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Shoot stylish fine-art portraits
Techniques
24 October 2007 12:44
Follow our step-by-step guide to capturing stunning and stylish fine-art portraits.
Step 1. Be professional
If you’ve asked a friend to pose, how you approach the whole project is really important. When we approached our model Jo, we explained we wanted to shoot a series of fine art/lifestyle portraits that would mean revealing some of her body but not actually modelling naked. After Jo had agreed in principle to the shoot, we sat down and looked at a series of poses gleaned from magazines and books to get a sense of what she’d be comfortable with. This clarifies what your photographic intentions are and what your model’s going to be happy with.
Step 2. Choose a location
We explained we wanted to do the shoot in a modern setting – possibly someone’s home. In our case, Jo suggested we try her house as it had big rooms, neutral walls, natural light and wooden floors. A quick visit confirmed Jo’s house was perfect, with the added bonus that it would help her relax and feel comfortable during the shoot.
Step 3. Borrow an assistant
Unless you grew up in a circus you can’t juggle all the jobs on a shoot at once. If you can, call on a friend to hold reflectors, make clothing/hair adjustments and sort out creased clothes. Male photographers often find a female assistant or stylist will relax the model more.
Step 4. Communicate
Keep your model relaxed with chat and encouragement. Make sure you give clear instructions about what you want from her and listen to her suggestions too.
Step 5. Allow for rest and a cuppa
Your model will need a private area to change in and time to rest between shooting. Posing can be exhausting – and nerve-wracking. If you’re a male photographer, then a female assistant can be a bonus.
Step 6. Working with available light
Using natural window light avoids having to take up space with studio lights, but means you’re at the vagaries of nature. Move your model around to see how the window light falls on her before you start to take your actual shots. Softer light will make exposure simpler.
Step 7. Select the lens for the look you want
Remember, the most flattering portraits will be taken on longer focal lengths, from 50mm onwards. If you own a macro lens, don’t forget this doubles as a cracking optic for portrait shoots and often comes with a wide maximum aperture too. We used an 85mm lens with a wide maximum aperture with our Canon EOS 5D. The on-camera flash was ready in case we wanted to bounce some light off the ceiling.
Step 8. Encourage your model to be relax
Keep talking and telling your model what you’d like her to do. If it’s not working tell her to take a break and spend a few minutes thinking about what you’re trying to achieve. Sometimes playing background music can help.
Step 9. Try lots of compositions
Once you’ve found a composition you like, really work it. Shoot it from lower and higher, tilt the camera to see if that makes it any more dynamic and alter the aperture to see what effect that has on the image, too. After asking Jo to lie on wooden floors and perch on stools, this proved to be her most comfortable position, which shows in the relaxed expression.
Step 10. Get together for feedback afterwards
If there are shots that your volunteer model is uncomfortable with, bin them. Talk through the ones you like and explain what you think is successful. Make some prints for your model so she can keep them. A bottle of wine or a box of chocolates won’t go amiss either.
