self portraits and portraits

best tips for portraits:

1. Experiment with Lighting

Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits.

Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.

2. Introduce Movement

Portraits can be so static – but what if you added some movement into them? This can be achieved in a few ways:

• by making your subject move
• by keeping your subject still but having an element in the scene around them move
• by moving your camera (or it’s lens to achieve a zoom burst)

The key with the above three methods is to use a slow enough shutter speed to capture the movement.

The alternative is to have your subject obviously move fast but to use a shutter speed so fast that it ‘freezes’ their movement.

3. Frame Your Subject

Framing is a technique where by you draw attention to one element of an image by framing it with another element of the image.

Framing gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.

You could do it by placing your subject in a window or doorway, have them look through a small gap or even use their hands around their face.

Types of portraits:

Environmental portrait- 

I enjoy this photo because it's sort of confusing, but wonderfully taken. It makes you wonder what he's doing in the middle of a train track with a train not far away from. 

I think this photo is really interesting. The girl looks really distressed and the "empty every night" bucket and caution tap add to it. I really love the feeling you get when looking at this photo.

Photography self portrait: 

The creativity of this photo is amazing. I love the idea and the lighting in this photo. I think it's really great.

This is another creative self portrait. I like that she's like this portrait on the wall in a self-portrait. The idea is magnificent and the rule of thirds is displayed wonderfully.

Casual portrait:

Though I do no agree with smoking, I think this photo is really pretty despite that fact. I like how the aperture blurred out the background so we can focus on the subject.

I think this photo is really pretty, and i really like how the photographer shot from the side of her inside of head on. I think it adds more interest.

My plan for the self portrait and portrait photo shoot is to get my god sister Wesley, who is nine, and sit her on a window sill so she is looking at her reflection in the window. I would maybe make her face appear dirty so the photo is more interesting, and i would shoot this at my house. To make the shot successful i would shoot from many different angles to ensure i get a good shot.