Portraiture Shooting Assignment

I didn't really enjoy this project because I don't like photographing people. My main focus in photography is taking pictures of nature because nature doesn't feel awkward about getting it's picture taken, a lot of the time people do. If I would've found a better model that did like getting her picture taken more I may have enjoyed the project more. It was just challenging for me to find pictures I took that I really liked, when I photograph nature I like almost all the pictures I take. This project was more challenging then I thought it would be. I didn't have the most fun with it but I liked the challenge it gave me and I do like some of the shots that came out of it. 

Actions Screenshots

Senior Portrait Examples

                                                            Photo by: Rae Leythman
                                                          Type: Candid/Smile/Laugh
I like this because this girl obviously has a strong love for her dog and it's just really cute that she got pictures done with her dog. This really shows her personality.

                                                            Photo by: Bonnie Burman
                                                                      Type: Candid
I like the prop used. This picture shows a lot about who the girl is, what she's interested in, and what she does in her free time. It's also a really nice location to shoot in.

                                                              Photo by: Jared Platt
                                                                  Type: Serious
I like this picture because it's very simplistic but it displays the model very well, and in black and white. And I usually don't like many black and white photos.

Photo by: Sarah Prall

Type: Serious

I like the pose in this picture and that the background is blurred completely. The sun is also in the perfect spot that it gives the angelic look around her hair which is nice.

                                                             Photo by: Tom Schmidt

Type: Serious

I like this shot because the clothes she's wearing and the location they shot in do not match at all, but it makes the shot look pretty interesting. I also like the pose.

Photo by: Tom Schmidt

Type: Candid/Smile

I like these photos because you almost can't have one without the other, it's just a nice progression of shots. I also like that it's shot inside a studio and not at some random location. These pictures really showcase her personality and what she likes to do, she interacted really well in these photos.

Photo by: Kevin Beasley

Type: Smile

I like this picture because it's shot in an elevator, which is a unique location. I also really like the crossed leg pose with the arm to the side, it looks very classy. 

Photo by: Karen Becker

Type: Smile

I like this picture because the model is not in focus, but even though he's blurry you can still tell a lot about him from this. He's obviously really into football and you should always try to get some of the models personality into the shots.

Photo by: Slava G. Ivanov

Type: Candid

I like this shot because it's more focused on the location and the horse then the model himself. I also like the fact that it's an action shot.

Photo by: Cayupe

Type: Candid/Laugh

This picture is interesting because the model is in water and she also splashed the water to make a rainy type look to the shot. I like the pose, the location, and the idea of this photo. 

Senior Portrait Article Notes

• use lighting effects/unusual angles to make shots more interesting
• getting to know the person and their personality is even more important when taking senior pictures, you want to show who they are through the photo
• have the model bring their own props/change of clothes/have a location choice
• take photos who they envision them
• seniors tend to want edgy, editorial, magazine looking shots
• while you want to please the teenager, you also want to please the family, parents, grandparents... so don't take their wants too far
• don't go traditional, make it interesting 

Recap Elaine Gates

Portrait Photography is not my favorite thing but Elaine gave us some tips that might make it more enjoyable for me. Elaine said that to take good portraits you first have to have a model thats willing to take pictures with you. If the model feels awkward or uncomfortable in front of the camera then the portraits will not turn out as good as someone who likes getting photographed. To make people feel less awkward Elaine said that she tells her models that they're just 'going for a walk' and in doing this she finds interesting locations to shoot at and the models relax more. Also, the angles on a portrait are one of the most important things about taking the shot. If the angle doesn't flatter the model the picture won't turn out good and the person won't like the shot. You never really want to take a portrait from bellow the model. This will make the person look really big and usually people don't like to look gigantic compared to the background or other aspects of the picture. Taking pictures slightly above the model makes them look smaller, which is good, and for some reason they also look better from this angle. It's all about finding angles that flatter your model. During the photo shoot with the person be sure to be looking at minor flaws in the pictures that you can fix right then and there, like fly away hairs, rolled up shirts, trash in the background, etc... The last really important thing Elaine said to us was to try to capture the person interacting with the camera or showing their personality. This is important especially in pictures of children and senior pictures. I really liked all of Elaine's pictures she showed us so I'm going to use these tips to try to make my portraits better than they are.