Portrait Photography | My Creative Process and Philosophy

Philosophy
The world is full of all sorts of interesting things, places and people to take pictures of. And just like any other field of study there are photographers that specialize in all different types of photography. But the type of photography that was the most challenging and rewarding to me, was portrait photography. I feel that in order to be a good portrait photographer you first must be a good person. Someone who is sensitive to people and knows how to help them feel comfortable when it comes to creating their portrait. Notice how I didn't use the word "taking" their portrait.  Because I feel that when you go out to photograph someone, you should try and make them feel as if their part of the creative process. So to simple go and "take" someone's picture, you're already being insensitive in the whole portrait making process. I know when someone points a camera at me, I get all self conscious like someone about to take out my liver or something. I'm afraid that the imperfections in my face or body are going to show in the photo. I think it's human to think that way, so this is why I try to work with each and every person I make a portrait of to capture them in the best possible light. Often times I'm photographing people who aren't models and so I'll spend some time to try and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera.

What Should I Wear?
I get this question a lot and I tell people to pick clothing that won't draw attention away from their faces. What does that mean? Well, anything that is brightly colored or has a busy stripes or patterns in it. Stick to solid colors that compliment your skin tone. And if you're organizing a family portrait, try and coordinate everyone's clothes so that they compliment each other. If you want to wear white, try to accent it with another color. Whatever you wear, make sure it's something you like and feel comfortable wearing.

Hair and Make-up
Since I live and work in San Diego, I often get asked to photograph families on the beach. The beach is a great place to have portraits done, but if you've even been to the beach you know it can be windy. For guys wind isn't a problem but for women this can be an issue with fly away hair. So keep that in mind if you select a location that may be windy. If your session is going to be outside and you think your skin my get shinny from being out and about, then bring along a small make-up kit to allow you to do touch-ups during the shoot. I always carry touch-up pads in my camera bag to fix faces that become shinny during the shoot. Guys should have their hair cut at least one week prior to the shoot and should be clean shaven. If it's a corporate shoot, then it's possible we will have a budget for a hair and make-up person.

Portrait Locations
Some of the best portraits I've photographed in have been done in and around people's homes, at a park, the beach, downtown urban settings, or even in an office building. I think wherever the portrait is made, the people in the photo first must feel comfortable with their surrounding. If they're not comfortable with their surrounds, then most likely it will show in their faces. This is why I like to make sure whatever location I'm proposing to photograph someone in, that they feel comfortable in that environment first. If not, we move to another spot where they are. I've also done portrait session where everyone walks from one location to the next. This way it feels more like a walk and less like a photo shoot and it gives us more backgrounds to select from in the end.

To Pose or Not to Pose...
that is the question. Well, I think it's a bit of both. When people think of the word "posed" they often think of words like forced, fabricated, contrived. But when people think of the word "candid" they think free, natural, spontaneous, relaxed. So naturally people want those kinds of photos. I hear a lot of wedding photographers talking about shooting in a "photojournalist" style and taking mostly candid pictures. I too shoot in photo journalistic style, but believe in classic posed (yes that's right) wedding portraiture. Pictures that take some orchestration to get just right. Photos that you'll want to pass on down to your kids and they'll pass them onto their kids. Photos where people are looking at the camera and smiling or not smiling. Often times I will position someone where there is nice lighting, then ask them to look away from the camera for a bit and then right before I'm ready to press the shutter I ask them to look into the camera. Whatever method you use, the key is to try and make the photo not looked posed even though it is. I sometimes call it being a Thelonious Monk photographer and the images you want are in between all the pose shots you take.

Portrait Lighting
First of all there is no one perfect way to light a portrait. Some people only use natural light and some aren't afraid to use flash to their advantage. Me personally, I think there is no better way to light a portrait than using 100% natural light. I can hear you flash people out there ready to challenge me with your strobes. That's fine, I use strobes too and that's how I came to love the look and feel of natural light. Now obviously there are circumstance where natural light just isn't going to cut it and then that when the aid of flash photography needs to come into play. But if you're going to use a flash you better know how to use it, otherwise the photo is going to look like you used a flash. The secret to really good flash photography is to make the photo look like you didn't use a flash.  That's when you know you've used it correctly. The first thing I look for when reviewing a portrait is to make sure the eyes are lit and in focus. And if I can get a nice catch light in the eye with either a window, a reflector, softbox or flash all the better.

Time of Day
Often times people will ask me, "when is the best time to meet to have pictures done?". That's easy to answer, "either in the morning or afternoon when the sun is low in the sky". The light in the morning (7:30-10:00 am)  is nice but considerably "cooler" than the light in the afternoon. I like to shoot in what is referred to as the "golden hour", which is an hour and half before sunset. The light has a soft warm golden hue to it which is great for portraits. You can create portraits in the middle of the day in bright sunlight, but you will need to stop the light down with a diffuser. And keep in mind that people with sensitive eyes will most likely squint when placed in full sun. The best thing to do is to find a nice shady spot and reflect light into your subjects eyes with a reflector or flash.

Depth
I'm always looking for depth in my portraits, either by having subject matter in the foreground or in the background. I also look for subject matter in the frame that produces leading lines such as fences, walls, etc. Lines like this help focus the veiewers eye towards the person in the photo and help to add depth and interest.

Post Processing and Retouching
I've also found that just making the picture is only half of it. After the picture is created, I still spend time to process and retouch the image to make it look as good as it can. Making sure that the skin tones are right and that any imperfections in the skin are retouched by using all my magic Photoshop skills.