Quick Portrait Photography Techniques

Portrait photography is one of the most rewarding fields of photography. It can be rewarding and helpful to learn new tips and tricks in taking photos of loved ones, families and friends. There are basic tips that can enhance a portrait photography experience. Below is a quick rundown of the tips applicable for portrait photography.

Lighting as an advantage – A good portrait shot includes lighting and uses it to enhance the portrait. The first hard and fast rule of portrait photography is to never take back-lit shots. Direct spotlights are not flattering either. Direct lighting creates flat surfaces and does not show the character of the person being shot. Side or diffused lighting is best but when outdoors, day lighting will suffice.

Background as background only – Backgrounds in portrait photography can be included but it mustn’t be the focus. The focus should always be the person. This is the reason why backgrounds included in portraits are always unobtrusive or blurred. When they are not blurred, they are used to frame the portrait only. When the background does merit inclusion in the photograph, it is not advisable to include a large area of it as the person’s face will be too small. Focus only on one or two elements as a foreground or middle ground and blur the rest in the background.

Focus on a distinctive element – A portrait is a graphic representation of a person’s face. Certain study and proximity are needed in order to take an accurate representation. Generally, it’s best to highlight an outstanding facial feature or a characteristic gesture. All these portray more of the person in the photograph.

Printing is key – After taking photographs, they are best seen and displayed as prints. A shot may look superb on the viewfinder or monitor but post production needs to be done to ensure superb printing. Several factors have to be considered in post production. These include sizing, resolution, color, paper size and paper type. For best results, it’s advisable to acquire professional printing services. Printing photos today can be done fast and conveniently online. Online printers such as UPrinting enable customers to upload and print their photos easily along with free digital proofing and expert layout services for a minimal fee.

November 13, 2009
By Nikki Sabato
Nikki Sabato is a writer with a background in landscape architecture and design. She currently works in the field of marketing and design communication.

Photography Techniques

Photoshop Tutorials to Become a Master in Photography

People who work with digital photographs are probably masters in the art of using Photoshop. And when I say art I mean that, from normal photos, they can obtain really artistic photos, with all flaws corrected, with the right color saturation and all kinds of marvelous effects.

But we are all asking ourselves, how these people can transform a photo into a work of art? The answer is quite simple: they have learned all their tricks by using books and free and Photoshop tutorials. But it's a lot easier to use tutorials when you want to learn something new, because you no longer have to consult different books and ask your friends until you get your questions answered. These free Photoshop tutorials are made in such a way that everyone can understand how the software works.

These free Photoshop tutorials can be found on the internet divided into different categories in order for you to find them easier and faster: the basics category, the photography tutorials, and the texturing category and only for Photoshop fans the special FX and the web designing tutorials. On other websites you can find free Photoshop tutorials classified by the version of the program so you can pick up a whole set of tutorials made especially for the Photoshop version you use. Only for Photoshop fans tutorials that are great for multimedia pros, video, film, graphic and web-designers.

If you search the internet and type free Photoshop tutorials you will be surprised to see how many tutorials for this great software are out there. Basic Photoshop tutorials are for those people who do not know a lot about how to use Photoshop. They can easily learn from these free Photoshop tutorials how to change the color of the hair, how to remove red eyes, retouch pictures, learn the essentials of layers, get a quick overview in what concerns the gradient tool and many more.

Those people who own a website can also use photoshop tutorials. In some more advanced tutorials you can learn how to make a hosting server with Photoshop, create website navigation bars, create professional introduction pages and make media site content boxes easily. These are only a few examples of what free Photoshop tutorials can teach you. There are also a lot more options and tutorials for you to choose from, and they are not limited only for Photoshop fans, they are available for everyone.

You can find hundreds of photoshop tutorials on the internet, but if you really want to learn something you should stick to a few basic tutorials and then rush for the more advanced ones that are reserved only to the Photoshop fans. Step by step you will learn all the tricks this great software offers you.

Free Photoshop tutorials are a great opportunity that no one should miss. Learning something new and fun for free is not something to refuse every day. Maybe you will not become the director of an imposing magazine by learning how to use Photoshop, but at least you could have a great photo album to share with your friends.



May 20, 2009
By: ASHOK SHARMA
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