You are probably familiar with the phrase “the camera never lies”. Yet people also say things like, “the camera always puts on 10lbs”. The latter is a problem which occurs frequently in portraiture.

The reason for this boils down to a simple fact. When a photograph is taken of a 3-dimensional subject and converted to two dimensions, the 3-dimensional effect is lost. Also, unless we’re very careful, the subject’s personality is often lost too.

There might be other features that we (or our sitter) may want to minimise. The following lighting and camera positions will minimise the feature mentioned. If instead you want to emphasise that particular feature, just do the opposite.

It helps when learning to use your new digital camera to also know what some of the more common terms mean.   Below is a list of some of these common terms and their definition.

One of the confusing things in choosing a digital camera is deciding how many mega-pixels you should look for.  The answer depends on what you plan on doing with the finished pictures.

First, you need to understand what a pixel is.  In terms of digital prints, a pixel simply means a dot of color that makes up the image.  A mega-pixel is equal to one million pixels.  The more mega-pixels a camera has, the greater the amount of information it records.

The easiest way to decide what to look for is to know what size prints you are likely to print from your camera.  A one mega-pixel camera is fine for those who don’t plan on printing photos but rather just post them on the internet.  A small print, say 4 x 6, will print acceptably from this camera.

A 2 mega-pixel camera will enable you to produce good quality 5 x 7 prints and fair quality 8 x 10 prints.  When you reach 4 mega-pixels you can print out excellent quality 8 x 10 prints and acceptable 11 x 17 prints and a 5 mega pixel camera will allow you to print out high quality 11 x 17 prints.

Most families find a camera in the 3.2 Mega-pixel range to be the best choice.  The quality of both 5 x & and 8 X 10 prints is very good yet the files on your computer are not so large you need worry about not having enough space.

Any camera over 5 mega-pixels is unnecessary for all but professionals in photography; even then, only those who have need for poster-size prints find that many mega-pixels worth the money.  Most freelance photographers find 4 or 5 mega-pixels to be sufficient for excellent-quality prints.

The choice is yours.  Look to what you plan on doing with your photos and then decide.  In most cases spending the money for increased optical zoom and lower mega-pixels is the best choice.

Children can become interested in photography at a very early age.  When on a family vacation and upon seeing parents and other members of their family taking pictures they, as kids usually do, insist on taking photos as well.

Young Photographer

Naturally there can be concerns about letting kids loose with an expensive camera. If you are the proud owner of a digital SLR, you might want to wait until your child is older.

Of course, you can make sure that the camera loop-strap is securely attached to their wrist, that they understand they should not touch the lens, and generally supervise them closely unitl you feel confident they can go off and take pictures on their own.

However, the best thing is to find a cheaper model just for them. For instance, an inexpensive option would be a Sony Cybershot. This is an example of a point-and-shoot affair with automatic focus and a good-sized digital display.  Another alternative would be to get one of those a cheap disposable cameras.

Kids can really exploit one of the advantages that a digital camera has over film. They can take as many photos as they wish and you can always delete the ones you don’t want to keep.

Uninhibited and enthusiastic, they can snap away and produce the kind of candid shots you wouldn’t take otherwise.

The key to making this fun and rewarding is to allow them to explore photography while at the same time providing adequate supervision to ensure that nothing goes awry.

Afterwards, it is always enjoyable to spend some time with them, review the photos they’ve taken, and find out which ones are their favorites and why.

Not everyone can immediately take to the art of composition in photography. Nevertheless, the difference that it makes to a photograph means that it pays to learn good composition. So much so that the way in which you go about composing your shot can transform a good picture into an amazing one. The great thing though is that learning composition is relatively easy to do.

Here are some general guidelines to assist you in mastering the technique.

1. Avoid centering your subject within the frame. If your subject fills the centre part of the picture it trivializes the context in which the shot is taken.   Context is what gives the photograph its meaning. Unfortunately, digital cameras make this habit harder to avoid, especially for beginners.   The reason for this is that digital cameras display this center mark which may even light up and beep to indicate when they are in focus. Most of us tend to click there and then, but this can result in a predictable and boring picture as our subject is right in the middle of the shot.  In order to make the picture much more interesting simply move your camera a little to the left or right, up or down.   This places your subject slightly off-center, with the photo finishing up being more interesting and expressive.
2. Using the Rule of Thirds.
   You can use this more advanced technique to ensure you are not centering your subject in the photograph. Just imagine there is a grid on your viewfinder or camera screen. This splits the viewing area into 3 horizontal sections (top, center, bottom), and into a further 3 vertical sections (right, center, and left), forming an imaginary grid.
   To apply this technique, simply place your subject either at one of the grid junctions or locate the subject into one of the grid zones: Top, Bottom, Right or Left. By avoiding the middle part of the shot you can take in much more of the surroundings.
   Imagine you are at the beach, and you want to take a picture of your location. For this you might setup your shot where you have the sandy beach take up the bottom or middle part of the screen. You can have the sky in the top section only, or you could show more sky by making it fill both the top and middle sections, leaving the beach to show within the bottom third of the photograph.
3. Watch out for the odd and out-of-place.
   When taking a picture, we usually tend to concentrate on the subject. So much so that, sometimes, when we later take a look at the photo, we notice something quite odd and completely unintended. One very common example is having a tree smack bang behind a person. You will not have noticed the tree when you were taking the photo, but later it will seem like it’s actually growing out of the top of the person’s head. Another example is where you have taken a lovely picture of a sunset on the beach, without noticing the trash scattered in the sand along the water’s edge, totally spoiling the effect.
   Of course, any photographer can occasionally make this kind of mistake. The important thing is that you can educate yourself to make them less often. By being more observant while setting up the picture and trying different angles for the shot you can almost eliminate the taking of potentially embarrassing photos.

Check out further articles which deal with composition issues such as, lighting, portraits, backdrops, etc.

Experienced portrait photographers know how difficult it is sometimes to obtain the right pose in order to improve your pictures. Portrait photography can be most challenging, especially when your mind goes blank and you run out of creative ideas.

Action photos, on the other hand, can be simpler to take. The mood of the subject is naturally expressed, captured on film forever, the background tells the viewer where the picture was taken and the whole photograph is as natural as it gets. It tells the whole story without speaking a word.

Attempting to capture natural expressions and moods while posing your subject can appear to be an insurmountable task, especially for the beginner.

Here are 2 short videos which will take you through the basic steps required to capture a good image of your subject.

I hope you found the above short clips useful, because one of the most difficult pictures to take is one where you have to pose the human body.

Preparation For Portrait Photography

These are the fundamental steps to achieve and maintain a high standard in your portraiture.

• The most basic step is simply to get your subject to relax and be at ease.
• While preparing and sizing up the shot, talk to them, question them about their interests. Evoke reactions, even excitement, and really bring out his or her personality. This will make the portrait more natural and uninhibited.
• During your conversation with your subject, try to elicit sufficient information which may reveal an element of their personality. In turn you may use this to make the photograph convey an attribute of the subject, be it a mannerism, expression or other body language trait.
• The most challenging situation is when you have never met the subject before. In this case you must be more proficient in studying your subject and their reactions so that you can control what can be presented in front of the camera.
• One of the fascinating aspects of Portrait Photography is that after some practice you can improve your understanding of human nature, and this skill will be a great asset in your photographic endeavours.
• Remember to be confident and relaxed yourself, and be ready to photograph when the subject is ready. This way they are reassured that you are in control of the session.

Portraits come in all shapes and sizes, but follow a few basic guidelines and you’ll set the scene for a beautiful and professional shot.

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