7 Tips of Shooting Portrait on a Busy Street/ in a Mall
Christina Szeto • Dec 25, 2020
7 Tips of Shooting Portrait on a Busy Street/ in a Mall
7 Tips of Shooting Portrait on a Busy Street/ in a Mall
Merry Christmas everyone! I just took some pictures of Anastasia in a busy shopping mall. I tried to use the location to my advantage and got 7 tips to share:
The 7 Tips
1) Use a flash (00:24)
-Purpose: to balance the background and the subject exposure
-Main benefit: having a flash allows you to shoot in many different locations, including a bright iconic background. If you don't have a flash, try to look for an open shade.
*Using a flash might be forbidden or rather inconvenient in certain locations, so please check the rules first.
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Portrait Lighting & Posing I Workshop (http://www.photosprouts.com/portrait101)
2) Look for little light bulbs in the background (01:43)
-Purpose: to create shallow depth of field
-Where? Storefronts/ Christmas Tree Lights
-How?
a) widen the aperture
b) use telephoto focal length (e.g 85mm lenses; 70-200mm lenses)
c) bring the subject away from the background
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Intermediate I Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/beginner102)
3) Look for large glass windows (03:25)
-Purpose: to create reflections
-How?
a) bring the camera as close to the glass as possible
-Recommended course:
1. Photosprouts' Street Photography Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/streetphotography)
2. Photosprouts' Color Grading Class (Online only)
(http://www.photosprouts.com/colorgrading)
4) Use slow shutter speeds (04:30)
-Purpose: to tell a story by motion-blurring people's movement
-How?
a) The ambient:
Determine the shutter speed first (e.g) 1/10s,
use small aperture (e.g F22), and set low ISO,
try to shoot in the shade so that the photo will not be overexposed with the above settings
b) The flash (a must if there's no tripod):
Normally has to be in full power as the aperture is small (yes, bump up the flash power whenever you use HHS OR small apertures).
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Intermediate II Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/beginner102)
5) Look for benches (06:26)
-Purpose: to create repeated patterns/ foreground
-I also had two versions of ambient exposures in this example
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Street Photography Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/streetphotography)
6) Look for architectures (07:57)
-Purpose: to create geometrical shapes
-How?
a) Use a wide angle lens (e.g 16-35mm)
b) Shoot from a low angle and make the subject appear tall
c) Posing tip: the subject should lean slight towards the camera
-The secret of shooting better portraits:
a) Shoot different types of photography to train the eye, not just portraitures.
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Long Exposure Landscape Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/landscape)
7) Bring both wide and telephoto lenses (09:28)
-Purpose: to use tips #1-6
-Recommended course: Photosprouts' Intermediate I Workshop
(http://www.photosprouts.com/beginner102)
***
My equipment:
-Camera: Canon 5D Mark iv
-Lenses: Canon 85mm F1.4 & Canon 16-35mm F4
-Flash: Godox AD600
-Softbox: Glow Ez Lock 36" Octabox
*Photosprouts Photography Workshops* | Instructor-led Workshops in San Francisco
| Equipment provided |
Browse Instructor-led Workshops:
http://www.photosprouts.com
Upcoming Workshop:
The Golden Gate Bridge Long Exposure, Jan 3rd 2021
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