Exercise 1.04 – An active portrait

Advice on how to get this kind of portrait has already been talked about in earlier sections (particularly from the interviews in the NPG and Michael Freeman of course!), but to reiterate we need to:
· Make the sitter feel at ease – this is about photographing people who know they’re being photographed, so they need to feel comfortable with the photographer as well as the situation. Images of people who are unaware of the picture being taken don’t come into this section.
· Engage them in conversation – try to make them open up and remove any inhibitions. Tell them what the aim of the session is.
· Take lots of images – the more shots there are, the more confident the sitter will become and with digital cameras there should be plenty of storage capacity. We can examine the results at our leisure
· Try to use available lighting – studio lighting and / or flash will be a distraction from the ‘normal’, comfortable known situation which we’re trying for. It may be necessary to increase the ISO setting in lower lighting conditions.
So with these in mind, let’s go for the shoot!
Viv agreed to entertain me in her studio while she was planning a 3D piece for her City and Guilds course.
The lighting was primarily indirect daylight from the window, supplemented by a mix of incandescent and daylight lamps.
I used the ‘Auto ISO’ function with a maximum ISO 800 and a minimum shutter speed of 1/30 sec. I used aperture priority with a wide aperture of f/4.5, as I wanted to concentrate on her face, not the background (which I’d prefer to be out of focus). I wanted to use at least 40mm focal length, to avoid any distortion in her features. The shooting mode was in ‘continuous high speed’ with spot focusing and ‘pattern’ exposure. The VR on the lens was set to ‘active’. These settings allowed the camera to be operated ‘hand held’ so there was less distraction from my equipment and made it easier for her to relax into her work.
I positioned myself on the opposite side of her work table, having decided that this was the position to get the best lighting conditions on her face and agreeing that I wouldn’t be in her way. We talked about what I was trying to capture and what she was also trying to achieve with her piece and then settled down to our tasks.
I took 40 images and selected this one as the final one:

ISO-360, f/4.5, 1/30 sec. Lens 45 mm (72 mm 35 mm equivalent).

I’m quite pleased with this image. It shows her concentration in her eyes and the set of her mouth. She also seems to be at ease with herself. There are no obvious reflections in her spectacles and the soft natural lighting is right for her complexion. I think it shows her character as well as her physical appearance. I’d marry her again!