Smith - Photograph the Face: Lighting, Posing, and Postproduction Techniques for Flawless Portraits

Jeff Smith is a professional photographer and the owner of two very successful studios in central California. His numerous articles have appeared in Rangefinder, Professional Photographer, and Studio Photography and Design magazines. Jeff has been a featured speaker at the Senior Photographers International Convention, as well as at numerous seminars for professional photographers. He has written seven books, including Outdoor and Location Portrait Photography; Corrective Lighting, Posing, and Retouching Techniques for Portrait Photographers; Professional Digital Portrait Photography; and Success in Portrait Photography (all from Amherst Media). His common-sense approach to photography and business makes the information he presents both practical and very easy to understand.

Copyright 2014 by Jeff Smith.

All rights reserved.

All photographs by the author unless otherwise noted.

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Associate Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-688-3

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013952530

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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The author and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Contents

LEARNING OBJECTIVE Understand how a customized approach enhances success.

T here are over seven billion people on this planet and every one of them has a unique face. The width and length of each face varies considerably, as do the structure and contours created by the cheekbones, the jaw, and the forehead. The noses and ears are also unique to each face and help define the look of the individual. Above all, the eyes and mouth of each person help reveal their unique identity and mood.

That being the case, wouldnt you think that portrait photographers would have almost countless lighting styles or strategies in place to deal with all the differences between faces? Unfortunately, most photographers use the same lighting week after weekapparently expecting that what looks great on a fair-skinned, blue-eyed woman with classic European features will somehow be just as flattering on a darker-complected, browned-eyed woman with classic African features. Both woman are beautiful, but they are also differentand the way you light them should be, too.

Each persons face is uniqueand your approach to showcasing it in portraits should be just as individualized.

Portrait photography is one of the most personal and customized products in the world, yet many photographers approach their sessions without regard to the individual clients tastes, the subjects unique appearance, or the expectation of the final portrait based on the clients self-image. Sometimes it helps to look at other professions to see the flaws in our own, so lets consider a couple examples.

I love motorcycles. I just sold my Harley and I am planning on having a custom bike made. This isnt a cheap processbut, to me, the level of importance of my motorcycle ranks somewhere between my sons and my dog... so you might say its a very important and personal thing to me. Knowing how important this motorcycle is to me and the amount of money it will cost to build, do you think the craftsman who designs and builds my bike will just call me in, take a deposit, and then inform me I will love whatever he designs and builds, simply because he is an artist? I dont think so. Most creative businesses learned long ago that art is in the eye of the buyer not the creator.

Maybe you cant relate to motorcycles. Lets look at wedding cake decorators. Wedding cakes have become very important to brides, and designing them is truly an artistic profession. A wedding cake is very personal, so it has to be customized to the taste of the client. Can you imagine a cake decorator in todays market just telling the bride and groom, Im an artist, so you will love anything I decide to create for you.? Wake up! All creative professionals need direction from the client in order to deliver a product that will sell.

Selling is easy when you understand the client and deliver what theyve asked for.

As with professionals in other creative fields, direction from the client helps us produce a product that will sell.

Some of the direction you get will be gathered by talking with your client about their specific needs and tastes (this will be covered in ). However, there are some important factors underlying the practice of professional portrait photography that clients wont consider (or wont want to acknowledge). These are covered in the following two rules. As the professional, its up to you to make sure these rules are followed.

Even if part of the face has a problem, that problem is part of what makes up the look of the person you are photographing. Especially when it comes to the eyes and mouth, changing the subjects face changes their appearance into one that friends and family wont recognize. Thats the case whether were talking about changes from a plastic surgeons knife, distortions from a photographers improper use of lighting, or over-enthusiastic postproduction enhancements by a retouchereven if, to your tastes, those changes represent an improvement.