Portrait Photography Tips Pay attention to available light Check Camera Settings Capture authenticity of your subject Compose for Connection

Available Natural Light Direct Light Indirect Light Complex Hard Harsh Simple Soft Flattering

Types of Natural-Indirect Lighting Back Light Side Light Dappled light Window Light Open Shade

Back Light Although backlighting may create a silhouette, or unwanted shadows on your subject, if done well with the right camera settings, it can be a nice way to indirectly light your subject.

Side Light Indirect light shining on your subject from the side. Split Lighting refers to direct light shining towards the side of your subject.

Dappled Light This occurs when light is blocked in some areas and able to shine through in other areas of the scene, projecting light and shadows onto your subject as a result.

Open Shade Lighting Also thought of as outdoor diffused light and found in an area that is shaded from direct sunlight, but is illuminated by reflected light.  Open shade can be found in a variety of places such as in the shadow of a building, right inside your front door, under a big tree, or even right inside your garage – with the door open of course!

Window Light Closeness to the window controls the intensity of the light on your subject.

Portrait: Camera Settings and Focal Length

Choose your Depth of Field by setting the Aperture. f/2.8 f/5.6 f/16 It’s typically better to shoot “wide open” if the background is distracting or not essential to the portrait.

Focal Length: What’s the best lens for portraiture Focal Length: What’s the best lens for portraiture? Should I zoom In or out? Most photographers use either a 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm focal length or somewhere within that range when shoot portraits.

4 Ways to Capture Authenticity : 1. Ask Questions: Shoot while keeping the subject engaged 2. Motion: Ask the subject to “move here”, “look over there”, or walk around with the person while shooting to find different poses as you are talking. Have them stretch if needed to help them relax 3. Breathe: Pause and ask them to take a deep breathe while shooting, if you sense they are tense or faking their smile/pose 4. Close Eyes: Ask them to close their eyes if their pose seems awkward, shoot as soon as they re-open

Compose for Connection: Make a decision on how you want to frame up the shot Fit subject within the Frame Clarity not Clutter by cropping/zooming in Eyes ¾ way up from the bottom of the frame

Sources: Chris Orwig Images - chrisorwig.com, Awesome Authentic Portraits-AdobeMAX workshop AdoramaTV-youtube channel Lynda.com Google-various searches and images