Outstanding Nude Portraits I

This is part 3 of a series featuring the best portraits on Shadowness, where I include some awesome tutorials in conjunction with Photokore, a new stock image site specializing in the Asian market, to help you master the techniques required for outstanding photos such as the ones below.

Part I: Outstanding Male Portraits (11 Sep 2011)

Part II: Outstanding Female Portraits (18 Sep 2011)

Outstanding Nude Portraits I:

Lighting for Portrait Photos

Lighting is one of the most important factors in capturing a great portrait shot.

Natural daylight gives great results for portrait photography. When shooting portraits outdoors you should choose an overcast day. This will lessen the harsh shadows in an image and will also prevent the subject from squinting. If the sun is very bright find a location in the shade.

You cannot always rely on natural light, so you may require the help of artificial lights. If you’re using artificial lighting, never place your lights directly in front of the subject. They should always be placed at a 45-degree angle. This will help to prevent red eye occurring.

Soft lighting works best for portrait photography. This can be achieved by bouncing the light off an umbrella or reflector. It will also reduce harsh shadows.

Hint: Use a Light Meter. All modern day cameras have light meters built into them. (Don’t ever use your strobe in automatic mode because it will give you the wrong results. Learn to use and read light correctly). But if you are serious about portrait photography it’s advisable to have a hand-held light meter. These are small and light-weight, and when used correctly are extremely accurate.

Practice

The only way to improve your portrait photography is continuous practice. Ask your friends to pose for you for half an hour and just keep shooting. Take photos of kids – yours, your nieces and nephews, or your friends children. Try some self-portraits. Set your camera on a tripod and shoot photos of yourself. Anything works - just keep practicing.

In time, the experience you gain will help you develop an intuitive feel for how the camera, light and person all come together to make a great portrait. Use the tips above and keep shooting and you’ll start to see improvements in your portrait photography.



Check out more awesome tutorials on stock and portrait photography at

Sep 25th