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Portrait photography ideas and inspiration
Portrait photography ideas are often thought off in the most unlikely of places and there will be times when you’re sat there going about your daily life and “wham” it smacks you in the face like a truck. The thing is, you have to make sure you take not of these portrait photography ideas as soon as they present themselves, so you can keep the creative flow going.
There will be times when you will struggle with how to capture your next portrait photo, and during these times it is good to have those off the cuff portrait photography ideas to hand to keep you snapping away. Just like writers get “writer’s block” photographers get “photographer’s block”, and this happens to all of us. I don’t care what anyone else says there will be a time when you struggle for inspiration.
I have a small notepad on my person at all times, just so when I do get a flash of inspiration and some portrait photography ideas pop in to my head I can jot them down for a later date, and this is something I think all photographers should do. It doesn’t matter how good your memory is, I would always recommend scribbling portrait photography ideas in a notebook right away.
If you are already struggling and want some inspiration for some cool portrait photography ideas, perhaps the following may be of interest:-
Portrait photography ideas – Men at work
The first of my portrait photography ideas, and one of the easiest to capture, is men at work. Now then, what’s the first image that comes in to your head when you hear “men at work?” If it is workers with large drills digging up the road or tarmacking the pavement then you’re not alone, however it is worth remembering there are loads of different types of men at work….
What about the businessman suited and booted walking to the office? What about the cabbie leaning against his taxi waiting for a fare? What about the butcher selling meat on the market? What about the paper man selling magazines outside the shopping mall? What about the security guards patrolling the shopping mall? Take a look around and you will see plenty of men at work, all of which are great portrait photography ideas.
Okay, the ‘”conventional men at work” will make awesome portraits pictures, just remember to think outside the box and capture other men at work.
When photographing men at work I often ask them before taking their photo, and the response is usually positive. Because of this the lens I use for this type of photography is a 24-70mm zoom lens which allows me to get in nice and close for an engaging shot but still be far enough away to not get in the way.
What about the businessman suited and booted walking to the office? What about the cabbie leaning against his taxi waiting for a fare? What about the butcher selling meat on the market? What about the paper man selling magazines outside the shopping mall? What about the security guards patrolling the shopping mall? Take a look around and you will see plenty of men at work, all of which are great portrait photography ideas.
Okay, the ‘”conventional men at work” will make awesome portraits pictures, just remember to think outside the box and capture other men at work.
When photographing men at work I often ask them before taking their photo, and the response is usually positive. Because of this the lens I use for this type of photography is a 24-70mm zoom lens which allows me to get in nice and close for an engaging shot but still be far enough away to not get in the way.
Portrait photography ideas – The daily commute
How about the daily commute for some portrait photography ideas? Everyday several thousand workers have to endure the commute to work, and with such a diverse range of people all milling around in the same vicinity the portrait photography opportunities are endless.
It is worth remembering the daily commute is not a happy time for many people, therefore requesting someone poses for a photo on their way to work is unlikely to end up in a positive response. When taking portraits of workers on the daily commute I suggest taking candid style shots using a short telephoto lens, such as a 70-200mm, and standing far back.
The reason I suggest using a 70-200mm as opposed to a super zoom lens, like the 100-400mm for example, is because longer focal length tele lenses are too big and conspicuous and are likely to create unwanted attention in these situations.
It is worth remembering the daily commute is not a happy time for many people, therefore requesting someone poses for a photo on their way to work is unlikely to end up in a positive response. When taking portraits of workers on the daily commute I suggest taking candid style shots using a short telephoto lens, such as a 70-200mm, and standing far back.
The reason I suggest using a 70-200mm as opposed to a super zoom lens, like the 100-400mm for example, is because longer focal length tele lenses are too big and conspicuous and are likely to create unwanted attention in these situations.
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Portrait photography ideas – Mischievous kids
Now on to the family portrait photography ideas…….. mischievous kids. Okay, cute kid portraits make good photos but when kids are being a little bit naughty, a little mischievous and doing something they shouldn’t really be doing, the portraits can be awesome.
Your child is obviously going to stop doing what they shouldn’t be once caught, so these types of portraits are going to be candid, and you are going to have to act fast to get them. Whenever I take portraits of my nephew doing mischievous things I set the camera to aperture priority (I like control over the depth of field), set the camera in burst mode so I can fire off several shots in quick succession and put a flash in the camera’s hot shoe.
I use aperture priority mode rather than manual mode since the camera can apply the shutter speed faster than I can and if it needs tweaking I can make the necessary adjustments in editing software. I use the flash in ETTL mode because of the candid nature of the shots means the subject to flash distance will constantly change and I can tweak the power using flash exposure compensation.
My favourite lens for this type of photography is a 50mm f1.8 as they are light, small and the simply awesome. .
The next time you want some family portrait photography ideas try and snap some shots of your kids being mischievous.
Your child is obviously going to stop doing what they shouldn’t be once caught, so these types of portraits are going to be candid, and you are going to have to act fast to get them. Whenever I take portraits of my nephew doing mischievous things I set the camera to aperture priority (I like control over the depth of field), set the camera in burst mode so I can fire off several shots in quick succession and put a flash in the camera’s hot shoe.
