Beyond Auto Mode: A Guide to Taking Control of Your Photography

Chapter 11: PORTRAITS AND LIFE EVENTS

Whether you’re a student, a parent, or anyone with a camera, odds are you often find yourself taking pictures of people. Pictures of people are, of course, portraits. Photographing people, however, is not limited to portraits. There are dozens of different occasions where we make pictures of people: weddings, birthdays, sporting events, anniversaries, school plays, and more. These are life events.

While portraits are about people, there are several different ways to approach making the images. In this chapter we cover how to make better portraits as well as how to photograph life events. After all, parents want to photograph their children at sports games, dance recitals, and school plays. As the photographer in your family, you will also find yourself documenting birthday or anniversary celebrations, along with other milestone events. At the end of this chapter, we’ll troubleshoot some common problems that arise in different shooting scenarios.

PORTRAITS

A portrait is about the person, or people, in the photograph. As you can imagine, portraits are as varied as the people in them. From composition to light to camera settings, there are many ways to approach this kind of image.

The common thread connecting all portraits is the clear focus on who the subject is. In a busy street scene, for example, there may be several different ...