Presentation slides by Alex Harvey-Brown for the Digital SLR: Portrait photography workshop at South Hill Park on 19 Oct 2013

2. 




INTRO
WHY A DSLR & WHAT MAKES A GOOD PHOTO?
THE HOLY TRINITY OF DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY
COMPOSITION
ISO
Plan of the weekend

3. MOBILE Phone 8mpxl Camera
NIKON DSLR with 50mm f/1.8 lens

4. What makes a good portrait?

5. YUSUF KARSH

6. CECIL BEATON

7. CHARLENE SHREUDER

8. The Exposure Triangle

9. Remember: The lower the ‘f-number’ or
‘f-stop’ the WIDER the aperture

10. SQUINTING gives you a larger
depth of field.
So does having a small
aperture/high f-stop.
The smaller the F-Number
(therefore the wider the
aperture) the shallower
the depth of field.

11. LIGHT
Wider apertures let more light into the camera,
smaller apertures do the opposite.
Great in dark situations and keeps the shutter
speed FAST and ISO DOWN.

12. <-85mm f/1.8
Zooms with wide
apertures, known as ‘fast
zooms’ are VERY
expensive.
Fast prime lenses have a
fixed focal length but are
cheaper…and more
creative!
Wide aperture prime lenses:
Perfect for portraits!

13. • SWITCH TO ‘A’ or ‘Ap’ – Mode / Keep ISO to 300/400
• The camera will manage your shutter speed, so you can manually
adjust your aperture’s size.
• Try shooting different objects close to you at your lowest f-number
(widest aperture setting) and again at the highest f-number
(smallest aperture).
EXERCISE

14. The length of time that the
camera’s film or sensor are
exposed to light.
Time, measured in fractions of a
second that the shutter is OPEN.
1/8000 - 30 seconds / *Bulb
*Bulb - an option that
allows you to keep the
shutter open
indefinitely.
Only usable with
shutter release cable.
SHUTTER SPEED

15. -Faster speeds give sharper images when hand holding.
-No lower than 1/80 when hand holding.
1/400
1/60
1/30

17. • Set your camera to Shutter Priority Mode ‘S’ or ‘Sp’ – the
camera will manage the aperture setting, allowing you
control of the shutter speed and exposure time.
• Experiment with different shutter speeds and capture the
party popper’s motion, either freezing it – or capturing the
movement.
• Start by trying the following speeds 1/30, 1/100, 1/500
Exercise 2

18. • Dictates the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light.
• The higher ISO number, the higher the sensitivity.
• High sensitivity keeps the shutter speed higher, but increases
grain/noise.
ISO
(international standards organisation)

19. The Photographer’s Juggling Act

20. The rule of thirds
A solid guideline to discourage
placement of the subject at the
center, or prevent a horizon from
appearing to divide the picture in
half.
COMPOSITION

21. The rule of thirds
In portraits – try to align the
eyes up with the line of the
top third.
COMPOSITION

22. • The classic rule of thumb: ‘Fill the frame’
• Zooming into a face will always give a feature to a photograph
COMPOSITION

23. • The classic rule of thumb: ‘Fill the frame’
COMPOSITION

24. 
http://vimeo.com/63602119
The Impact of Lighting

25. 
Even lighting on the face is essential. Always try and shoot in the shade
but avoid mottled light from leaves! Clouds are a natural diffuser – cloudy
conditions usually provide perfect light.
Portraiture Tips

26. 
Get a vintage look – get creative and use sun flare to your
advantage.
Portraiture Tips

27. Ideal mix of wide aperture and long focal
length.
 Fast zooms and prime lenses are perfect.
 Prime lenses much cheaper.

The best Lenses for portraits

28. 
In bright sun? Turn the subject’s back to the it and light
their face with flash or a reflector to balance.
Portraiture Tips

29. 120mm
Zoom lenses compress features, great for portraits!
200mm
Tip: Focal length compression

30. Reflectors/diffusers
Off camera flash /
speedlight
Useful Accessories