The streets of Kathmandu and its surrounding towns abound with opportunities for street portrait photography. Faces with character can be seen everywhere, the lines and expression suggesting a million different stories to be told. Life is open and direct with daily activities taking place in public in a completely non self-conscious way. There’s no need to rush, no need for haste. Time takes on a new meaning as the ancient is blended with the modern in ways rarely seen elsewhere. A walk through the streets will always reward the respectful photographer with experiences and images that are unique yet common, personal but also public. Kathmandu truly is a photographer’s paradise.

Alan in the alley

What and where a photographer places a portrait subject is often determined by a few different considerations. At times, you’ll simply be carrying out a client brief and have little or no say in the matter. Other times, you’ll only have 5 or 10 minutes to get the shots and have to do it in a boardroom or the corner of an office. Sometimes you’ll have the luxury of being able to create a concept and fully storyboard it and build up a set much like Dave Jackson did with his circus shoot. Other times it’ll be basic seamless backgrounds in a studio or found locations using the natural environment. Every photographer has their own bias and ideas as to what is best. A few days ago, I found myself in the newly opened D Studio in Taipei for an afternoon worth of casual shooting. I’d gone in with one particular idea that I wanted to try expecting that we’d be photographing some Brazilian and Hungarian dancers. I had a concept in mind for the Brazilian dancers that I’m not going to tell you about because I hope to execute it sometime in the future. Why couldn’t I do it the other day? Simply because none of the dancers bothered to show up. Or call and tell us they weren’t coming. Or answer the phone when we called them. It seems to be a growing problem amongst some of the foreign models and artistic community here in Taiwan that they think they can simply blow the shoot off. Fortunately we had a second session booked this time, following the previous week where a different model didn’t bother to show up or call (apparently a dog ate his phone). The second session featured a couple of Taiwanese guys who had a distinct idea as to what they wanted. Most of the shoot involved one of them only with the other deciding he wanted a quick session at the end. In comparison to the foreign talent, the locals are wonderful. Reliable, punctual and full of ideas.

We started out on a seamless setup in the studio. A simple lighting arrangement with a large, softbox in the upper right and gridded fill light on the left. Alan, on the left above, had plenty of ideas for what he wanted, so for the photographs of him I mostly just let him do his thing. All of his shots were pretty much undirected. Johnny, on the right, just wanted a quick session at the end, and his were a mixture of his own ideas and a few that were directed. The hat shot above was a directed pose whereas the jump shot lower down the page was his own suggestion.

Johnny jumps.

Props can be very useful when photographing on a simple setup such as this one. The hat in the shots above or the computer and red seat below can spur some additional creative ideas and keep the session flowing fairly smoothly. Both of these guys were naturally at ease in front of the camera which made photographing them a delight but for some subjects, a prop of some kind is almost mandatory if only to get them to loosen up and relax. No such issues here though but the props did add a bit of variety.

Alan and some props.

Some photographers love to shoot in a studio environment and can happily spend hours there. I’m not one of them and find that it gets boring rather quickly unless it’s a highly conceptual type shoot. To me, the found environment is a much better shooting location and thankfully there’s a tiny alley right out the back door of D Studio. After we’d run through pretty much everything indoors, I suggested a move to the alley for some additional photographs. In the photograph that opens this post we positioned a Bowen’s light inside aimed out of the barred window and positioned Alan so that he was in the path of the light. The idea behind it was to create some hopefully interesting shadows across his face as the bars acted as a gobo. Behind him was placed a speedlight with a CTO gel for a little background effect. For the image below, that was basically reversed. Alan turned to face the other way so that the Bowen’s light is coming from about 45 degrees behind his right should and he’s looking towards the gelled speedlight.

In the alley.

