Read up on how your camera's flash works before taking a portrait.
Understanding lighting is an important part of portrait photography. In bad lighting conditions, your subject's face may be obscured by shadows. Or, you may get awkward shadows behind your subject that distract the viewer or make your portraits look amateurish. To avoid such shadows, learn to control the light, either by using the features of your digital camera's flash, by redirecting the light in a more flattering direction or by moving your subject to a better angle.
Instructions
1. Don't point the flash directly at the person when shooting portraits indoors. Instead, bounce the flash off a nearby wall or the ceiling. This will create softer light and help minimize shadows. To bounce the light from a built-in flash on a compact camera, use an index card to direct the light. For example, if you want to bounce the light off the ceiling, position the index card so it's perpendicular to the camera and just below the flash.
2. Position your subject so the main light source is coming from about a 45-degree angle to one side of your camera. This is the basic lighting configuration preferred by professional portrait photographers.
3. Move the subject at least a few feet away from a wall or backdrop. This minimizes the subject's shadow in the background of the picture.
4. Avoid taking outdoor portraits at lunchtime. At noon, the sun is pointing straight down, which will create harsh shadows across the person's face. If you need to take the portrait at this time, move your subject into a shady area.
5. Use your fill flash to add light and negate shadows from the sun. Most compact digital cameras have a fill-flash mode, which tones down the intensity of the camera's built-in flash. Many external flashes also have a fill-flash option. Check your user's manual for details on set either.
6. Find a reflector to bounce the sunlight toward your subject's face. Anything white, such as a blank piece of paper or a white T-shirt, will work.
Tags: your subject, bounce light, built-in flash, camera flash, have fill-flash
