"Nature is beauty", such a tacky and pretentious statement, but in the fresh style of portraits, this is the only shooting rule. How to make the picture exude a natural atmosphere with no artificiality? Let’s take a look below!
Summer at home
The strawberry ice cream that is about to melt in the sun, the green skirt of the girl, the young leaves and the blue sky complement each other. Summer always makes people think of it. It was youthful and beautiful, and the directors and singers praised it one after another. Photographers are also ready to take action, hoping to take a good set of sunny photos, but summer is not friendly, which always discourages both models and photographers. At this moment, instead of fighting against it, let’s change our thinking and shoot a series of movies about our homes in summer, and call it “Summer Spending”? Or "staying"? They are all very artistic.
"Home" is a very photogenic subject. Just imagine what you would do at home, sleep on the floor, squat on a chair and eat instant noodles, or lie in a pile of books and read. In comics, all activities can be reinterpreted to be sexy and a little lazy. When all the elements move in one direction, the theme can be highlighted and refined.
● Choose a scene that is bright and full of life. You can add more green plants to make the scene cooler and more pleasant.
● Use reflectors skillfully to ensure that the model is always bright and attractive.
● The more props the better. Let the model do what she usually likes to do, and it will be an enjoyable shoot.
● In the later stage, the face and body should not be over-modified, but only in moderation. Blemishes that are not eye-catching, such as shallow smile lines, small moles and freckles, can be considered to be retained. The color tone is mainly elegant and refreshing, and the saturation should not be too high.
Aperture: f/2.8, Speed: 1/1000s, Focal length: 70mm, ISO: 500
△ This set of films creates a Japanese-style charm, making it ideal for wearing at home Models in uniforms sit on the floor, gnawing on watermelons and blowing on electric fans, or leaning idly on rattan rocking chairs and shaking fans. Outside the window are lush potted plants, and on the ground are unread comics.
Aperture: f/2.8, Speed: 1/200s, Focal length: 40mm, ISO: 200
△ The green leaves in the afternoon are always shining, and the model is bathed in the sun. It is as sweet as a peach. When shooting, you can lower the contrast in the camera settings and use a reflector in the shadows. Later, add a little flesh pink to the skin and a little tender green to the environment to reflect the delicate atmosphere.
Aperture: f/2.8, Speed: 1/1600s, Focal length: 45mm, ISO: 200
△ In summer photos, the drama of water and plants is essential, remember to let the model Pull your hair high and wear cool sleeveless summer clothes. The influence of clothing on the picture is far greater than imagined.
Retro and fresh tone
In recent years, as film photography and vintage culture continue to heat up among literary and artistic youths, thick picture texture, rich yet fresh tones and models The retro style has become a new style favorite among people. At the same time, most photographers are frowning upon repurchasing film photography equipment. In fact, you can also use digital to achieve the desired effect.
● ?80s buildings, old parks, grandma’s yard, groves, etc., as long as you pay attention, you can find the perfect place to shoot retro and fresh movies.
●? The dress of a model is very important. You can buy some second-hand vintage clothes online, or you may be able to find one or two good ones at the bottom of your suitcase.
● ?Refer to film photography and unify the tones, such as the overall picture is yellowish, cyan, dark blue, etc., which will greatly enhance the appeal of the picture and make it impressive. On this basis, add the contrast between warm and cold highlights and shadows. You can refer to complementary colors: red-cyan, green-magenta, blue-yellow, which can add some subtle color changes to the photo.
Aperture: f/2.8, speed: 1/160s, focal length: 50mm, ISO: 1250
△ Add a nostalgic desk lamp as the foreground, the model has a steady posture and a dignified expression, post-processing Contrast should be enhanced, and vignetting around the edges of the image can also increase the sense of space and age in the image.
Aperture: f/2.8, Speed: 1/800s, Focal length: 60mm, ISO: 1600
△ Shooting through a window is also a common technique. The hazy window also plays a role. The role of foreground and frame makes the originally monotonous picture become layered. In terms of color tone, cyan is added to the bright parts, cinnamon is added to the dark parts, and the trees close to the sky in the distance are brightened to make the picture more warm and breathable.
Aperture: f/2.8, Speed: 1/2000s, Focal length: 50mm, ISO: 1600
△ Place the model under the light-transmitting plate and let the sunlight transform into a ceiling. With a soft light box and a reflective panel on the front of the model, even the brightest sunlight can be treated very softly. Most film photography exposures are very accurate, so pay attention to this in post-processing.