As the late afternoon light starting so find its way into the alley we decided to move further down it to where it was darker. Some great light and shadow interplay was going on but it needed a little help if we wanted to make use of it. The following two shots show the setup and result. A simple one light arrangement was used. I put a 580EXII with a full cut of CTO onto a Justin clamp and attached it to the framework holding an air-conditioner unit. It threw out a nice warm light which was enough for us to create some nice photographs. I dropped the shutter speed to about 1/60 to let some of the ambient light into the background.

Greater satisfaction is found when you can make use of the local environment in your photography. At least that’s the way I look at it. Plenty would disagree, some would agree. When it comes right down to it, as long as the photographs you make are satisfying to you (and your clients if it’s work), then you’ve achieved all you set out to.

580EXII with CTO on a Justin clamp.

Low key photograph of a couple.

Low key portraits brings to mind subdued, moody lighting and mysterious atmosphere. Lots of shadow and dark colors create an overall dramatic effect, and this is often accentuated by the colors chosen for clothing, background and accessories or props. Lighting is crucial – you want the light to fall exactly where you require it and nowhere else.

Before we get into it, I want to remind you about Selina Maitreya’s The View From Here. Selina brings 3 decades of portfolio consultancy experience and wisdom to this MP3 series that’s a must-have for anyone either contemplating becoming a working photographer or professionals looking for a little extra inspiration. Normally $199, it’s available at a 50% discount using the code FOSCFI.

A lighting setup for a low key portrait is remarkably simple but can take a bit of trial and error adjusting to get right the first time you try out this technique. One light is all you need, and if you’ve got a dark ground, so much the better. The photograph above was taken on black seamless which makes for a very easy background scenario in low key portraits. Take a look at the following lighting diagram to get an idea of a possible lighting setup for a low key photograph.

One possible setup for a low key photograph.

It’s also possible to create a low key photograph on a bright background such as white seamless or a white wall. You simply have to stop any light from reaching the background. A white seamless background needs to be lit to take it white. Without light on it, it’ll typically appear as a shade of gray about 1 ½ to 2 stops under white. To force it black, you have a couple of options. If there is ambient light hitting it, simply kill this off. That may mean closing curtains or turning off any room lights. Alternatively, you could shoot at a faster shutter speed because the ambient light is controlled by the shutter speed only in this situation. If you run into issues with sync speeds, lowering ISO may give you an extra stop or two, assuming you’re not already at your camera’s lowest ISO setting. If some of the light from the flash is hitting the background, then simply move your subject further away, as light fall off obeys the inverse square law, which I’m not going to go into.

Once you have your background taken care of, all you need to do is introduce a single flash or strobe to put light on your subject where you want it. Use whatever light modifier works best to put the light where you want and restrict it from where you don’t. A grid spot or snoot may work wonders in some situations, whereas others may call for a softbox or some other light modifier. Sheets of black cardboard or strips of black gaffer tape can serve as tools to keep light from straying into areas you don’t want it to go.

The various settings to use on your light and camera will depend upon the equipment you have, the situation you’re in and the look you’re after so I won’t make any specific suggestions here other than to say a lighting ration of anything from 3:1 to 8:1 between the brightest part of the image and the darkest can produce an acceptable low key photograph. It all depends on exactly what you want to achieve.

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Portrait of young African-American woman.

Most photographers are familiar with rules of thumb such as the rule of thirds and suggestions like “don’t cut people’s heads off”. For the most part, these are pretty good tips to follow. You should definitely have a grounding in and basic understanding of them, even if you don’t always abide by them.

Before we go any further, let me remind you that my eBook Tips, Tricks and Pics is available to purchase for $5.

What’s that? You can break the rules?

Sometimes throwing those rules of thumb out the window makes for a much stronger photograph. Face it, if every portrait filled every frame, or every landscape followed the rule of thirds, it’d introduce a sameness to the images that would end up looking a bit boring. As a creative artist, stepping outside the normal bounds is often where your creativity can shine. You can develop your own style and vision in the way that you want it to exist, not in the way someone else tells you it should exist.

