Portraits

Professional, staged and expensive.   These are probably things that come into your mind when you think of portraits.  However, I have recently been experimenting with taking my friends and family's pictures, and using them to experiment with "portraitism."  With a good camera, a nice outside area, and a cute subject, you can end up with great portraits, without the expensive price tag.

Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

For this picture, I was lucky enough to have my friend, Claire, volunteer for my experiments.  If the background of this photo had not been so understated, then Claire would not have looked so vibrant.  Because of her comfortable looking position, she does not look like she was posing, even though she was.  A good thing to remember when taking portraits is making sure the subject does not look forced or unnatural.  

Photo Courtesy of Maddy Lee

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken!  My little brother, Tucker, looks so cute and happy it makes me smile.  The unique angle of the picture gives the portrait a fun perspective that captures the innocence of his little face.  The angle also makes the portrait look even more natural, as I explained above. Turning the photo into black and white gave it a more professional look.  So, if the colors in the original photo you take are not as vibrant as you want them to be consider using the black and white effect.

Portraits are not just a frame to hang on the wall, and glance at every once in a while.  They should capture the spirit and personality of the person that they give off everyday.  Find a friend and try the different techniques I talked about above.  Experimenting is the best way to improve, and who knows where you will end up.