Photography FAQs: Portraits

Wherever there's a camera, someone's probably taking a portrait. This small-format resource in the successful "Photography FAQs" series deals with that most involving of subjects: other people. Whether you're looking to photograph kids at parties, groups at weddings, or models in studios, this guide helps you take control of the camera functions, arrange the lighting, compose the subject, and get the final results you want. Here's the answer to every conceivable questions, from the technicalities of the equipment to location options to the post-production stage, where you can correct and enhance images with software to produce a picture-perfect photo. Beautifully-presented photographs, diagrams, and tables throughout support the text to help readers grasp the explanations easily.

Photography FAQs: Portraits is an introduction to the school of photography concerned with the most engaging of subjects: other people.Formulated as an encyclopaedia of questions and answers across 50 topics, this book covers every aspect of portrait photography, from hardware to lighting, composition to software.It offers detailed responses to key, reader-defined questions drawn from photographic workshops, consumer press and Internet forums. As such, it is an invaluable and handy reference.The Photography FAQs series is a comprehensive, pocket-size reference for the amateur photographer in the field (or the studio). Each title is formulated as an encyclopaedia of 50 questions and answers covering every aspect of the key photography subjects that come up again and again, including genres such as landscape, portraiture and travel and shooting in monochrome. Each topic is supported by lively, accessible text, inspirational images and clear, easy-to-navigate design that makes this series a quick-and easy reference.

Frequently asked questions. Introduction. Essential hardware: Digital cameras; Film stocks; Portrait lenses; Wide-angle lenses; Telephoto lenses; Macro lenses; Built-in flash and flashguns; Artificial lighting; Diffusion and reflectors; Studio accessories. Metering: Types of metering modes; Exposure compensation and bracketing; High-key images; Low-key images; Metering challenging lighting. Using colour and monochrome: Colour temperature; Filters; Colour concerns; Black and white. Natural lighting and supplementary flash: Lighting outdoors; Lighting indoors; Bouncing flash; Mixing lighting sources; Long exposures; Reflections and diffusion. Studio lighting: Standard lighting arrangements; Simple lighting arrangements; Classic Hollywood lighting; Lifestyle portraits; Complex lighting and arrangements. Composition and posing: Depth of field in portraits; Rule of thirds for portraits; Portrait lengths; Posing the subject; Unusual angles; Group shots; Parties; Expressions and emotions; Props and accessories. Shooting on location: Finding good locations: Problem lighting; Candid photography; Action portraits; Locations and the law. The digital darkroom: Correcting exposure; Fixing common mistakes; Problems with colour; Cleaning up portraits; Black and white; Toning and tinting. Subject index. Acknowledgements and credits.

Duncan Evans is an author and photographer living in the most northerly part of the UK. He edited Digital Photo User for over four years, and his pictures have been published in magazines and newspapers such as The Daily Mail and The Scotsman. He is a member of the Royal Photographic Society, currently with a licentiateship distinction (LRPS). Duncan has written several photography books including the hugely popular A Comprehensive Guide to Digital Portrait Photography.