PORTRAITS
COMPOSITION - Natural light portraits
Of the many types of subject matter that you will encounter on location, portraits of people often show something of the soul of the location. if you want to get the best out of a situation, you may only get five minutes of someones time, so you have to find a way of not only flattering them if need be, but to honour their environment.
So the portrait you come away with says something about them, and your experience of them and their life. It’s a tough one I know, but life has this crazy way of working that you do seem to end up in the right place at the right time. It’s also that if you know your trade so well, you will have time to think and be creative, rather than worry about your equipment and other things. So it helps to learn to work quickly, to be easy with people, know your gear like it is second nature, digging deep and coming up with creative solutions so you can react to any given moment.
If your subject is willing to have their portrait taken, then they are ready. The window of opportunity is now. If you are worrying about technical stuff, your subject may get puzzled or bored, and it will show on their face. So rather than thinking about how to light them, find a window (a. b. c. d.e. j. n.) and use the natural light that is available. If it’s late in the day then even better as the light will be warmer (a & (b).
If the shadow side is too dark, and if you don’t have a portable reflector, then use a piece of A4 (e) or larger card to bounce some light onto their face. But also trust in what can be achieved with Photoshop later in terms of lighting. You don’t really need to take too much gear with you, when you can add or remove lighting later.
If the subject is outside, make you mind up how you are going to treat the scene as you are walking up to them. Indicate you would like to do a shot, then do it, quickly. That moment when they agree, they seem to fluff themselves up in anticipation, they come alive. But if you take too long, that expressive moment will vanish. Don’t start adjusting the camera settings after you have got their permission, do it before.
All photography and text © Jon Davison 2021