Typing Practice 017 - Technique Portrait Tips. Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey

Chris Bailey is a professional portrait photographer based in South West England. Chris loves both the technical and visual challenge of capturing people, as every face is unique. Check out his portfolio of work at www.chrisbaileyphotography.co.uk. 

 

Headshots

Professional photographer Chris Bailey reveals his top tips for capturing headshots using only natural light.

 

Background

When selecting a background for your headshots, bear in mind that our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of an image. Try not to choose a background with too much highlight as it takes attention away from the face. Ideally you want to aim for the face to be the brightest part of your image. I find that placing my subjects against a wall or in an alleyway helps to create depth and perspective in my image. 

 

Background separation and bokeh

Bokeh is a term photographers use to describe the softness of a background while the foreground stays sharp and in focus. Bokeh is achieved by using a low f-stop such as f/2.8 or f/4 to help make your headshot 'pop' from the image and separate your subject from the background. After all, we are trying to make a two-dimensional image look as three dimensional as possible.

 

Find the direction of light

The beauty of working with daylight is that it's one of the best qualities of light available and it's absolutely free! You don't need to invest in expensive studio lights, after all, those studio strobes are just trying to imitate daylight. When the sun is high, the light will be harder and produce strong shadows, but when the sun is low, the light will be softer and will produce more even results. The direction of light matters, and placing your subject in relation to the sun is crucial. I find this position by placing my hand out in front of me and turning around in a full circle. This may sound silly and look odd but look at how the quality of light changes on your hand as you move it. Magic 

 

Shadows are your friend

Creating shadows on the face adds character, shape and dimension. You can completely change the look of a person's face by where you allow the shadows and highlights to fall. Try placing the side of your subject's face near a wall and watch their face gently fall into shadow.