can get away with a little digital noise in some pictures. Portraits are not one of the photographs that can have digital noise and look well done.

Digital noise is very distracting from the subject of the picture. The only exception to these settings in portrait photography is when you are trying to capture the environment of the subject as well.

In which case, a smaller aperture will be needed in order to capture the background. Environment portrait photos are most often requested in the work place.

The lighting in portrait photography is also extremely important to think about. Lighting can get very complicated very quickly, so it is up to you how much effort you want to put into getting the lighting correct.

Most photographers prefer to do portrait work in their studio because the lighting is already set up and can be completely controlled. However, most people do not have access to such a controlled setting.

In this situation, there are several things you can do to improve the lighting. First, position your subject in front of a window.

The light from outside should be as bright as possible, but not direct. The subject should be positioned sideways to the window, but facing you.

The window will provide light to one side of the face. Then, position something white or reflective to bounce the light back at the other side of the face.

A mirror, white poster board, or an aluminum sheet will all perform this task. When you take the picture the reflection material should not be in the picture.

The last, and perhaps most important, thing to keep in mind is interacting with the subject. The quality of your final work will say everything about how strong your relationship with the subject was during the photo shoot.

Making sure that your subject feels comfortable so that they relax. The most personality comes out when the subject is relaxed.

As a result, the best photos are taken when the subject is relaxed. It is very natural for someone to feel awkward or uncomfortable, but this will put restraints in the quality of the picture.

As you laugh and joke the subject will relax and you will be able to capture one of the most precious moments in their life.

Article Source: http://www.myadspost.com

Tommy Greene has been taking profession photographs for the last 25 years and has written hundreds of articles relating to photography. He recommends Poughkeepsie photographers. Contact Info Tommy Greene tommyGreene09@gmail.com www.shutterbugspix.com

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