Studio Portraits Tips

Taking great professional studio portraits requires the photographer to think about many different factors and below are a few examples of the techniques used by many professionals.

Think in terms of triangles.

When posing groups or families try to arrange them in triangles. Geometric shapes such as triangles and diamonds are more visually appealing and having close triangles can create real intimacy within a group. If you have more than three subjects think in terms of larger triangles or sub triangles and arrange the group accordingly. This triangles/diamonds rule can also be applied to portraits of people on their own. When you look at the famous “Mona Lisa” you can see that her head, body and hands form a diamond shape which is very balanced and easy on the viewers eye.

Looking into space

As talked about in a previous article we said that to make your pictures look more interesting you should use the rule of thirds. This most certainly applies to portraiture photography as when you place your subject you should get them to look into an empty space and leave room on the side they are looking towards to reflect this. This will create a very natural flow to the photograph for the viewer.

What to do with hands

Hands in photographs can give away a lot more emotion than you may think, for example if you are trying to achieve a relaxed family picture but the mum has her hands clenched cause she is stressed that the kids have been misbehaving this will immediately come through on the photo and ruin the whole look. Always get your subjects to relax their hands and slightly separate their fingers, if it is really difficult to get your subject to relax their hands then give them something to hold or try and avoid their hands in the shot altogether. Never take shots of the hands face on as they can look like large unflattering banana fingers always shoot them from the side.

Leaning you subject

From watching people in general you can pick up subtle things in their body language. For example if you watch two people having a conversation and they are leaned in to each other then they are probably both listening and engaged in what is being said but if one is leaning away from the other they are probably less interested in the topic. This is also reflected in portraits as if you are taking a shot with your subject leaning towards the camera slightly it will make them look more friendly and inviting. You can also achieve this same result by taking the photo from a slightly higher angle. Posing a subject leaning away from the camera can look much more uncomfortable and defensive however if it is a natural pose such as someone throwing their head back and roaring with laughter it can look very jovial and appealing.

Posing shoulders

Pose shoulders at an angle. The shoulders are the widest part of the body and if shot squarely can make your subject look out of proportion. Angling the shoulders will balance out your picture. There are a couple of different ways to achieve this look, one can be to get your subject to actually lean one way or another or you could have their body turned slightly so they are not facing dead square with the camera or lastly you could frame the whole shot so that one shoulder is out of the frame. However if you want to create a powerful image a photo with the subject facing squarely to the camera can create a big impact on the viewer.

AJS Photographic is based in Colchester Essex and has been established for over 10 years. Its owner Andy Sowerby has been working in the photography industry for over 15 years and learned many of his skills working with various photography companies all over the UK before setting up on his own. AJS Photographic believe in affordable photography and specialises in schools, family and event photography and they continue to provide their local area with all three.

To visit their main website please click here Photographer in Colchester where you can find more information and examples of their work.