Suggestions on shooting
1. The environment is the first element
When you step out of the studio, the choice of environment determines almost half of the effect of the film, but sometimes it is really hard to find the shooting location that you like. It's a pity that we have to do something hastily. Therefore, it is suggested here that you might as well put the selection of points first, and then create a group of movies based on these associations. Some people suggest that you can refer to the works of local documentary photographers when visiting places. Maybe they will give you many good choices.
2. "One sentence story"
Prepare a "one sentence story" for the photo, which is the several elements in the primary school narrative: when, who, where, and what. There is also the central idea, which in photography is equivalent to the theme style. Is it delicate and gentle, or bold and tense? Once you know the above in your mind, you will be on target when shooting, thus avoiding criticisms such as "I don't know what I'm shooting, and the model's pose is weird."
3. Abundant and appropriate props
Abundant and authentic photography props can certainly add color to photos, but most of them are also expensive. At this time, you can go to a small cafe and ask the shop owner whether the store decorations can be rented. If it is more than half the price of buying it online, you can definitely consider it.
4. Let’s start directing
Facing the model, the photographer should talk cordially like a friend to close the distance, and more importantly, like a director, explain the story of the photo and patiently guide every detail. You can give the model a big movement direction and let her change her small movements as she pleases. You must know that most natural and good-looking postures are comfortable. Remember to always appreciate the model’s good performance from the bottom of your heart, paving the way for your next wonderful shot.
That literary girl
Aperture: f/2.8, speed: 1/640s, focal length: 60mm, ISO: 800
△ This is a family in the 1980s In order to better reflect the model's toned figure in the style of dance studio, she was asked to adjust her socks in a posture that would stretch her body curves. At the same time, the model is sitting on the piano at a height parallel to the window, which not only allows her to receive even light, but also adds a little interest to the picture. In the later stage, cyan was added to the highlights and orange to the shadows to achieve a warm, nostalgic effect.
Aperture: f/2.8, speed: 1/320s, focal length: 70mm, ISO: 320
△ In a corner of the park, I accidentally found this wooden pile hiding under the shade of a tree. This is an excellent corner for shooting portraits. The wooden pile can highlight the subject, and the colorful light adds a bit of agility to the picture. In the later stage, I added more cyan and enhanced the thickness in the dark areas to approximate the texture of film.
Post-processing plan
1. Get rid of all the clutter in the picture that hinders the expression of the theme.
For example, air conditioners, telephone poles in the background, or the "horns" on the model's head will make the picture look less refreshing. Using the stamp tool can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour, so be patient and tinker. Hard work will yield big results, and concise and clear images will definitely make the photos look more classy. When you are not sure whether the debris affects the picture, you can use your fingers to cover them for comparison, and the effect will be clear at a glance.
2. Increase the layering of the picture
Compared with film imaging, digital imaging has the problem of lack of layering, so the picture tends to look very thin and boring. However, in fact, using a few simple Photoshop tools can make the picture richer. The basic principle is to blur the distant scenery and reduce the contrast, and to make the nearby scenery clear and enhance the contrast. Whether to use the lasso tool or mask, curves or color levels depends on your own preferences and habits. For your first attempt, you can create a new blank layer and mark the layer number on the scene with a brush to help the operation.
3. Bring out the delicate peach skin color
Switch the image to Lab color mode to add a little delicate peach color to the model's skin. Select Apply Image from the Image menu and set the Blending Mode drop-down list to Soft Light, with the A channel more pink and the B channel more orange. Observe them and choose the one you like, lowering the Opacity if necessary. It should be noted that the lab color channel will make the cyan green too gaudy, making the photo look a bit cheap, so just increase the rosiness of the skin a little.
4. Create a film feel
Sometimes very clear digital photos can appear a bit rigid and dry, lacking the agility and moistness of film photos. In this case, you can duplicate the background layer and apply Gaussian blur, then set the layer blending mode to Soft Light, so that the image becomes softer and fuller. It can also be set to a color filter, which will cast a thin and soft white mist over the image, just like the soft light filter shooting technique that was popular in the 1980s, and also has a nostalgic feel.
A little French feeling
Aperture: f/2.8, speed: 1/40s, focal length: 50mm, ISO: 500
△ Simple scene, soft , bright light, and lazy breakfast are the most worthy pictures for you to capture. A cup of coffee, a piece of blueberry cake, and reading "Sophie's World" again. Even if she is not blond and blue-eyed, she is still beautiful like this. When you go to a cafe to take photos, be sure not to make a big fuss, as this may lead to the store manager asking for a fee.