For the image above, I had this particular shot in mind from before I’d even set the shot up. I knew I wanted her to be cut in half on the very edge of the frame, looking back. I knew I wanted it toned this way. To me it works, it’s a strong image. To others it may not be. Each to their own. So take the time to try a few things in a slightly different manner. You may surprise yourself.

That was the 51st Daily PhotoTip. If this post was useful to you, why don’t you subscribe to my feed, leave a comment and share it with your friends. You can also get access to exclusive content and special offers by subscribing to my newsletter. Sign up today. Thank you.

It's criticial that the eyes are sharply focused in portrait photography.

Without a doubt the most common photographic subjects are people. Even those who trek for miles into remote territory in order to shoot landscapes will find themselves occasionally photographing other people, even if it’s only for fun at a party using a cellphone. In the past few years, with the boom in digital photography, that’s probably even more pronounced.

The single most useful thing you should know and remember when shooting people (and the same applies to animals) is to focus on the eyes. If the eyes, or at least the leading eye when the person is angled to the photographer, are in focus, the rest of the elements in the photo will come together nicely.

This is a particularly important point to pay attention to, as we often find ourselves using shallow depth-of field for portraits and the area of focus becomes very small. It is critical that the eyes be in the in-focus area or the photograph won’t hold the viewers attention.

It’s pretty easy to practice this. If you have a friend or family member who doesn’t mind posing for you, great. Otherwise, shoot your dog or cat, find a statue in a park or even use a toy – a teddy bear won’t get bored with posing.

That was the twelfth Daily PhotoTip. If this post was useful to you, why don’t you subscribe to my feed, leave a comment and share it with your friends. You can also get access to exclusive content and special offers by joining my newsletter. Sign up today. Thank you.

Sheri poses for a portrait. Her face and body are placed to one side of the frame making for a stronger composition.

When photographing people one of the most difficult things is often knowing how to pose them and where to position them in the image. Many people make the mistake of placing the subject directly in the center of the frame, with a lot of excess space around the edges. This is best avoided – it doesn’t really attract the viewer and hold their interest.

Try placing your subject off-center. In the above photograph, I have Sheri placed to the right hand side of the photo, with her face approximately one-third of the way into the frame. This creates a more desirable aesthetic due to the stronger and more interesting composition I’ve chosen. Give it a try on your family and friends and see for yourself.

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This week on 5 we look at some outdoor portraits. Emily is new to the modeling scene and we met up last week at the 4/4 South  Village in Xinyi district, Taipei. This is a series of old style buildings that have been preserved in the heart of Taipei’s modern Xinyi district. They are a bit of a well kept secret – few know of them even though they are located almost directly across from the towering Taipei 101. This village was also the meeting place for this years Photowalk.

All photos were shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and 70-200mm lens. Lighting was a single 580 EX II speedlight set to 1/8 power on a compact lightstand and triggered by Elinchrom Skyports.  Also used on varying shots (details of which in the captions) was a white shoot-thru umbrella, a full cut of CTO and 1/4″ Honl grid spot.

Emily at the village. ISO200 f8 @ 1/200 94mm. Shoot-thru umbrella used.

Emily before the storm. Background exposed 2 stops under for added drama. ISO400 f5.6 @ 1/200 70mm

Emily and shadows | Canon 5D Mark II ISO400 f5.6 1/200 94mm

Emily against the tree | ISO400 f5.6 1/160 70mm

Emily in the window | ISO100 f5.6 1/200 73mm 1/4" gridspot with CTO

Taipei seems to be a popular destination for American models this summer. Fresh from the shoot with Jen a couple of weeks ago, I met up with Sheri.  Hailing from New York and represented by Abrams Artists Agency, Sheri is in Taipei for a couple of months and we met up on a rainy Sunday and headed to National Taiwan University aka Tai-Da. We had to seek out some sheltered areas as most of the places I’d originally planned to shoot in where too exposed to the rain, which was quite heavy at times. Still, Tai-Da has a lot of covered walkways and overhangs so we were able to get some good images. Images were all shot with a Canon 5D Mark II, 70-200mm f4L and 580EX II speedlight. The flash was triggered by the ever reliable Elinchrom Skyports. More detailed shooting notes after the jump.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/200 at 159mm

