Iain Gillespie on portrait photography
Iain Gillespie on portrait photography
Photographer Iain Gillespie's advice on taking better portrait shots.
Portrait photography is one of the most challenging aspects of being a photographer.
Photos of sunsets and rainbows are all very nice, but capturing strong images of fellow human beings requires a different set of skills.
It is important to have your subject relax. They must have some confidence in you as a photographer. It will be difficult for them to feel comfortable if you don't appear to know what you're doing, so make sure you know your gear. A fumbling photographer is not a good look.
You don't need to overthink lighting. Some of the world's best portrait photographers use a single flash, and possibly a reflector. Resist the urge to turn your lighting to full power. Subtle looks good and simple is best.
If you are on top of your technical stuff, you can work on the details of the photo itself - looking at composure and backgrounds, for example. It's easy to be so concerned with camera and flash settings, and miss something obvious.
Most people are nervous about having their photo taken in a formal situation. I have found that allowing a little input can often disarm an unwilling subject. Explain what you are trying to achieve.
For my series of portraits of inhabitants of Home Island in the Cocos, I initially hoped to bring the subjects to a makeshift studio to provide some kind of continuity to the shots. But as is so often the case, the situation required a rethink and a degree of flexibility.
The photos needed to be taken in the homes of the islanders. And, as the islanders as Muslims, I also had to work around their Friday prayers.
To give the portraits a similar feel, I took all the photos in the shade using a short depth of field. This meant the backgrounds would be soft and appear similar. Converting the images to greyscale (with a little blue tint) also provides continuity between the photos.
Obviously, dealing with people of another culture demands that you show respect. Once people know what you are trying to do and that they are part of the process, they will usually be okay with you taking a photo.
