Review Digital Camera World 06-20-2013

Digital Camera World

10 portrait photography mistakes every photographer makes (and how to fix them) Jun 19th 2013, 23:01 Most photographers take a portrait shot at some point. You might not think of it as such, you might think of it as a holiday photo, documentary photography shot or a family photo, but if there's a person in it, it's also portrait photography. People photos can be particularly tricky to get right because many subjects have strong ideas about how they do and don't want to appear, and not all are comfortable in front of the camera. In this article our head of testing, Angela Nicholson, explains some of the common mistakes that photographers make when shooting portraits and explains how to avoid them. Portrait Photography Mistake No. 1: Shooting wide Although you can produce really funky shots with a wide-angle lens, few of them tend to find favour with the subjects. Wide-angle lenses make close subjects look much bigger than those that are further away and with a portrait this can mean a big nose, above a receding chin, on a small face with tiny eyes. It's far more flattering to shoot from a little further away and use a longer lens as this will help keep the sitter's facial features in proportion. While an effective focal length of 50mm (or wider) lens may be a good choice for an environmental portrait, where the subject is in their workplace, for example, and you're not too close, something a little longer, perhaps around 70-85mm, is often regarded as a good choice for head and shoulders shot. Don't forget, that a 50 mm lens is equivalent to around 75 mm on and an APS-C format SLR, so your standard prime lens can be an excellent choice. Longer telephoto lenses also work well, although you'll need to stand further away so you need more space to work in. Using a longer lens has the added advantage of restricting depth of field so the background is blurred slightly putting greater emphasis on your subject. Portrait Photography Mistake No. 1: Shooting wide Portrait Photography Mistake No. 2: Eyes not sharp Portrait Photography Mistake No. 3: Too much depth of field Portrait Photography Mistake No. 4: Unusual headwear Portrait Photography Mistake No. 5: Depth of field to shallow Portrait Photography Mistake No. 6: Shooting from the wrong height Portrait Photography Mistake No. 7: Harsh shadows Portrait Photography Mistake No. 8: Redeye Portrait Photography Mistake No. 9: Too much detail Portrait Photography Mistake No. 10: Too far away READ MORE 14 portrait photography tips you’ll never want to forget Free family portrait photography cheat sheet Studio Lighting: 4 seriously simple lighting techniques to try at home Flash photography tips: external flash techniques anyone can understand Free portrait lighting cheat sheet What is flash sync? Your flash modes and when to use them (free cheat sheet) Jun 19th 2013, 11:16 What is flash sync? If you’re new to flash photography you’ve probably been asking yourself this question. In our latest beginner’s guide to flash photography we explain how each of your flash modes work and offer a handy photography cheat sheet that illustrates the process. For many people, flash is that horrid burst of light that ruins indoor photographs, stripping scenes of all atmosphere whenever it goes off. However, when it's used correctly, flash can be the saviour of many an image, and shouldn't be confined to being used in darkness. For example, a subtle burst of flash can be used to fill in shadows when shooting portraits of people with their backs to the sun. This means no more squinting, or dark shadows where the eyes should be. Instead, the flash turns what might otherwise be a silhouette into an evenly lit image. Here's a quick guide to what you need to know about your flash modes… What is flash sync? Traditionally, the flash operates at 1/60sec. This means that when you're using flash, the shutter speed is set to 1/60 sec and the flash is synchronised to fire while the shutter is open. However, modern cameras take advantage of the fact that the flash duration is extremely short, and offer higher 'sync' speeds of around 1/200 sec or 1/250 sec. Naturally, there's nothing to stop you using slower shutter speeds, and this can be particularly useful for balancing the illumination of the flash with ambient lighting for a more natural look. This is often referred to as 'slow-sync' flash. Sync speeds Interestingly, the shutter speed is often not a significant factor in the flash exposure calculation. The way that the 'focal plane' shutter of your camera works means that you do not have the full range of your camera's shutter speeds on offer anyway. In normal flash modes, you need to ensure that the shutter speed is set at or below the 'sync speed' for your camera. DSLRs have sync speeds of either 1/200 sec or 1/250 sec, depending on the model; if faster shutter speeds are used then part of the image will be obscured by the falling shutter curtain. Fortunately, most of the factors that need to be taken into consideration when calculating flash exposure are handled by the camera. A suitable sync-friendly shutter speed is set for you, unless you use the camera's Manual (M) exposure mode – and as long as you are using the pop-up flash or a dedicated hotshoe flash. An extra complication is that flash has a relatively limited range. The maximum power varies between the flash used – but once the subject is more than a few paces away, flash has little effect. This ensures that there are plenty of subjects where the use of flash is impractical. PAGE 1: What is flash sync? PAGE 2: Rear curtain sync, red-eye reduction and flash metering PAGE 3: How your flash modes work (free cheat sheet) PAGE 4: Built-in flash vs off-camera flash READ MORE Flash photography tips: external flash techniques anyone can understand How camera flash works: free photography cheat sheet Flash compensation: how to get perfectly balanced exposures Flash portraits: creative off-camera lighting techniques you have to try

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