NYU Digital Photo Intensive: Project #4: Portraits

Project #4: Portraits

Details:

To be shot in RAW file format and Manual Exposure Mode!

For this assignment, you are going to explore portrait photography!

As with any assignment, make the most interesting compositions you can! Although it’s a technical assignment, you should still concentrate on making a beautiful photograph while illustrating the color temperature concepts.

Part A - Outdoor Portrait (3 total shots):

Experiment photographing fellow students...or maybe even complete strangers on the streets of NYC...or consider shooting a person doing a job in their work environment (called an Environmental or Industrial Portrait)!? Basically, have fun using the tips and tricks I shared with you in class.

A few tips and tricks to keep in mind:

Use a longer-than-normal focal length lens
Make the person comfortable by casually chatting with them but still give them direction on expressions and positions
Have your exposure, white balance, and composition close to final before asking them to pose

Part B – Indoor Portrait (3 total shots):

Window light is a very convenient source of light during the day and is excellent for portraits. The closer your subject is to the window, the brighter the light will be. Unless you want high contrast from direct sunlight coming through the window, it’s best to find a window with more diffused light coming in. Also try experimenting with filling in the shadows a bit, whether you use direct or diffused light. A white fill card, or reflector, positioned opposite the window can lighten shadows by “bouncing” the window light back into the darker side of the subjects face.

I want you to photograph a tight headshot inside using only a window as your source of daylight (no inside lights on!). Shoot with at least a 1/60 or faster of a second shutter speed - so increase your ISO if necessary to achieve the depth of field you want.

A few tips and tricks to keep in mind:

Use a longer-than-normal focal length lens and stay level with the nose
While shooting, try to capture different expressions and remember that the subject’s eyes do not always have to be back at the camera

Submit ALL 6 digital files to the class server next class.

Example File Naming = “A4_Name_A.CR2”