HOW I MAKE PORTRAIT

How I create a portrait


Environment

I firmly believe that one of the most important things in creating a portrait is the environment in which the portrait is created. I define environment as the immediate close surroundings affecting the image. Careful consideration must be given to matching the desired result to the environment. So for the type of portraiture that I do I need a relaxed somewhat homelike area. I use a living room to do most of my shooting. I have a couple of couches, a table, a straight chair, an easy chair, and a lowboy bench.

Other photographers that I know use totally different setups. Each must create that which will best enhance the individual style. There is no “end all be all.”



Relax customer

When I first meet with the customer comes I greet them and try to help them relax. I usually have them sit in one of the chairs or on the couch while I explain what I am going to do. Many times I will ask them to close their eyes and breathe in and out slowly a few times. I never rush!!! If the customer is in too much of a hurry I will sometimes suggest that perhaps it would be better if we re-scheduled when they are under less pressure. Most of the time this will get them to slow down and we can proceed. It is better to lose a shoot than to rush and mess it up. This approach may not work for everybody but it does for me.

Study face

When the subject has relaxed I then tell them that I need to study their face for a few minutes. I then study their face as to body type, bone structure, blemishes, and particularly to the eye structure. The way the eyes are treated is of paramount importance.

Different poses



Pose subject

Placing the subject in a viable position requires thought. I use, among other things, chair, couch, stool, wall, window, and floor. I first decide if I am going to create a full, half, torso, or head shot. Then I have the subject assume several position using the props I selected.. Sometimes I will snapshoot these for reference. After I have carefully selected the poses I am going to use I position the subject in the first pose.



Decide on lighting

For the most part I specialize in single light lighting. That is purely a matter of choice. I have used multiple lighting but for the drama I specialize in I prefer a single light placed strategically placed. I generally use a from shoulder up light for female and a shoulder down for male. This will vary according to circumstance.



Make the image

Now I set the ISO no. Then I take a reading with my Luna pro SBC meter. I use this meter because it gives me offsets to adjust for my Sunpak 365 flash. Now I set the aperture and shutter speed. I now release the shutter and create the image.



Move from CF card to raw folder

Next I move the images from the CF card to a folder labeled raw. From this folder I am able to make my primary adjustments using Digital Photo Professional (DPP).



Open and edit in DPP



Save to a folder labeled DPP



From DPP folder, convert and save to JPG folder.

I always keep the RAW and DPP folders so that if I goof I am able to go back and recover my work.

(As point of reference I use photoshop- 7)

Open JPG folder

First I crop the image and save it.

Extract image

I erase everything in the background that is unnecessary to the portrait that I am creating and save



Edit:

This is by far the most time consuming part of the process.

Skin

Using various tools such as dodge, burn, sponge, levels, color balance, hue and saturation, to name a few, I massage the skin into the way I want it to look.



Eyes


Magnify the eye area to about 200%

Click on the mask function.
Then go up the tool bar and click on pencil.
Fom the tool bar accross tho top choose: mode=normal   opacity=100%   brush size about 3 to 5.
Carefully outline the whites then fill with red color (white part only)


Exit quick mask
When you exit quick mask you will seea series of dashes around the masked area.
Go up the top tool bar click on select and choose inverse.

Go to image – adjustments – Hue saturation – reds: -48

Yellows: -34

Master - lightness: +10

Marquee tool and delete

Iris and catchlight.
First:  from the verticle toolbar select the dodge tool. Then go up to the horizontal tool bar. Choose brush the hard round. Size the brush to fit the color stripe onthe iris. Then go to range = highlights. Exposure = I usually find that about 50% is about right. Now make one pass only around the color stripe. Then chnge the exposure to 100% , Sizethe brush to fit the catchlight and make one click on each catchlight.



































































Marquee tool and delete







Teeth



Mask

100%

Cover teeth
Exit quick mask







































Image – adjustments – Hue saturation – reds -48

Yellows -34

Master - lightness -10

Marquee tool and delete





Lips

Mask



100%

Cover lips

Exit quick mask



Select inverse





Image – adjustments – levels or hue-saturation to taste















Hair

Dodge – highlights – 30% - airbrush soft round



Sponge – saturate – 30% - airbrush soft round

Beaver Creek Cliffs

ON THE EMOTIONS OF IMAGERY

I believe that a portrait should have a display of emotion. In order to achieve this the photographer and the subject must attain a mutual (mental, psychological) openness. It is imperative that both are in the most relaxed state possible during the shoot..


I am going to delve more deeply than usual into this process because I believe that it has affected my personal imaging to a great degree.

Briefly, the brain consists of literally billions of neuron cells of different sizes and shapes.

Every time you think, move, taste, smell, hear or touch a neuron chain is formed and stored in your brain. Neurons of similar shape and size join together as chains that control responses. These chains of neurons are known as ganglia. Chains of ganglia are known as ganglionic chains.

Since every time the brain is told to take or not take action these chains are reinforced soon these chains react to an outside stimulus virtually automatically. So, for example, when you see a lemon being squeezed your mouth puckers from the sour image. This is called a response repertory.

So how does this affect photography? If the session is perceived to be a stressful time then the response repertory tells the muscles and emotions to tense up. This is not beneficial to the session. So what to do about it?

Well let’s look at these neuron things a little further.

During the time that a neuron is a link in an active neuron chain, it continues to generate electricity alternating between negative and positive frequencies varying from .5 cycles per second up to 30 cycles per second. This range of firing frequency of neuron cells is divided onto four sectors which are defined as brain rhythms. They are Delta (below 4 BPS), Theta (4 to 7 BPS) Alpha (8 to 14 BPS) , and Beta (15 and up BPS).It appears that the slower the brain wave the more powerful it is

It has been shown that positioning oneself in one or the other of these levels on purpose is possible. It has also been demonstrated that the brain is highly receptive to suggestions of calm, openness, and relaxation.

So the first thing that we need to do is “Everybody RELAX”. Take the time to talk to the subject and even tell yourself to relax and have some fun with what you are doing. Explain what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Have the subject sit or stand in a few different positions and talk about how this can enhance the shoot.

Once everybody is relaxed and the customer is calm and in a relaxed and open mood, set lights, adjust the camera and make images.

Now back to the brain wave thing. As the customer relaxes the brain slows down and becomes closer to the Alpha wave level the customer becomes more receptive to your suggestions. A cooperating customer who is in tune with you is a joy to work with.

There are many who discount this brain wave thing as BS but I have used this methodology and I can tell you it works. It sets up an emotional bond that greatly enhances the creativity potential of the shot.

An image without emotion is like a soup without salt.