The Complete Portrait Manual (Popular Photography): 200+ Tips and Techniques for Shooting Perfect Photos of People

by The Editors of Popular Photography

Overview

For beginners looking to master the portrait or lifelong photographers looking to try a new twist on the classic genre, this is your photo book. The Complete Portrait Manual provides over 200 tips techniques to help you successfully capture the portrait you want.

The editors of Popular Photography pooled all their knowledge from their 70+ years of experience to bring you the most comprehensive guide to portraits on the market: The Complete Portrait Manual. Whether you’re after snapshots of loved ones laughing, impressive studio headshots, fun yet tasteful selfies on your smartphone, or lightning-fast captures of athletes doing the thing they love, this guide will help you produce the perfect portrait.

In chapters on how to flatter your subjects with poses and angles, light them just right, and retouch your photos in post-production, you’ll learn how to:

Get to Know Your Subjects Pick Props that Show Personality
Snap a Nice Seflie Craft Environmental Portraits
Hide Flaws with Clever Angles Take Candid Street Shots
Pick Poses that Flatter Zoom In on Telling Details
Shoot Truly Joyful Holiday Portraits Freeze a Subject’s Fleeting Reflection
Set Up Avedon Lighting Know Your Light Sources
Flatter with a Ring Light Mimic Film Noir Shadows
Slow a Spinning Ballerina with Long Exposure Combine Natural and Studio Light
Select Light Modifiers Capture Musicians with Limited Lighting
Make Nostalgic Portraits with Film Understand Retouching Tools
Go Classic with Black and White Conversion Craft Whimsical Composites
Repair Old Photos of Loved Ones Minimize Lines and Skin Flaws
Whiten Teeth and Eyes Make Cautious Use of the Liquify Tool
Brighten Exposure for Breezier Snapshots

For amateur photographers, there is no better resource. With high-quality design, intricate detail, and a durable flexicover—this manual is the perfect gift!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616289522
Publisher:	Weldon Owen
Publication date:	01/12/2016
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	264,474
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Combining stunning images, expert advice, and rigorous product testing and analysis, Popular Photography gives photographers at every level of experience all the tools, techniques and inspiration they need to make great pictures. It shares both unmatched authority and you-can-do-it enthusiasm with its audience in print and digital editions, social media and mobile apps, and on the Web. With more than 2 million readers and over 70 years of expertise, Popular Photography is the world’s largest how-to monthly magazine for image-making enthusiasts.

Read an Excerpt

Tip 22: Give Images Depth
 
Photographers, in a way, are magicians—creating the illusion of three dimensions with only two. Unless flat is the vibe you’re after, you’ll want to use your powers to create a sense of depth.
 
ZONE THE ACTION For environmental shots, try to include a visual element in the foreground, middle ground, and background. The viewer’s eye will hop between these elements, leading him or her deeper into the image.
 
SHOOT IN PORTRAIT Photographs in a landscape orientation tend to emphasize elements that are the same distance away, while the portrait orientation naturally invites the eye from the foreground all the way through to the background.
 
GET LOW If you position your camera close to the ground and shoot up at an angle, you’ll make objects appear to get smaller as they recede into the background behind your subject, exaggerating your image’s sense of depth and dimension.