Basic Photography Course

will result (fig. 7-1). When the eyes are looking too far
away from the camera, a vague, faraway look results
(fig. 7-2). The eyes also lose their brilliance and sparkle,
and too much white shows when the subject's eyes are
looking away from the camera.

Portrait Composition and Subject Placement

As in every type of photography, in portraiture there

must be one, and only one, principal point of interest.
Naturally, in a portrait, this is the subject's face. You can

emphasize the point of interest in a portrait by doing the
following:

Having it contrast with the background

Giving it the strongest lighting

Posing the subject and arranging the props so all
elements point to it

Locating it at a strong point within the picture
area

Where are the strong points within a portrait picture

space? The principle

thirds,

as discussed in chapter

5, applies to portraiture as well. These are the areas
within a portrait that attract eye attention and are the
preferred locations for the center of interest (fig. 7-3).
In a portrait, when the main point of interest is located

at Point A, the secondary point of interest should be at
Point D. If B is the point of interest, C becomes the

302.159

Figure 7-4.Subject placed too high in the photograph.

secondary interest point. Such an arrangement
obviously balances the composition.

As stated earlier, the subject's face is the point of

interest in a portrait and, of course, covers a considerable
area in the picture space. Usually in portrait
composition, the eyes fall close to Points A or B. But
these positions are approximations only. The final
adjustment of the head depends upon several factors:
the eye direction, the shape of the body, and the leading
lines. No rule can be given for best portrait composition.
Rules only give guidance to a rough approximation of
good placement. You can only arrive at the best
composition for each portrait through the feeling for
balance and subject position.

When the head and shoulders are placed high in the

picture frame, a sense of dignity and stability is gained.
Such placement is particularly appropriate when the
subject is a person of importance, such as the CO.
However, when the head is too high (fig. 7-4), viewing
the picture is uncomfortable because there is a feeling
that if the subject stood up he would bump his head.
Also, when the head is too high, the proportion between
head and body areas becomes awkward.

7-7

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Basic Photography Course

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DOFMaster for Windows On-line Depth of Field Calculator DOFMaster for Mobile Devices On-line Depth of Field Table Hyperfocal Distance Chart Articles FAQ Recommended Books Support Contact Links Home As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.	contents <- previous page next page -> Figure 7-3.Rule of thirds. will result (fig. 7-1). When the eyes are looking too far away from the camera, a vague, faraway look results (fig. 7-2). The eyes also lose their brilliance and sparkle, and too much white shows when the subject's eyes are looking away from the camera. Portrait Composition and Subject Placement As in every type of photography, in portraiture there must be one, and only one, principal point of interest. Naturally, in a portrait, this is the subject's face. You can emphasize the point of interest in a portrait by doing the following: Having it contrast with the background Giving it the strongest lighting Posing the subject and arranging the props so all elements point to it Locating it at a strong point within the picture area Where are the strong points within a portrait picture space? The principle of thirds, as discussed in chapter 5, applies to portraiture as well. These are the areas within a portrait that attract eye attention and are the preferred locations for the center of interest (fig. 7-3). In a portrait, when the main point of interest is located at Point A, the secondary point of interest should be at Point D. If B is the point of interest, C becomes the 302.159 Figure 7-4.Subject placed too high in the photograph. secondary interest point. Such an arrangement obviously balances the composition. As stated earlier, the subject's face is the point of interest in a portrait and, of course, covers a considerable area in the picture space. Usually in portrait composition, the eyes fall close to Points A or B. But these positions are approximations only. The final adjustment of the head depends upon several factors: the eye direction, the shape of the body, and the leading lines. No rule can be given for best portrait composition. Rules only give guidance to a rough approximation of good placement. You can only arrive at the best composition for each portrait through the feeling for balance and subject position. When the head and shoulders are placed high in the picture frame, a sense of dignity and stability is gained. Such placement is particularly appropriate when the subject is a person of importance, such as the CO. However, when the head is too high (fig. 7-4), viewing the picture is uncomfortable because there is a feeling that if the subject stood up he would bump his head. Also, when the head is too high, the proportion between head and body areas becomes awkward. 7-7 contents Basic Photography Course <- previous page next page ->	As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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