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| Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and his wife Ann |
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| President Barack Obama |
Lifestyle Portraits! Windows to the Soul
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| The Birdwatcher, 2011 |
"Ok", you say with a befuddled expression on your face, "what exactly IS a lifestyle portrait?"
"Ah, Grasshopper!" I respond. "I'm glad you asked!" A lifestyle portrait is a portrait that reveals something about a person's personality by showing them enjoying one of their passions, interests, or pursuits. Unlike a traditional portrait where the subject's mode of dress, body position, facial features and facial expression may or may not tell you anything about them beyond their mere physical appearance, a lifestyle portrait pretty much screams, "HEY! OVER HERE! THIS IS ME! THIS IS WHO I AM AND WHAT I LOVE TO DO!"
For many people, if they could have only one portrait of themselves in their entire lifetime, only one portrait to leave behind by which to be remembered after they are gone, it would be a portrait of themselves enjoying their all-time favorite activity; their passion; their love. For many their passion even defines who they really are.
For example, Mr. Jones may be a real estate agent nine-to-five, but in his heart of hearts he's a fisherman. And Ms. Smith may be an elementary school teacher by profession, but deep down she's a mystery writer! The plumber who just fixed your leaky faucet is actually going to be exploring the wonders of the universe tonight at the eyepiece of his telescope, and Mrs. Wagner, the stay-at-home mom who is raising two girls and a boy? Well, she's only two more lessons away from getting her pilot's license, something she has dreamed of doing ever since she was a child.
You may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you CAN see who a person really is by their lifestyle portrait! Show people who you really are as a special, one-of-a-kind human being. Show them your soul. Remember, for all time there will never, ever be another YOU. And that's pretty amazing when you think about it.
Natural beauty, Natural light...Naturally!
No matter how proficient you become at using flash outdoors, nothing looks more natural or beautiful than when photographed by God's natural light. Just block the overhead light, bring in soft light from a direction of your choice, and you're golden. No muss, no fuss, no heavy lights and stands and sand bags to lug around, no battery packs, notta. Just yourself, your subject, your camera, and, if you want, a lightweight reflector to bounce/block/diffuse the available light. Less time spent messing around with gear means more time spent developing a rapport with your subject, and THAT, after all, is what great portraiture is all about.
I've said it before and I will say it again: Simple is best!
www.PuglianoPortraits.com
I've said it before and I will say it again: Simple is best!
www.PuglianoPortraits.com
Behind the scenes: Senior Portrait Shoot
The Shot:
"Oh, Great and Wise Photo Master!", you say. "Please tell me how you got this shot!! What camera did you use? What lens?? Please tell me so that I can buy the same equipment so that I too can get that exact same shot!"
"Ah, Grasshopper" I respond, shaking my head slowly. "Great portraits do not come from cameras and lenses..." I say, while pausing for dramatic effect. Contemplating Grasshopper's wide, searching eyes, I then add the clincher, "...they come from the heart and soul of the photographer."
"Huh?" Grasshopper says.
Sigh. You see, like most amateur photographers, what Grasshopper wants is instant knowledge. He believes equipment is everything and that if only he had a "really good" camera he could then take "really good pictures!" Well, that's like saying if he had a scalpel he could do surgery, or if he had Leonardo da Vinci's paintbrush he could paint like Leonardo da Vinci. Neither, of course, is true.
If I can only impart one lesson to you, it's this: PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT ABOUT EQUIPMENT!! It's about the photographer's personal vision, their experience, their empathy and rapport with the subject, the subject's desires, and the photographer's knowledge of composition and light. Especially light. Light ultimately is what photography is all about. The word "photography" literally means, "writing (graphy) with light (photo)".
Ok, having said that, on with the good stuff! "Yes, Grasshopper, this is the knowledge you seek." Sigh.
The Pull Back:
The Details:
Ok, first you have to know what you want and what your subject wants, and then be able to envision the shot in your mind's eye. In this case we were going for a Sports Illustrated look, or what I like to call "senior cool": high contrast, subject chiseled out from the background with a pair of hard (bare) rim lights (lights that are behind and to the side of the subject that highlight the edges of the subject's face and/or body), eye sockets almost in shadow but not fully for drama, and a hard stare and pose.
The lighting consisted of 3 Nikon SB28 flashes (on manual), one shoot-through (translucent) umbrella, and a silver reflector. The subject was placed in a tunnel to block the overhead natural light. Two bare SB28s (zoomed to about 80mm) were placed as rim lights behind and on opposite sides of the subject, and the power was adjusted to get the specific effect I wanted. Flashes were triggered (fired) with radio slaves. Optical slaves are next to useless outdoors! The main light (the dominant light that usually lights the front of the subject) was an SB28 in a shoot-through umbrella placed directly over and in front of the subject to light the subject's face. A silver reflector was placed on the ground in front of the subject to help add just a hint of detail to the underside of the football. Additional artistic creativity was applied via Photoshop.
"Ahhhhh, I see!", says Grasshopper. "Now tell me, Oh Great and Wise Photo Master...what camera and lens did you use??"
Sigh.
www.puglianoportraits.com
"Oh, Great and Wise Photo Master!", you say. "Please tell me how you got this shot!! What camera did you use? What lens?? Please tell me so that I can buy the same equipment so that I too can get that exact same shot!"
