Photography 2 Name______Block______
Formal Studio Portraits
Taking a formal portrait is not as easy as it looks. Formal portraits look very simple and natural but it takes knowledge of lighting and positioning to achieve this natural beauty.
The wrong lighting and positioning can make even a beautiful person look ugly.
Your Assignment:
The first 12 frames will be senior portrait type photographs of someone in the class using the studio lighting in the room. These will be nicely composed photographs that use the head positions and the two or three lights that we discussed in class. Students may bring in any props they wish to use.
The last 12 frames will be emotional formal portraits. You are to use indoor or outdoor lighting and facial expressions to convey an emotion, note that dramatic lighting will have dramatic effects. Now that you know how to do low light and night photographs don’t be afraid to use this to create dramatic lighting (if you plan to do this speak to me first).
Requirements:
- 1 roll of film (12 frames in class, 12 frames inside OR outside of class)
- No more than four people to photograph (1 in class, 1 outside class)
- 12 Traditional formal portraits
- 12 formal portraits that convey an emotion through facial expression, lighting and props
- Formal (from the waist or shoulders up) portraits only
- 2 prints (2-8x10- best one dry mounted)
Posing:
Formal poses-subject position, background, possible props, and lighting are all carefully planned to present the most flattering shadows and arrangement-the photographer often takes a series of shots in order to allow the subject to choose the best or most tasteful poses (think family portraits or senior photos for the yearbook)
Lighting:
Main light- it often is set to come from above and slightly to the side of the subject much like we would want the sun outdoors
Fill Light- softens the shadows by slightly filling them in while lightening up the dark side of the subject. The fill light is almost always less bright than the main light and is placed on the opposite side of the main light and is usually not as high.
Background light- It is usually placed directly behind the subject aimed at the background and is used to eliminate shadows from the subject that might fall on the background.
Define the following lighting terms by going to:
Broad lighting-
When is it used?
How is it achieved?
Short Lighting-
When is it used?
How is it achieved?
Butterfly Lighting-
When is it used?
How is it achieved?
Rembrandt lighting-
When is it used?
How is it achieved?
Tips for taking someone’s portrait:
- An excellent method of getting good close-up portraits is to position the subject in front of a plain or uninteresting background.
- Having the subject completely or nearly fill the frame helps focus the viewer’s attention on the face.
- A key thing to remember in photography of people is that you don't *usually* want anything else in the photo that is more interesting or eye-catching than the people!
- However, some portraits can be made more interesting by including background or foreground objects or images that compliment or add to the character of the person.
Turn in:
_____1 contact sheet
_____1 8x10 (dry mounting NOT required)
_____1- 8x10 print dry mounted or matted
_____1-completed grade sheet
_____This paper with completed definitions