Do you have any tips on how to take informal/formal portraits? I can't seem to find any websites on this with just INFORMATION and not a gallery! It's so irritating! HELP!!! Thanx:)

-- Jamie (jammike@execpc.com), March 09, 1999

Answers

What are you looking for? Lighting -- posing -- B&W/color -- backdrops -- exposure -- studio -- environmental -- corporate ???

-- Tony Brent (ajbrent@mich.com), March 10, 1999.

Just do what you like best yourself. What do you think makes a portrait look formal/informal? This is what I think make a portrait look formal:

1) No environment present in the photo (white, grey, even background) 2) Person being photographed is dressed up 3) Lens used is 135 mm or longer (or 180 mm or longer with 6x6) for a head&shoulder portrait. Makes a person look "straight", "intense", and not "rounded". 4) The person looks straight into the camera. 5) Perfect (artificial) lighting

Informal portraits don't really have any rules (i.m.h.o). But, there are some things that make them look informal, for example doing the opposite of the points 1-4; include environment, don't have the person dressed up, use natural light, use shorter focal lenghts or make the person look on something else.

Informals are more fun to look at but formals can be quite difficult to make, they easily get boring. So both are a challenge.

-- Peter Olsson (Peter.Olsson@sb.luth.se), March 11, 1999.

This is sort of relevant.... My friend Matt is studying to be a "Photographer." I was shooting some portraits in the studio one day, and he told me about blinking. Blinking? Hmm....i never had a problem with my victims blinking. But to avoid that glamourous "oops, i blinked" look in your photos, wait for your victim to blink naturally, then shoot your photo. This might work for you, and it is a useful tip if you have that sort of problem.

I wish you luck in your adventure!

-- Andi Young (andibob@mindless.com), March 26, 1999.

As far as GOOD portraiture goes, the biggest mistake a person can do is to overcomplicate it. Keep it simple. Don't use props that don't tell a story about the subject; don't use a gazillion light sources or incorporate too much background; keep subject's posture ergonomically correct but not ramrod stiff; and most importantly, pay attention to the details! For me, details will make or break a good portrait. Are feet cropped out of a full-body shot, is hair tangled and positioned out of face [or in face, if that's whwat you want], is clothing appropriately arranged, are expressions posed or natural, is body positioning obviously uncomfortable or is it natural without slouching, etc. Details will make or break a portrait; I can't emphasize that enough. For examples, go to www.quadrille.com.

-- Jessica Rogers (jessa@quadrille.com), March 26, 1999.

You need to define "portraiture". Is it camera club portraiture with its very obvious restricted ideas as to what makes a "good" portrait or are you wanting to express your own creativity. If the latter look through the latest fashion mags then examine the eyes of the subject to get an indication of lighting used, is it studio or environmental. Modern portraites use wide angle lenses as well as short teles, backgrounds of all types can enhance a photo or they can be very plain for dramatic effect. Film is fairly cheap shoot lots and develop your own style. Compare your results to the magazines you like but don't adopt their style completetly, adapt elements that appeal and after a short time you will find your niche in photographing people. Remember each person who sits for you is an individual and if you can capture that on film you will have a great time photographing people. It is your task as the photographer to capture a moment that is more than the person looking in the mirror, they want to see something beyond that. I shoot most of my portraits with two soft boxes max in the studio and a reflectoer outside. Playboy on the other hand use up to 30 lights per shot ... it all depends on what you want to convey in your photos. Hope you have a great time, shoot lots of film, make notes and when you reach a point you are happy, start refining your technique and take more photos.

-- Steve Nicholls (gl1500@chariot.net.au), March 27, 1999.