Nikon® D5000 Digital Field Guide

Chapter 13. Portrait Photography

In This Chapter

• Preparing your shot

• Studio

• Indoor

• Outdoor

Portrait photography can be one of the easiest or one of the most challenging types of photography. Almost anyone with a camera can do it, and yet it can be a complicated endeavor. Sometimes, simply pointing a camera at someone and snapping a picture can create an interesting portrait; other times, elaborate lighting setups may be needed to create a mood or to add drama to your subject.

A portrait, simply stated, is the likeness of a person — usually the subject's face — whether it is a drawing, a painting, or a photograph. However, a good portrait should go farther than that. It should go beyond simply showing your subject's likeness and delve a bit deeper, hopefully also revealing some of your subject's character or emotion.

Preparing Your Shot

There are many things to consider when setting out to shoot a portrait. Assuming you've already got a subject, first you need to decide on the setting. The setting is the background and surroundings, the place where you'll be shooting the photograph. Different settings can evoke different kinds of moods. A dark setting, for example, will give your image a more somber or serious mood, while a lighter background can often suggest a brighter or more playful mood. Keep in mind that your subject may also have some ideas about how they want the images to turn out. Always try to keep an open mind and be ready to try some other ideas that you may not have considered. ...