I use aperture priority mode rather than manual mode since the camera can apply the shutter speed faster than I can and if it needs tweaking I can make the necessary adjustments in editing software. I use the flash in ETTL mode because of the candid nature of the shots means the subject to flash distance will constantly change and I can tweak the power using flash exposure compensation.
My favourite lens for this type of photography is a 50mm f1.8 as they are light, small and the simply awesome. .
The next time you want some family portrait photography ideas try and snap some shots of your kids being mischievous.
Portrait photography ideas – Women who lunch
Another one of my stranger portrait photography ideas is ladies who lunch, and I have to say that I have captured some interesting, and very different, portraits.
As the name suggests, taking portraits of ladies who lunch is capturing portraits of ladies of leisure dining out. Sometimes you will find subjects virtually biting your hand off to take their portrait and other times the response will be way less positive. The initial reaction to me walking past the group of ladies will dictate the approach I take.
If I get stopped and quizzed about what I am doing, which happens more than you’d think (try it you will be surprised), I will ask to take a few snaps and in this instance I will use a 24-70mm lens and get in nice and close for some engaging portraits.
If I get totally ignored on my “stroll past” I will opt for a more photo journalist style and hang back with a short tele lens, like the 70-200mm zoom lens.
As the name suggests, taking portraits of ladies who lunch is capturing portraits of ladies of leisure dining out. Sometimes you will find subjects virtually biting your hand off to take their portrait and other times the response will be way less positive. The initial reaction to me walking past the group of ladies will dictate the approach I take.
If I get stopped and quizzed about what I am doing, which happens more than you’d think (try it you will be surprised), I will ask to take a few snaps and in this instance I will use a 24-70mm lens and get in nice and close for some engaging portraits.
If I get totally ignored on my “stroll past” I will opt for a more photo journalist style and hang back with a short tele lens, like the 70-200mm zoom lens.
Portrait photography ideas – Street entertainers
Next on my list of portrait photography ideas is street entertainers. If you want to capture portraits that are bright, fun and a little over the top then street entertainers should be at the top of your list.
All street entertainers are more than happy for people to take photographs of them, and whilst many of them don’t ask for payment you should always give the entertainer some cash for the photo opportunity.
If you give the street entertainer payment for a photo or two you will find they will be more receptive and will pose for you, and will look at the camera, i.e. give you a face on shot. If you try and steal a photo or two you may be fortunate enough to get a face on shot but the entertainer will not go out of their way for you. For the best shots of street entertainers put your hand in your pocket and throw a little cash their way.
My choice of lens for taking portraits of street entertainers is the 24-70mm and to get the most from it I get up close and personal to the street entertainers, which they don’t mind not least because I pay them.
All street entertainers are more than happy for people to take photographs of them, and whilst many of them don’t ask for payment you should always give the entertainer some cash for the photo opportunity.
If you give the street entertainer payment for a photo or two you will find they will be more receptive and will pose for you, and will look at the camera, i.e. give you a face on shot. If you try and steal a photo or two you may be fortunate enough to get a face on shot but the entertainer will not go out of their way for you. For the best shots of street entertainers put your hand in your pocket and throw a little cash their way.
My choice of lens for taking portraits of street entertainers is the 24-70mm and to get the most from it I get up close and personal to the street entertainers, which they don’t mind not least because I pay them.
Portrait photography ideas – Dogs at play
If you fancy a change from taking portrait pictures of humans, and want some totally different portrait photography ideas you need to think animals, and dogs in particular. Why not take some photos of dogs to mix it up a little? Let’s face it, all dogs are cute in their own way and it doesn’t matter whether it is a puppy, an old timer or anything in between you can end up with some stunning portrait photos.
Taking photos of dogs sleeping or chilling out it easy, which is fine but we want a challenge and dogs at play provides this challenge. Whenever I take photos of dogs I set the camera in shutter priority mode (freezing the action is key here), have the auto focus on al servo/continuous tracking and use burst mode. I also use a 100-400mm zoom lens since it is a versatile lens.
So, if you are looking for some different portrait photography ideas have a go at dog photography. It is challenging, it can be frustrating and you will have to be patient but when you get “the” shots it is well worth it.
If you take a step back you will see there are loads of different portrait photography ideas out there, you just need to make sure you note them down as you identify them because there will be times when you will suffer photographer’s block and struggle to find some inspiration.
Taking photos of dogs sleeping or chilling out it easy, which is fine but we want a challenge and dogs at play provides this challenge. Whenever I take photos of dogs I set the camera in shutter priority mode (freezing the action is key here), have the auto focus on al servo/continuous tracking and use burst mode. I also use a 100-400mm zoom lens since it is a versatile lens.
So, if you are looking for some different portrait photography ideas have a go at dog photography. It is challenging, it can be frustrating and you will have to be patient but when you get “the” shots it is well worth it.
If you take a step back you will see there are loads of different portrait photography ideas out there, you just need to make sure you note them down as you identify them because there will be times when you will suffer photographer’s block and struggle to find some inspiration.
Photography ramblings video playlist that may be of interest
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