TAKE AN ABSTRACT APPROACH
Play with tonality and exposure in a bid to make your portraits more artistic
Atmospheric portraits by their definition should have a certain je ne sais quoi about them – a quality that can’t quite be adequately described or expressed.
That being said, there are a few concrete techniques to try out when you want to break away from the norm.
In terms of exposure, you might pair intentional camera movement with extended shutter speeds and record deliberately blurred or ghostly frames. There’s plenty of experimentation to be had here; in aperture priority mode, start with an exposure of 130 sec, then ask your model to move their head from side to side. Alternatively, keep them in one place and move yourself throughout the exposure. It’s largely a game of trial and error – pan and rotate the camera, and lengthen and shorten the shutter, too.
“Before shooting, decide upon the story and narrative that you’re trying to conjure up in your scene”
Multiple exposures are another way to introduce intrigue and blur to your frame. Instead of something wacky such as filling your model’s face with leaves, simply shoot one frame, then move slightly to one side and shoot the second. This ghostly result is perfect when paired with a monochrome shooting mode.
Colour palettes are also a huge mood influencer, and every hue carries a different connotation. Firstly, you’ll notice that many atmospheric images have limited or muted colour palettes that are drained of saturation. This can be achieved by cooling down the scene in-camera with a Custom White Balance. Alternatively, you can shoot in Auto mode then tweak the temperature at the editing stage.
Both warm and cool colour palettes yield mood, but they have different outcomes. Soft, pastel shades generated from the golden hours can feel airy and energetic, whereas muted or darker colours can seem reflective, sad, or introspective. Before shooting, decide upon the story and narrative that you’re trying to conjure up in your scene, jot down some descriptive words, and then work out what tones will help you to encapsulate that mood.