Portraits

Quotes

1. Looking within the frame – alternatively you could have your subject looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta…. When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. It also helps create ‘story’ within the image. ( Darren Rowse ) 

2. Experiment with Lighting

Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits.

Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.( Darren Rowse ) 

3. Get Closer

The most common mistake made by photographers is that they are not physically close enough to their subjects. In some cases this means that the center of interest—the subject—is just a speck, too small to have any impact. Even when it is big enough to be decipherable, it usually carries little meaning. Viewers can sense when a subject is small because it was supposed to be and when it's small because the photographer was too shy to get close.

Don't be shy. If you approach people in the right way, they'll usually be happy to have their picture made. It's up to you to break the ice and get them to cooperate. Joke around with them. Tell them why you want to make the picture. Practice with people you know so that you are comfortable; people can sense when you aren't. (Robert Caputo) 

The portraits above are environmental portraits. These photos stand out to me because the one where the man is on the mountain is very vibrant and blue. Also  the one on the right is simple but interesting to look at with the grass pointing to the man.

The self portraits to the left both have interesting perspectives. The one with the girl in the mirror is interesting because it appears as if the girl has a huge hole in her. The man with the paint brush is interesting making his face more vibrant.

The casual portraits above are simple yet interesting. The man against the wall is casual but the wall leads to him. The man on the bike is simple but the tree line in the back leads to him.


I will be taking these photos at my house. They will be taken in my backyard where I have plenty of things to use to enhance the photo. Also I might use the front yard too. To make this shot successful I will use rules of photography. I will take my self portrait of me, obviously and my other portrait of my brother.