"The portrait of a lady"

This week I have decided to make a post of portrait photographs. For this I have asked my friend, Virág to be the subject for this topic. The first and maybe the most important part of taking good portrait photographs is a good model. Your ability to direct and connect with the person sitting in front of your camera is almost as important as the settings and technical details that follow.

The first two photographs are examples of how the same setting can have totally different results in different lighting/concepts. The first picture was the easier one, since the lighting was given, and I just had to find  a good angle to show how light and shadow work together in a picture. For this one I have set a smaller aperture and faster exposure time, so that it wouldn't be too bright. In the second picture the light is not that bright, so we have used a the white pages of a book as a reflector.

In the following pictures I was experimenting with new angles. With the first two the aim was to divide her face right in the middle or show just one side, so it leaves a need for symmetry. In the composition of the second one I was inspired by a photograph of Hungarian photographer, André Kertész, titled Elisabeth and Me.

With this picture I have set a longer exposure time compensated by a small aperture, and high ISO sensitivity.

In a portrait it is always important to leave room for the viewer to get some hints of the model’s personality. In these last pictures I was going for showing a more easy-going side of Virág, as she is most of the time. I have arranged this photograph to the center because the two flowers and the arms made it symmetrical.

 The second picture could be a genre photograph, with the items of the kitchen and the bathrobe included. This was taken in the evening, so I set the ISO sensitivity higher and the shutter speed to 1/10 seconds so it wouldn't blur.

The last picture is a more ironic one. The actions and the setting of the place can tell a lot about the personality of a given character, be it real or fictional.