Lighting Photo Workshop

Chapter 5. LIGHTING FOR PORTRAITS AND PEOPLE

• Shooting Great Outdoor Portraits

• Finding the Best Light

• Creating Better Light

• Candids, Kids, and Environmental Photography

• Working with Groups

Working with light when taking pictures of people requires some additional time and effort to get great results. When shooting people photographs, you may encounter many pitfalls that are easily avoided — don't avoid situations that can yield great images just because the lighting isn't perfect. Try to keep an open mind about the lighting in the scene you are working with, because when shooting people, the best light might come from places that you would never expect.

SHOOTING GREAT OUTDOOR PORTRAITS

Many photographers prefer to shoot landscapes, flowers, and the like, because they prefer shooting subjects that stay still. People's expressions can be fleeting, and when you are shooting portraits of people, the intent is to show a part of them — the essence of the subject.

Photographing people is more than lighting, and learning to show emotion from the subjects that you are photographing is every bit as important, if not more important, than the light. Learning to work with a portrait subject takes time and practice. A photographer and subject must have a respect between them, but even more important is to make sure that the subject is comfortable in front of the camera.

Take time to talk, even for just a ...