Glamour Photography in the Studio
Glamour photography has made a comeback. In fact, aside from
celebrities, ordinary people rush to glamour studios to have their
portrait taken. Glamour photography has indeed become the "in" thing
nowadays. And more and more photographers have been bitten by the
glamour bug and are now shifting their focus on the craft.
Whether you are just entering the world of glamour photography or are
already a pro, you probably know that the basic and most important thing
to have a good digital camera. Today, digital cameras are built to be
more accurate, versatile, and convenient. Although the basic
point-and-shot digi-cam takes good photos, producing a
professional-looking portrait would take a higher-end camera that has
multiple features and that will allow settings like aperture priority,
shutter priority, as well as manual exposure settings. These features
enable one to control the amount of light that will enter the lens. It
is imperative that you have a thorough understanding as to how your
camera works before setting up your studio and photograph your models.
Two elements are essential in glamour photography: a controlled
background and controlled lighting. A controlled background will allow
the photographer to focus attention on the subject as distractions are
avoided. Many glamour photographers play safe and stick to a seamless
roll of paper or monochromatic backgrounds, although some use a long
fast lens so that everything else that's distracting will appear like
blurred blobs of color.
Controlled lighting, on the other hand, is as important as controlled
background because it sets the tone of the portrait. Bright lights, for
example, exude happiness while soft, subdued lights create shadows and a
dramatic mood. Studio photographers usually put lights on stands or hang
on ceilings and just use the ones that will enhance the look of the
subject when the light hits the face. There are cheap but high-quality
portable flash kits that include a couple of lights, light stands, and
umbrellas. If you are really serious with the craft, you can invest on
some high-quality 120-watt hot lights. Reflector dishes that contain
ceramic light fixtures will also be a welcome addition to your studio
equipment.
Now the last thing to consider before starting out in glamour
photography is how to work with the models so they will feel at ease and
will give you the poses and expressions that you require to produce
glamorous photos. A glamour photographer is also considered as a
portrait photographer. The difference between ordinary photographers and
portrait photographers is the latter's genuine concern and curiosity
about their models. The most important thing about portrait photography
is an interest in the subject.
Before starting your session, build rapport with your model and make
them feel at home. Provide fresh combs, a mirror, hair spray, hairclips,
and invest on quality makeup in case they need to retouch. Then make
sure that they their clothing flatters their skin tone. Do not let them
wear colors that make them look washed out. Also, if you are shooting a
group, have everyone wear clothing of the same tone, either warm or
cold.
When positioning your models, always remember that the body and the
head should face different directions. Men should tilt the top of the
head to face the far shoulder, while women are advised to tilt the top
of the head toward the near shoulder, although ladies can generally pull
off the two poses. When finally taking the portrait, let your model move
naturally. Start taking headshots, then move to head on hands, and
finally wrap up the sessions with a 3/4 or a full-length portrait.
Always bear in mind that the secret to producing excellent portraits
is mastery of the techniques, good equipment, a controlled environment
and lighting, the right model, and the photographer's natural eye for
art and beauty. |
