- #Portrait retouching inspiration how to#
- #Portrait retouching inspiration iso#
- #Portrait retouching inspiration professional#
Sometimes, I like to shoot through leaves or grass (as I did in this shot), so that the leaves or grass are out of focus, but add a soft blurring effect. I think it also adds a dreamy, otherworldly feel to the image. If you’re wondering why all my tutorial images are shot at the lowest available f/stop, it’s because I find that shooting portraits at a lower f-stop helps me to to keep the focus on my subject, separating them effectively from their background and ensuring they are the undisputed focal point of the image. But can you see how much easier the images shot in softer light are to capture and process in a more flattering way? But this time it was shoot at 200 mm, taken during 3:00 p.m.Ĭlearly, my son’s facial expression and pose is not as good as my model’s. Now below, take a look at this SOOC jpeg, also shot at f-2.8. It was taken during the Golden Hour, approximately 45 minutes before sunset. This is the SOOC jpeg, shot at f-2.8 with my 70-200 mm lens, at 170 mm.
![portrait retouching inspiration portrait retouching inspiration](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/4c/ab/134cab87c723c8acde308c476f4598eb.jpg)
Obviously, this is not a perfect example because he is shorter, but hopefully you get a sense of just how much balanced, soft light helped to make this portrait more beautiful before ever doing any post processing.īelow is another example, just closer up:
![portrait retouching inspiration portrait retouching inspiration](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8b/a2/4d/8ba24d71657cd92f59bed1329f864e17--online-fashion-affirmations.jpg)
![portrait retouching inspiration portrait retouching inspiration](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/69/5f/27/695f27acf031dcbea7b197f1fb8870a2.png)
This is the SOOC jpeg, shot at the same 2.8 f-stop, but with a slightly different lens distance of 70 mm (instead of 75 mm). To compare, below is a photo of my son (and unwilling model) standing in the approximate area, but taken at a different time of day-around 3:00 in Los Angeles, on a sunny day, approximately 3.5 hours before the Golden Hour: A little of the soft Western light is softly shaping the highlights and shadows on her face. This was taken about 45 minutes before sunset: The photo below is the SOOC jpeg image shot with my Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L lens, shot at 75 mm at f/2.8. The big difference (model aside) is the quality of available light. All these examples are shot at the same spot, using the same lens, at the same f-stop. I’m going to show you a few examples of what I’m talking about, demonstrating just how much natural light conditions matter. I use my 85 mm 1.2 and 70-200 mm 2.8 lenses most often when I am outdoors have have ample space to work with.
#Portrait retouching inspiration professional#
While great shots can be accomplished without an expensive professional camera and/or lens, having these tools help immeasurably because they allow you to carefully craft how you interpret your subject matter, including the depth of field, shutter speed, and how much visual information you wish to include in your shot. The second thing I consider when I shoot is what lens I will be using and what my settings will be.
#Portrait retouching inspiration iso#
Whether you choose to shoot on an overcast afternoon, during the golden hour, the blue hour (if your camera’s ability to deal well with a higher ISO permits) or in open shade, finding flattering light is a must for portraiture work. I even prefer the SOOC (Straight Out of Camera) color tones when I’m working in softer light. Finding soft, even light is what I always strive for when I want to create a flattering portrait, as it helps to avoid having my subjects squinting, and it avoids the issue of “contrast-y”, harsh shadows falling on their face.
#Portrait retouching inspiration how to#
Understanding how to use light and shadow to your advantage is critical. I believe that the most important thing to consider as a photographer-and particularly a natural light photographer-is the quality of the light you will be shooting in.
![portrait retouching inspiration portrait retouching inspiration](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1b/cc/a0/1bcca089d020b7d980abe17c65fc2c97.jpg)
How To Shoot, Retouch, and Process Portraits With Natural Light