Mart Gnosis

Digital portrait photography will produce superb results if you are able to see the person you are photographing, as one of your favorite people at that moment.

Digital portrait photography is for you if you care about people, are interested in what drives them, and how they came to be where they are. Good portrait photographers seem to get the best out of their subjects by being fundamentally interested in them, and being able to connect with them, even if it is just for the duration of the shooting session.

With digital portrait photography nothing has changed about the nature of this interaction! However, you will discover a number of creative - and financial! - advantages.

Whether your aim is professional digital portrait photography, or practicing it as a hobby, one of the best ways to go about it is to heed the written advice of experienced professional portrait photographers. Various aspects of this field have been covered in a number of informative books on the subject.

In ‘A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Portrait Photography’, Duncan Evans covers the different types of digital cameras available, including compact, single-lens reflex (SLR), and specialized models.

He also shows how to create a home studio, and explains the basics of portrait composition, texture, and mood. He includes topics such as color, computer manipulation, using duotones, tritones and sepia tones, and manipulating light and shadow.

A photographer who has published more than one book on digital portrait photography, is Jeff Smith. His books include ‘Professional Digital Portrait Photography’, where he walks you through the steep learning curve for digital portrait photographers. He shows you how to avoid commonly experienced problems, and he provides various techniques for shooting and editing.

Another of Jeff’s books is ‘Learn How To Make All Of Your Clients Look Their Very Best!’, where he gets very practical about photographing real people, and not just models.

He discusses how to be tactful with people about those aspects of their appearance that they don’t want to be highlighted in the portrait image.

His approach is to combine careful lighting, posing, and retouching to correct those flaws. The end-product is a portrait the client will love.

Is you main interest outdoor digital portrait photography? Jeff has also published ‘Outdoor and Location Portrait Photography’, in which he explains how to understand and control natural light, and how to select the best scene. He also includes tips for posing, selecting clothing, as well as marketing your portraits.

If you are keen to set up a digital studio, don’t miss ‘Master The Skills You Need To Build A Digital Portrait Photography Business’, by Lou Jacobs Jr. This book deals with topics such as the following: how to select your equipment; locating and outfitting a digital portrait photography studio; designing an efficient workflow; and presenting and marketing your work.

Know you camera, be interested in the people you deal with, and you will soon be a master of digital portrait photography.

For more information visit Best-Digital-Photography.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web. Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.

I am a member of a camera club and often get involved in discussion about photography. Amongst the great photographers and enthusiasts I occasional hear muted cries from fellow members bemoaning these lack of photo-taking opportunities.

The comments are usually in response to seeing some great pictures taken by a fellow member.

“If only I lived in a place like yours” is the regular cry. Or perhaps “I wish I lived near to some beautiful countryside like you”. There are alternatives centring on not having willing models, lack of good weather or perhaps inspirational difficulties.

The truth is far simpler. Great images are rarely born from a lucky break, although they can be. Living near to a good photo opportunity helps but doesn’t guarantee success

Inspiration is the key.

Nobody said that people have to take photographs of things close to them. There are ways and means of travelling further afield. But for those that wish to say at, or near to, home, follow some simple advice:

- open your eyes and look around: don’t be lazy - have a look around at the subjects around you; there is always an image to be had, you might just need to work to get it

- same subject, different angle: take a familiar subject and get a different perspective - change your viewpoints, get higher or lower, get close or further away, even change the background, setting or props to make your usual subject a bit more “unusual”

- Same angle, different delivery: give that subject a makeover! - how about changing the lighting (flash, coloured gels, candlelight, natural light) or perhaps changing the effect (filters to change the colour or appearance)? Think about what would complement your subject - use soft focus, for example, to create a romantic aura or a star filter to brighten highlights.

Don’t be constrained but what you see around you. Look deeper to find an alternative image.

It takes a bit of work but it’s worth it

Eric Hartwell runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com.