Focus On Photographing People

Focus On Photographing People

by Haje Jan Kamps
Released November 2012
Publisher(s): Routledge
ISBN: 9781136088773

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Book description

Taking good photographs of people is a combination of many factors: What is the best light for the subject? How should they stand? What aperture should you use for maximum impact? This easy-to-follow, highly visual guide to portraiture explains the technical and aesthetic considerations of creating great images. Step-by-step instruction, tips from an experienced professional photographer, project assignments and gorgeous photography make learning how to take good photos of people quick and easy. Aimed at beginners or amateurs toting a DSLR and wanting pointers on how to make their people photography really shine, this book offers the basics on composition, lighting, posing, street photography and post-production techniques in a fun andconversational manner.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Halftitle
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. The Focus On Series
  8. Acknowledgements
  9. 1. Introduction
    1. What is portraiture?
    2. How to use this book
    3. Why take pictures of people?
    4. Six steps to taking better portraits
  10. 2. Equipment
    1. Choosing a camera body
    2. Buying lenses
    3. Great lenses for portraiture
    4. Flashes and lighting
    5. Reflectors and diffusers
    6. Outfitting a simple portrait studio
  11. 3. Photography Basics
    1. What affects an exposure?
    2. Overriding the camera’s decisions: Manual mode
    3. Moving away from automatic camera modes
    4. Shutter and Aperture Priority
    5. Focusing properly
    6. Shutter speed
    7. Aperture explained
    8. Aperture and creative effects
    9. How ISO works
    10. Pros and cons of using ISO
    11. Shutter, aperture, and ISO: Putting it all together
    12. Picking the right lens
    13. White balance
    14. Shooting in RAW
  12. 4. Composition and Making People Look Good
    1. It’s all about the eyes
    2. Focusing and composing your portraits
    3. Putting your models at ease
    4. Directing models
    5. Catchlights
    6. Shooting from below
    7. Shooting from above
    8. Composition rules
    9. Keep an eye on your background
    10. The Rule of Thirds
    11. Leading lines
    12. Negative space for a positive impact
    13. Rules are meant to be broken
  13. 5. Getting Creative
    1. High-key portraiture
    2. Low-key portraiture
    3. Back-lighting
    4. Side-lighting
    5. Get in close … no, closer
    6. Creative use of colors
    7. Black and white
  14. 6. Street Photography
    1. Choose your weapons
    2. Taking photos on the sly
    3. Street photography farther afield
    4. Etiquette on the street
    5. Focus on: Street photography
  15. 7. Photo Editing
    1. Digital workflow
    2. Free software
    3. Nonfree software
    4. Adjusting your exposure
    5. Saving an overexposed image
    6. Contrast
    7. Cropping and rotating your photos
    8. Fixing your colors
    9. Cleaning up the images
    10. Fixing skin blemishes
    11. From color to black and white
    12. Pulling it all together
  16. 8. How to Learn More
    1. Getting out of a rut
    2. Learning from others’ photos
    3. Reconstructing a photograph
    4. Learning from your own photos
    5. Where to turn for inspiration
  17. Index

Product information

  • Title: Focus On Photographing People
  • Author(s): Haje Jan Kamps
  • Release date: November 2012
  • Publisher(s): Routledge
  • ISBN: 9781136088773