Stories through portraits
Photos of individuals that are skilfully taken tell good stories, writes Salliza Salleh
PORTRAITS can be engaging and well taken ones do tell something about the individuals. What makes a good portrait? The answer is very subjective, but for me, a mysterious portrait that tells stories always catches my attention.
An engaging subject, beautiful light, interesting background and good composition contribute to the first impression of a visual image. Once a photo captures our attention, our eyes linger longer on it, trying to understand the photographer’s intended story behind his work.
Framing these technical elements together into a compelling photograph requires skill. Arranging what goes into the picture requires both design knowledge and the experience of taking photographs regularly.
Good framing helps draw eyes to the subject. Here are a few tips on framing subjects for an interesting portrait. The amount of space between your subject’s head and the top of the frame is called headroom. Too much or too tight headroom is distracting. Viewers’ eyes should focus on the subject first and not linger on the void of the headroom.
In this photo, I tried to reduce noise from the crowded background with just the right headroom. What should be the exact amount of space? As long as the headroom looks natural and not distracting, then it is the right amount.
Try to frame your subject from various angles, left to right or up and down. Whichever angle you choose, use the rule of thirds. Keep your subject mostly on the intersection points of the grid lines.
I captured this photo of a girl on the streets of Gilgit, Pakistan from above her eyes. The light was harsh that morning and I wanted to frame her V-shaped face under the sun. length. I choose to crop above his knee while giving space for his hand.
4. FILL THE FRAME:
Get closer and fill your frame with your subject. The closer we are to the subject, the more we feel connected to it. In this portrait of a girl that I met at one of the villages outside Skardu, I wanted to keep it simple and fill my frame with just her face. But I included her yellow scarf too, as wrapped around her face, it creates another frame that helps emphasise her features.
5. ADD TEXTURE:
Background adds texture to portraits. Choose a background that helps balance overall composition; a good background does not overshadow but helps to highlight the subject.
In this portrait of a boy that I met on the streets of Skardu, Pakistan, I included his mother’s dark blue burqa in my frame and part of his hand still clinging to his mum’s to show that he is shy and sensitive.