Portraying people in the best light; capturing their essence and impact on the world. For centuries and more, this has been the most important discipline for painters. So, too, for photographers in last century. Renoir was a master for the ages with a brush and palette. Karsh, a timeless modern master of silver halide film.

 

But what did they master? Certainly an ability to render fine details accurately and attractively. Undoubtedly an acute eye for setting, costume and pose. But most importantly, an ability to use and manipulate light to trap the essence of their subjects so we witness it as if bursting from its cage.

 

These masteries apply equally well to the age of digital photography as to the past. Here are some things to consider for your portrait photos.

 

Backdrops: We've all been to have a professional portrait taken, whether for graduation or family posterity. Remember how the backdrops were usually mellow tones in a marbled pattern? A little more imagination is often called for, but the key here is that the background should be either unremarkable or complimentary. That is, if it draws the viewers attention at all, it should be to encourage a specific mood or enhance the colors of the whole composition, not distract.

For example, in a portrait study focusing exclusively on the person depicted you might use: pure shadow; a sheet of material with solid colors that aren't too bright; a mixture of mellow colors in an unremarkable pattern; or, sometimes pure white, though this can be difficult to use effectively.

 

Settings: In a portrait that will include the background setting rather than a simple backdrop, clear away all items that do not contribute to the feeling or mood you want to convey. Also, consider slightly blurring your set background to de-emphasize it.

 

If you are unable to control the background, for example if you are outside in a public area, consider blurring the background significantly. Using a telephoto lens for your portrait will help with this.

 

Also, just as with backdrops that should be neutral colors, the setting outside the picture should be managed and dressed in neutral colors so as not to add twinges of color to your subject. For example, a portrait taken in a kitchen using an backdrop as outlined above, but where the walls are bright yellow and sunlight is streaming in the window is unlikely to work out how you want as everything will exhibit a hint of yellow.

 

Lighting: The most essential element to portraits is lighting. For those familiar graduation and family portraits, the emphasis is usually on simplicity through ambient light that does not leave unattractive shadows. Highlight lamps may be used, but usually the constraints of time, cost and a long list of waiting clients keep things simple. The key here is no distracting shadows. To achieve this, arrange lights with neutral colored shades around your subject and use a flash diffuser.

 

Portraits intended to register on the scale of mastery will typically use three or more directionalized lamps (back, side and front) arranged to provide specific, attractive, and meaningful highlights.

 

For example, in a sultry portrait of a model with flowing hair, the backlamp might be used for a dazzling halo effect. In interpreting the use of lighting in Karsh's portraits on the linked page provided, you can see in the Churchhill portrait, for example, how the light highlights his forehead, his hands and the walls of power behind him, thus portraying him as a thinker and a doer of consequence.

 

 

 

While we, our subjects and our portraits may never be as famous as those of Renoir and Karsh, we can steal a few tricks from their bag and use them to hang some trophies on our wall, too.