Understanding the importance of lighting in portrait photography has changed the way we handle our cameras. Instead of aiming and shooting we are now trying to adjust the camera and taking care to frame the picture before clicking, participants at a workshop on basic lighting in portrait photography said.
Most of the photographers have not learnt the basics like catch light, composition, the Golden Rule and Rule of Thirds, among others which make the photograph stand out. “For instance catch light is essential to make a person look alive in a portrait,” SVS Ravi Kumar, who was teaching the photography enthusiasts, said. Catch light is the light reflected from the eye of the subject which gives an indication of life.
Most of today’s portraits do not have catch light, he said.
The workshop is aimed at triggering interest among the enthusiasts to master the techniques of right way of using a camera and its features.
For instance most of the fashion photography today does not do justice to the costume or designer or the person. One needs to understand the composition and lighting to ensure the best features of the subject are highlighted in the photograph.
There are three forms of composition – circle, triangle and square – these are not perfect geometrical shapes. Circle is more like an oval and that is the best composition for a portrait, Mr Ravi Kumar explained.
It is not just the inexperienced, but many who are experienced are also not aware of these nuances of photography, senior photographer and photojournalist K Bhaskar Rao said.
With the equipment having so many features one would expect the person handling the camera would give full flow to creativity, which is not happening, he added.
