Portraits have always seemed somewhat misleading and disappointing to me. Basically because they seem much easier than they really are, because we have them at hand, because we persecute our children, nephews, partners, mothers and friends to make us models and from all of them some unwary falls and lets us practice. Because we don’t even have to leave the house, nor do we need great means to do them. But the truth is that, once we look at them, we usually have quite disappointing results, or at least not as good as we would like. We have too much background, or we lack the precise moment, but above all, we lack the magic of good lighting. Because lighting in photography is everything, and in portraits it is everything x2.
While it’s true that to be a portrait lighting expert you’ll need a lot of gadgets, a few hours of close reading, and a few hours of practice, to exponentially improve your images, a few basic tricks that will make your portraits look out of the ordinary will suffice. plenty to deserve at least one corner on the wall of your living room. We see?
Learn to measure correctly
Just as a Formula 1 racer has extensive knowledge about mechanics, or kinetics, and knowing the engine of his car perfectly helps him in his career, it helps a photographer to know everything that influences the final quality of the picture. By that I don’t mean knowing every nut that makes up your camera, but the behavior of the elements that help us in the photographic process; from the sensor, to the lens, to the flash or to the light meter.
What is the photometer or exposure meter?
The photometer is in charge of measure the light of the scene and tell you if you need more or less light depending on the point in which you expose. There are two types of photometers, the one you have Incorporated inside your camera that is characterized by being a photometer of reflected lightand the photometer external handheld which normally has the possibility to be used both in reflected light mode and in incident light.
- incident light photometer: Very simply explained, incident light is the ACTUAL light in the scene, regardless of what it is reflected from. External or handheld photometers are usually used in this measurement mode, although they usually also have the possibility of working in reflected light mode.
- reflected light photometer: It is the one that is integrated into the body of your camera and is characterized by measuring the light that “emanates” from the object or person you are photographing. So far so good, only that in addition, it is programmed to measure the reflected light as if the object were of a tone medium gray This means that the reflected light meter will do you good when the scene is close to a reflectance shade of this gray, but not for example when it is too dark or too light (snow, white houses, etc.). These situations are the ones that trick the photometer and give us incorrect exposure values.
If yours is the portrait, I’m sorry to tell you that you will have to get a light meter from ;-), since it is the one that gives us some more correct exposure values, since it is not influenced by the colors of the scene that could lead us to misleading readings and therefore to incorrect exposures. Remember that there are tones that reflect much more light than others, and that, for example, the dress or the background of your protagonist, can confuse the photometer and make it think that there is much more or less light than there really is.
Measurement Types
Despite the fact that we have already commented that the incident light photometers are the ones that provide us with more correct measurement values, the truth is that the integrated photometers are the ones that ordinary mortals have, and although they are not perfect, knowing them we can work perfectly with them. Integrated photometers typically have several metering modes that you should be aware of as they provide very different readings of the scene:
- Punctual: Performs the measurement in the specific area of the sensor that we previously indicated. It is a very precise form of measurement but also with a large margin of error since it does not take into account the rest of the scene; just the right point.
- center weighted: Measures mainly in the center of the frame, but takes into account the exposure values of the area close to it to give us the exposure values.
- Matrix: This is the most used, and works fine in most cases, unless the scene has very complicated lights. Roughly speaking, matrix metering takes into account different points in the scene to create an “average” between the different lights.
Learn about the different types of light
Natural light
Natural light is the most grateful, especially if you dare to practice your portraits in the hours of the day known as “Cálidas” (the hours of sunrise and sunset), where the sun’s rays are still low, they provide a diffuse light of orange tones, soft, and affect laterally in the portrait. They are precious moments to practice your portraits, try out slight backlights, play with the brightness of the scene, and the softness of the light, and to inspire tenderness and beauty.
On the contrary, the worst hours of the day to photograph are usually the central hours, where the lights are harsher and create deep shadows on the face and strong contrast. In these cases it is interesting to use reflectors, diffusers and/or a touch of flash. If none of the above is possible for you, then it is a good option to take shelter under a tree (that is, find good shade outdoors 😉 )
Oh, and if natural light freaks you out but you’re indoors, go to a window. If the light that enters is too harsh, you can mount a diffuser with a simple light-colored curtain that lets some light through.
