What is a portrait?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

When does a photograph of a person become a portrait? According to Wickipedia it should be an artistic representation of a person where the face and expression are predominant. It should show likeness, personality and mood of a person. The person normally should be looking directly at the camera so that he subject directly engages with the viewer.

If you look at the first photograph it fills the criteria. It is well lit, clearly you can engage with the eyes whch is so important. I do think that the cocept of a portrait has cahnged and only part of the criteria needs to be met. Particularly with child portraiture you can show much more of their personality with action shots. I do think that it is easier for parents to relate to.

The second photograph clearly doesn’t fulfill the criteria but is it any less a portrait? My view is that the most important aspect of a portrait is that it should reflect personality. Now children tend to be full of energy and fun and I believe that this is reflected in this photograph. You can see this without having a clear view of her face or eyes. If showing personality is the main criteria then both photographs fulfill the role, both sets of parents are happy with the results for different reasons.

Head shot portraits.

Posted on July 9, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

Doing head and shoulder portraits sounds very limiting. In reality they can look so different. All of us look different and we can vary the look with the lighting. Here I have a couple of young girls requiring some head shots for their portfolio’s. Never think of doing head shots as limiting, to get great head shots requires skill and great ability to work with people up close.
For the lighting for these shots I used a Elinchrom flash heads, one with the fabulous rotalux soft box on and a honeycomb grid on the background. I also used a lastolite reflector to reflect some light back under the chin.

Elliot and Jessica’s portraits.

Posted on July 8, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

I went to photograph Elliot and Jessica a couple of days, it’s a family I do regular portraits for. They love framed photo’s of the kids around the house. I took my kids portable studio with me, this compromises of a white background sheet and for light I used an Elinchrom head with a large rotalux soft box on. It’s a simple effective setup for active kids and works well in a confined space. The session went well and got some delightful images of the kids. What matters the most is that the parents are delighted with them.

Wedding rings.

Posted on June 19, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

The wedding ring above all else is the symbol of a wedding. The never ending circle reflects unbroken and everlasting love. A photographer should ensure that they get some clear shots of the ring. The standard shot of the rings is showing both the bride and grooms hands on the register. You should also try to come up with something a little different such as the one with the groom looking through the ring. A fun shot is always good, in the last photo the groom gets the ring stuck on his finger. Use your imagination to come up with something different.

Large wedding groups.

Posted on June 13, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

Large group shots are one of the most demanding any photographer is asked to take. They take a lot of time and organising. You need to make them look interesting rather than just a line of people. The best way to do it is to get above them. Often a window at the hotel works well, often the bridal suite has a good view and you have access to the key for it, ask the wedding organiser for their help. It is usually best to get some help in getting people into some order so if you don’t have an assistant then use the best man and groomsmen to organise people. use the wedding party as the focal point of the group and work people round them. A good method is to create a shape around a feature such as the fountain in the photograph below. Try to allow space between people, this will let you see everyone. It’s amazing how many people think your camera can see round corners. It is a tough shot to take on but worth doing if you can pull it off.

Natural light portraits.

Posted on June 1, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

For easy head and shoulder portraits with beautiful lighting, use natural light. This method works well with basic cameras as well as Professional standard cameras. Like any light you use it needs to be controlled. In the first photograph the subject were lit on the shaded side of a house with patio windows open. This is a very soft light but still has some direction for modelling. A reflector was used below the subject to soften the shadows under the chin. In the second photograph the mother and baby photograph was taken using window light with net curtains across to give a nice soft light. Look for shadow areas and minimise them for effective photographs, shadows can be used effectively but unless you know what you are doing it is best to avoid them.

Wedding car images.

Posted on May 26, 2011 by andrewbradley photography

Wedding cars are an important and intergral part of a wedding day. They can offer some different and unusual images. The first shot here is of the ever popular Beauford which is being driven along a beautiful tree lined drive in lovely sunlight. These cars are lovely but brides beware if you have a large dress there isn’t a lot of room in them.

The second shot is in a stretch limo, lots of room for photographs. The problem with these cars is they have darkened windows, so no light, you have to use flash. With all the chrome and shiny surfaces in this car this was a problem, to minimise problems i bounced the flash off the roof of the car, this gives a softer light and cuts down on hotspots from the flash. You are still going to get some hotspots when there is so much chrome about but it should look very good.

The third image is a close up of a car, here the rain droplets add an extra dimension to what is a straight forward shot. Its worth investing in a large white umbella so that you can keep the camera equipment dry as well as the bride and groom when it is raining.

Sun or rain, enjoy your wedding day.

andrew bradley photography

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