Portraiture

• A dear friend •
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• A dear friend • By Netkonnexion on Flickr

Portrait passion…

Portraiture is of passionate interest to photographers. On this page you will find resources that relate to different aspects of taking portraits.

The techniques and skills needed for making great portraits are quite varied. Here is a tip. There are six things you need to pay attention to for a great portrait. You must sort out: Location; Lighting, Background, Posing, Props, camera settings. Look out for these in the resources below…

Portraiture lighting

Definition: Portraiture
Light and Lighting – Resource pages on Photokonnexion
How to work with reflectors… essential!
Use window light for portraits
Catchlights… Bring your portraits alive
Natural Light Portraiture – with reflected fill-in light
How to shoot bright white backgrounds

Posing

Portrait vs. Candid – overcome the fear
Simple positions for classic portrait work
The left side of the face is the most pleasing

Techniques, tips and tricks

Six things to consider for starting portraiture
Simple techniques for photographing yourself
Three quick tips for photographing people at work for your employer
Portraits come from you and the sitter
Five tips to help your portraiture from the Renaissance
Shooting tethered… easy control, excellent shots
Some Quick Portrait Tips (A video for portrait starters).
Catchlights… Bring your portraits alive
Portraits – Three Tips and the Work of the Masters

Portraiture environments, locations and backgrounds

Street Portraits… a great guide
Outdoor lighting – Getting into Portraits
A simple way to make and use a seamless white wall

Lenses and camera control

Tips for doing wide-angle shots (A section on portraits)
Some things you should know about on-camera flash
The secret character of your lens – faces show it…

Masters of portraiture

A brave expression of passion – photographic heroes (pt 2) – Diane Arbus
Aiming high… An approach to portraiture Nadav Kander – his portraiture.

The history of portraiture and Renaissance Portraiture

Portraiture in Renaissance and Baroque Europe  
A brief history of portraiture  
Renaissance portrait examples from Google Images