For the opening image, we used a 50×70 softbox on a 2.4m lightstand with the speedlight set to 1/4 power. The light was placed just out of the frame to the left. As well, a 5-in-1 collapsible reflector was used on the gold side to throw a little warmth into the image.

Sheri @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f8 1/200 at 154mm

This next image used almost the same lighting setup as the first. Shot in a slightly different location, the softbox was positioned just out of frame to the right (Sheri’s left) and the reflector was used on its white side. Other than the different aperture and focal length, everything else was the same.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/200 at 154mm

Another one with very similar settings. The lens was opened up a stop from the last one and a different location was used. Once again, the lighting came from the softbox positioned in front of her, just outside the left of the frame. The gold reflector was used again for some warmth.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/80 at 78mm

A change of clothes and time to try something different. This wasn’t quite as successful as I’d hoped, mainly due to the constant passage of people walking and cycling through. Every time the scene would clear of people, we’d get one quick shot and then have to wait another few minutes. Here we used the same softbox setup with the light positioned behind the arch to Sheri’s left. My wife and studio manager Selina is crouched behind the first pillar on the Sheri’s right aiming the gold reflector back into the scene.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/200 at 122mm

Again we’re using very similar settings for the camera and lights as we did for the other ones. The light stand is raised high so that it’s aiming down at Sheri, just outside the left of the frame. I had to burn in the door a little in processing to even things out but it was very minimal.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/125 at 98mm

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f6.3 1/200 at 176mm

Lighting for these two was pretty much the same. Both have a 1/4 power flash in the softbox just out of frame to the left. In the first one, a shutter speed of 1/125 allows some of the ambient light into the background whereas the second one with a shutter speed of 1/200 kills most of the ambient. Adjustment of the blacks in Lightroom takes care of any remaining patches of ambient light.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f5.6 1/200 at 135mm

This next one marks the last image that the softbox was used for. I took a bit of a cue from Zack Arias here and introduced movement to the shot. The light was positioned to Sheri’s right and the gold reflector was placed on the ground immediately in front of her.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f8 1/200 at 70mm

A final change of clothes and location for the last few images. By now it was close to sunset but the rain and clouds meant there was none. Not a problem at all as we can easily make our own. I slapped a full cut of CTO onto the speedlight and then added a 1/4″ gridspot over the top. Voila, we have sunset. Goes to show the versatility of off-camera lighting.

Sheri C at Tai-Da. ISO400 f8 1/200 at 200mm

The same setup was used here. Full CTO under the gridspot. Sheri was on a second floor balcony with the light placed off to her left. I shot up from the ground under the balcony. You can see in the background lighting how gray the day actually was.

Sheri C @ Tai-Da. ISO400 f8 1/200 98mm

Little bit of clowning around for the final image to sum up how the day went. The three of us spent just as much time laughing and joking around as we did shooting. For this, I used a tungsten white balance coupled with CTO on the light to leave Sheri with a slightly warm daylight glow while everything else went bluish.

If you’re in Taiwan and are interesting in learning how to work with lights on location, I’m going to be running a small workshop in early October. Look for a full announcement in the next week or so. Thank you.

Fridays seem to be arriving quickly these days, or is that because working as a photographer means that TGIF doesn’t really apply to me. Whatever the answer, Friday means 5 and this week I have five photos of faces for you.

If you have any ideas or requests for future posts, feel free to get in touch using one of the connect buttons in the sidebar.

Join us again on Sunday for another photographer spotlight. Until then, thanks for viewing and don’t forget to leave a comment and retweet.