Artificial light or how to lose the fear of the flash
Using the flash indiscriminately is one of the most common mistakes when we start to get interested in photography and that little machine called the camera dominates us and decides for us completely 😉 . That’s when the flash “jumps” apparently randomly, it ruins our photos, and we end up practically hating it. Well, that phase is normal. But you have to overcome it and give it another chance, because the flash is as essential in portrait photography as your model.
- Flash: It is best to get a external flash that allows you to regulate the intensity and the address of the flash By bouncing the flash light off white surfaces such as ceilings or light fabrics, you create an effect diffuser in the lighting of the subject. It is usually advised not to orient it from the front but to the right or left of your model, and somewhat above it.
The flash will help you get a homogeneous lighting of the face by removing unwanted shadows, or creating artistic effects such as a raised contrast (from above the subject or from behind), a soft diffused light, etc.
- reflectors: Used to soften light and fill in shadows. You can use them to bounce flash or harsh lights. You can buy them in (warm) gold, silver, or white, but a simple ceiling, white cardstock, etc. can also do the trick.
- diffusers: Soften the harsh light of the flash.
- Beauty Dish
- light windows: They mimic a natural light window, hence the name. Its light is soft and diffuse.
Do not be afraid to make mistakes and do not settle for the results. Do several tests and vary angles and intensity until you find the result you are looking for. First of all, it’s practice and desire, as always 😉 And if you’re thinking of setting up your first photo studio, take a look at this article.
The directionality of the light
It depends on how the angle of light affects your portrait, you will have some effects or others.
- Sidelight: Highlight textures and increase volume
- Front light: Bring out the details of the face and reduce the textures
- Rear light: To play with the contrast, the silhouette or the backlights
- Overhead light: By lighting the protagonist from above you create shadows under the eyes, nose, etc. A priori they are not very flattering, although you may find it funny 😉 Of course, if your model looks up, then things change and you can get an image from an interesting point of view.
color temperature
Each light source has its own dominant color temperature, “tinting” images with its hue (warm, cool, or neutral). To avoid cold or warm casts, remember to set your camera’s white balance correctly.
Most common lighting mistakes
- unwanted shadows: Shadows can create interesting effects but they can also ruin a portrait. To eliminate them and achieve homogeneous lighting, you can use the fill-in flash, a reflector or a flash with a diffuser… Go try what you have on hand, you don’t need to have everything 😉
- The importance of gaze: The gaze is the most essential part of a portrait. Try not to fall into any of the following mistakes, and your portraits will be one step away from being perfect 😉
- Red eyes
- dull eyes; Try to get some reflection to the eyes, with a reflector or with the help of a flash flare.
- unfocused eyes
- work in automatic: It is impossible for you to achieve what you set out to do in automatic mode. Forget about it and jump into the manual. Choose each parameter calmly, what aperture you want (a lot of out-of-focus area or a little?), what minimum speed you need so that your model does not come out blurred, a rather low ISO to preserve the sharpness of the image, etc.
- Not taking care of the pose: Search for a position flattering or according to the results you want to obtain, and watch shadows and reflections unwanted on certain surfaces: Are you wearing glasses? Try to take them off or look for a lighting angle where there are no reflections. Shiny necklaces? Same thing. Is he bald? Be careful with the reflections on the crowns 😉 It’s the small details that make or break a portrait, so don’t lose sight of them, because the pose and lighting can make your subject look fatter or thinner (backgrounds and clothes dark), emaciated (shadows under the eyes), Machiavellian or mysterious (half a face illuminated and the other not), or tender (diffuse light)…
- The bottom: Not taking it into account will have ruined a photo on more than one occasion, am I wrong? A piece of someone’s shoulder that sneaks into the frame, the dishes to be washed in your kitchen… 😉 Well, you should not only watch the elements, but also its brightness, to avoid backlighting, which subtracts prominence from your model, or that it can fool the light meter of your camera in case you do not have an external light meter.
- Don’t use histogram: Do not analyze an image by what you see on your camera screen, because this can be misleading. Learn how to use the histogram to accurately view the exposure of your image, so you can correct the values on the spot and get perfect exposures, which translates into a good image quality portrait.
- Do not shoot in RAW: Yes, you will need…