How your background looks is perhaps one of the most important aspects of a good portrait. It's actually one of the easiest to master too.
First, since we're shooting portraits, we're going to need portrait lenses (e.i very fast prime lenses of focal length of 50mm or above). In this case, I'm using my trusty Canon 85mm on a Rebel T1i that I borrowed from a friend (Sold the 5Dmk2).
Second, you need to know how to see through your lens. Let me rephrase that one, you NEED to know what your lens see! Portrait lenses are good at isolating the subject, compressing the background and simplifying it into a blurry, uncomplicated, flat, pretty thing. It means you can shoot a decent portrait ANYWHERE.
Like here...
Model: Jaclyn Lyons.
85mm at f1.8, 1/250sec, ISO 100. Bare Sunpak 383 behind model's left, about 2m away.
Nice shot!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations for you blog!!Is really interesting.
Best Regards!
Alvaro
That really is a beautiful shot you've taken.
ReplyDeleteYou love using a natural environment as a studio, don't you? Sweet shot, sir.
ReplyDeletePS - the new format is quite attractive.
Thanks all.
ReplyDeleteNatural environments beat renting/owning a studio!
I find model + background paper boring nowadays but if I could build a set, now that's another thing!
Awesome work!!
ReplyDelete