Creative Photography Activities: Back-Lit Silhouette Portraits

This is a portrait of a person or thing, taken with bright back light, causing the subject to be rendered as a dark shape You'll need:

- A source of bright light (open window, bright sun behind a person outdoors, etc.) Sunset with water behind is a great setting for this kind of shot.

- A willing model

Camera Setup:

Mode: Aperture Priority (Often shown as Av on the mode wheel)

ISO: 100 or so (there will be lots of light)

White Balance: Custom

Aperture: Mid-range, from f/5.6 to f/16.

Watch out for: Setting up the exposure. Even in Aperture Priority, the camera may try to expose for the subject. You may have to use your exposure compensation to drop the image by 2-3 stops.

White Balance Setup: Take a shot of your reference paper before you adjust your exposure compensation. Make sure it's bright grey, and set custom WB.

The Pose: Your choice here, but I recommend an interesting body pose. For ladies, I recommend a turned pose off center, hands on hips, head facing 90 degrees so you can see a face silhouette.

Framing the Image: For people shots, frame in portrait mode, and not on center. Think of the rule of thirds, and leave some open space to one side.

Take the Image: You want a very bright background and the subject quite dark. If the camera refuses to do this naturally, you can use the Exposure Compensation down by 2-3 stops from normal to force a darkening of the underexposed portions. Do not use flash!

Analyzing and Improving: If you can get the background perfectly exposed, to see the colors and features, and the silhouette is dark, you have nailed it! Try the same kind of shot with non-people things such as bridges, buildings, towers - anything that has less light on one side and will create an iconic shadow.

Advanced Tricks: Instead of messing with Exposure Compensation, you can expose for the background, note the f-stop and shutter speed, and then switch to Manual mode and crank up the f-stop (to larger f-numbers) or crank up the shutter speed (to faster values), to lower the total exposure. It also holds those parameters, and will not float around like Aperture Value tends to do when changing your composition. Also, in post production, you can use the Levels tool to pull in the darks and make them darker.

Taking Better Portraits - 3 Tips The Pros Know

Portrait photography is one of the most popular forms of the art. Whether it is a picture taken in a formal studio setting or something set in a more casual scene, you'll always want to do your best to capture the your subject in the best possible way. There are several tips that the professionals use in order to come out with some stunning photos.

Get The Lighting Right
Having the right lighting is probably one of the most important aspects in taking any type of photograph, but even more so in portrait photography. You'll want to insure that you have enough light, either natural or studio, in order to capture the photo correctly.

Avoid using the on camera flash, or hot shoe mount pointed directly at your subject. Indirect light is much more flattering on a person. A good back light source is also important if you want to avoid that annoying drop shadow behind the person. Try experimenting with lighting to achieve a variety of effects. You'll be surprised at how different your photos will come out just by varying the light source.

Blur The Background
One trademark of a great portrait is the softly blurred background behind the person who is ultra sharp focus. It really draws your attention to the person. There are several things you'll want to know to achieve this effect.

You'll want to shoot with as big as aperture as possible. If you have a lens that opens up to f/1.8 or f/2.0, that will give the best effects. If you have a zoom lens, try shooting at a larger range and standing back from the person. This will give you a shallower depth of field and increase the blur.

Have your subject stand away from the background instead of directly on it. If you are shooting in front of a wall for example, the farther they stand from it the better. It is also best to avoid busy backgrounds, as they will distract from your main subject.

Make Your Model Feel Comfortable
Often a forgotten tactic for taking a good portrait is making a model feel comfortable and relaxed. You'll be amazed at how much better your photos will look. Your subject will appear more relaxed, and you'll see more natural smiles and poses. You don't want your model to looked posed and stiff as a board.

A good way to do this is simply to talk and joke around with your model as you shoot. Show them a few of the photos and tell them how great they are doing. If you are relaxed and in control, it is much easier for them to go with the flow.

There you have it, 3 tips the pros know about taking better portrait photos. Give it a try and do some experimenting on your own. And as always, practice as much as possible and you'll be shooting like them in no time.

The Photographer Who Takes Dog Portraits For A Living

Sometimes, it just seems that dogs exhibit behaviors of a human being. Not only dog owners believe that their pets are almost human that every intelligent canine worthy of love and care feels such emotions as embarrassment, annoyance, irritation, and is startled by certain sights and sounds. Knowledge about a dog's moods as well as its interests makes for a successful animal portrait.

Refusal to have his picture taken could be indicated by his baring at the wrong instant, the wagging of his tail, or the refusal to prick up his ears. The dog could start being hardheaded and give the portrait artist a difficult time. Instead of appealing to the dog's sense of smell to get it to do a noticeable pose, try to surprise it by appealing to its sense of hearing. If a dog sniffs around, he would tilt his neck upward and ruin the lines and contours of the shot, but if the dog is slightly startled, he would stand with ears up.

A dog's photograph is best shot in the early morning since this is when he is bright and alert. Being always alert, the hungry dog is more capable of doing the pose. During this time of the day, it is cool and so his mouth would not be hanging open as much compared to the later hours of the day. Tired looking dogs and dogs with mouths wide open do not make good portraits.

We can say that the studios of dog photographers are similar to the studios of radio broadcasting stations in one particular way. Different kinds of sound effects are available for use just in case one sound effect cannot be used to bring out the attention the photographer wants. Available sounds include mouse squeaks and duck quacks.

A breeder wants to see perfection shown in his dog's portrait as he inspects the proofs. An artist who sketches has work that is distinct from an artist who photographs dogs. In drawing a picture, the artist makes an effort to show only what he can see and not what he knows is also there. But with dogs it is just the opposite and the photographer must try to get into the plate what should be there rather than what is easily visible.

Magnify a daschund's length. Dogs' bodies should be slightly tilted at an angle and their feet should be placed firmly on the ground for the shot. Handling German boxers would be an arduous task. While friendly to humans, he is capable of being unfriendly with other dogs present.

Although taking pictures of dogs while they are hungry make the task easier, amateur photographers often forget this fact. They make a mistake of feeding their dogs before or during the shoot and naturally have lazy and disinterested subjects. The alert dog assumes his stance without difficulty.

Most photographers want the breeder absent when they are posing a dog. Dog owners can make a big fuss about a lot of things regarding their dogs, and it is for this reason that they do this. Since the dog knows what tricks the master would do to get his attention, the owner's presence wouldn't help much. The desirable response of the animal would be brought out if various sound effects were used.