Are you reading this thinking, “I don’t need to hire a professional portrait photographer; my smartphone camera works just fine.” If yes, you are probably not alone. It is easy to feel that way in today’s highly saturated world of selfies. Smartphones have a gazillion features that will make your and your loved ones’ photos look good. However, there is a small difference between a good and a great photo. And a professional photographer is that difference.
So, is there any merit in spending your hard-earned money on a professional photographer? I am a professional photographer, and this is why I believe you should definitely get your portrait done by a professional.
Doesn’t try to get the ‘perfect’ picture it.
Firstly, a photographer doesn’t try to get a ‘perfect’ picture. They subscribe to the age-old maxim that perfection lies in the eyes of the beholder. The quest of every professional portrait photographer is not to adhere to someone else’s understanding of ‘perfection’ but to find the best way to capture a moment for their client. Here’s a list of things (which keeps growing) that go on in my mind while trying to give my clients a fantastic portrait photography experience.
How do I bring out the best mood or emotion for the photo?
Photography is about conveying a particular emotion or feeling. What story would you like to tell through your pictures – a funny one or a more poignant one? It is about understanding what you want the photos to convey. That is where portrait photographer helps because they will encourage you to think differently about what you want from your picture. Through their questioning and explanations, a photographer will enable clients to consider newer styles and open them up to ideas they wouldn’t think of earlier. Then they will create props and backdrops to give the photograph the required feel.
Will get the light right
The emotions in a photo can also be affected by many technical factors such as light, location, weather, colours, movement, posing, or composition.
In photography, the setup and placement of lights are essential. The type of light source, whether natural or artificial, directly shapes your appearance. In addition, the order of the light can determine the tone, clarity, and emotions you want to portray. A professional photographer will be aware of these things. They will also pay attention to how light reflects off your angles and curves and what pose will complement your body more.
Getting the composition right
Composition in photography is how the different elements inside a frame interact and balance each other. It forms the visual structure of your image. The design of an image is a culmination of various aspects like the “Rule of thirds”, colour, contrast, and negative space, to name a few. Every time a photographer shoots a portrait, they will inevitably ask themselves the following questions:
- Which composition rule might work best for this image?
- Are there any props that I could use to elevate the visual balance?
- Where do I place these props in relation to the subjects so that the balance of the picture between the latter and the other objects is maintained or, in some cases, broken intentionally?
- Which parts of the image do I want to be in focus? Should I focus on the entire body, the eye, or the hands? The list is endless.
- How to get the right colour that complements the theme?
- What should the client wear?
- What is the colour of the background?
- How do I make everyone pose together if it’s a family photo?
- What will be the texture and style of the dresses or the background?
- Are the colour of the costume and the background evoking the desired emotion in an image?
- What is the warmth or the image I am going for?
- What background should be used -Studio background or Natural?
- What is the best colour of the background for this image that I can work with?
- Would texture in the background help the image?
- At what distance should I position the subject from the background?
- How do I light the background properly?
Choosing the right lens and equipment to capture the moment
There is no denying that today’s smartphones take amazing pictures, and the edits tools available on most phones will give you wonderful results. But they do not compare to the clarity and focus of a professional camera. When a portrait photographer takes a picture, based on the requirements, they get the lens with many factors in mind such as :
- Focal Length: A longer focal length (85mm or more) is often preferred for portraits as it provides a flattering perspective and compressed background.
- Aperture: A lens with a wide aperture (f/1.4 to f/2.8) allows for a shallow depth of field, creating a beautiful bokeh and isolating the subject from the background. You might also choose not use too shallow depth of field for studio portrait photography to make sure all the facial features are captured without lens blur. When I started off in portrait photography, I took may portraits with a very shallow depth of field and later in post processing, I realised that only the eye of the model was in focus while the rest of the face was out of focus.
- Image Quality: Look for a lens that produces sharp and clear images with accurate color reproduction.
- Lens Characteristics: Some lenses have unique optical characteristics, such as a soft focus effect, that can add a special touch to portraits.
As you can see, professional photographer makes informed decisions based on their years of experience and skillsets.
The above list is not exhaustive, and I have excluded talking about post-processing the photos, colour correcting and printing, which requires a separate level of expertise. Maybe I will cover that in a different post.
So even though mobile pics are great, some fantastic photographers just create fascinating pics using their cellphones; for good portrait photography, going to a portrait photographer is an investment you won’t regret (provided you have researched the photographer).
If you are looking for a portrait photographer around Sydney and its surroundings, give me a shout-out! 🙂