"Ah, Grasshopper" I respond, shaking my head slowly. "Great portraits do not come from cameras and lenses..." I say, while pausing for dramatic effect. Contemplating Grasshopper's wide, searching eyes, I then add the clincher, "...they come from the heart and soul of the photographer."
"Huh?" Grasshopper says.
Sigh. You see, like most amateur photographers, what Grasshopper wants is instant knowledge. He believes equipment is everything and that if only he had a "really good" camera he could then take "really good pictures!" Well, that's like saying if he had a scalpel he could do surgery, or if he had Leonardo da Vinci's paintbrush he could paint like Leonardo da Vinci. Neither, of course, is true.
If I can only impart one lesson to you, it's this: PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY IS NOT ABOUT EQUIPMENT!! It's about the photographer's personal vision, their experience, their empathy and rapport with the subject, the subject's desires, and the photographer's knowledge of composition and light. Especially light. Light ultimately is what photography is all about. The word "photography" literally means, "writing (graphy) with light (photo)".
Ok, having said that, on with the good stuff! "Yes, Grasshopper, this is the knowledge you seek." Sigh.
The Pull Back:
The Details:
Ok, first you have to know what you want and what your subject wants, and then be able to envision the shot in your mind's eye. In this case we were going for a Sports Illustrated look, or what I like to call "senior cool": high contrast, subject chiseled out from the background with a pair of hard (bare) rim lights (lights that are behind and to the side of the subject that highlight the edges of the subject's face and/or body), eye sockets almost in shadow but not fully for drama, and a hard stare and pose.
The lighting consisted of 3 Nikon SB28 flashes (on manual), one shoot-through (translucent) umbrella, and a silver reflector. The subject was placed in a tunnel to block the overhead natural light. Two bare SB28s (zoomed to about 80mm) were placed as rim lights behind and on opposite sides of the subject, and the power was adjusted to get the specific effect I wanted. Flashes were triggered (fired) with radio slaves. Optical slaves are next to useless outdoors! The main light (the dominant light that usually lights the front of the subject) was an SB28 in a shoot-through umbrella placed directly over and in front of the subject to light the subject's face. A silver reflector was placed on the ground in front of the subject to help add just a hint of detail to the underside of the football. Additional artistic creativity was applied via Photoshop.
"Ahhhhh, I see!", says Grasshopper. "Now tell me, Oh Great and Wise Photo Master...what camera and lens did you use??"
Sigh.
www.puglianoportraits.com
A Rose Amongst Thorns
I had the great fortune recently to do a portrait session with the stunning, sweet, and amazingly talented ballerina, Laura. Perfect subject, perfect location, and perfect light. Sometimes God just smiles on ya! The weather was cold and damp but Laura was a trooper throughout, always cheerfully doing whatever was asked of her. Laura is now in New York city, where I'm sure her presence will grace the stage for many years to come.
It doesn't take a lot of expensive equipment...
...to create a beautiful portrait!
Seriously, you don't need a lot of expensive camera equipment to create a great portrait. All it takes is knowing how to use light and having a good rapport with your subject. This young lady was photographed by natural light. Period. No flash...no collapsible reflectors...just God's natural light. In fact, it was BAD natural light...high, bright sun that makes your subject squint and puts dark, hard shadows on their face and puts their eye sockets into deep shadows (the dreaded "raccoon eyes!").
So how do you create a beautiful portrait under those conditions without using a lot of expensive lighting equipment?
1. Turn your subject so that the sun is behind them! This eliminates the squinting problem and puts their entire face into shade so that their face is evenly lit. It also puts a nice rim light around your subject's head and shoulders which helps to separate them from the background.
2. Block the overhead light! By blocking the light coming straight down from the sky you force the light to come in at a more flattering angle, eliminating the dreaded raccoon eyes. The girl's cap blocked the light in this instance, but usually you'll need to position your subject under a tree or an overhang.
3. Add light to the eyes! In this case the light came from the sun reflecting off a white building that was behind me providing me with a huge, free, natural reflector. And no, that wasn't a happy accident!
So the next time someone brags about how expensive their camera equipment is or belittles you for not having the latest and greatest, just be polite, smile, and inwardly say "HA!", because you know the real secret, which is that all you really need to create a great portrait is a knowledge of light and a good rapport with your subjects.
www.PuglianoPortraits.com
So how do you create a beautiful portrait under those conditions without using a lot of expensive lighting equipment?
1. Turn your subject so that the sun is behind them! This eliminates the squinting problem and puts their entire face into shade so that their face is evenly lit. It also puts a nice rim light around your subject's head and shoulders which helps to separate them from the background.
2. Block the overhead light! By blocking the light coming straight down from the sky you force the light to come in at a more flattering angle, eliminating the dreaded raccoon eyes. The girl's cap blocked the light in this instance, but usually you'll need to position your subject under a tree or an overhang.
3. Add light to the eyes! In this case the light came from the sun reflecting off a white building that was behind me providing me with a huge, free, natural reflector. And no, that wasn't a happy accident!
So the next time someone brags about how expensive their camera equipment is or belittles you for not having the latest and greatest, just be polite, smile, and inwardly say "HA!", because you know the real secret, which is that all you really need to create a great portrait is a knowledge of light and a good rapport with your subjects.
www.PuglianoPortraits.com
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