Cafe Photography course | how to take a portrait in a cafe?

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For a coffee lover like me, every time I go to a city, those cafes full of petty bourgeoisie or fresh style are undoubtedly my first choice. On the one hand, not only is a warm cappuccino or mocha attractive, but it is also an excellent choice to shoot portraits in a cafe. An emotional cafe, full of light and relaxed atmosphere, can make models generally relax. In addition, there are many easy-to-use props, which can easily provide us with a lot of inspiration for shooting.

In terms of equipment, I usually choose a fuselage with high sensitivity and a large aperture fixed focus lens. This time, for example, I used Sonny's full-frame micro-single A7RII and Sony FE 85mm fplink 1.8. 85mm fframe 1.8 can realize the wonderful virtual out-of-focus while ensuring the amount of light, making the photo background cleaner and the picture more concise.

Personally, I think Sony FE 85mm fplink 1.8 is one of the most cost-effective and worthwhile portrait lenses in Sony's single system. This lens is compact and portable in appearance, matches well with Sony A7RII, and the price is affordable, and according to the latest DxO evaluation, this lens has a light capacity of 1.8TStop.

In addition, the use of the bilinear autofocus motor also makes the focusing speed of this lens trustworthy, with a recent focusing distance of 0.8m, which is also convenient for taking many close-up photos.

First, carving light

Photography is the art of using up, especially portrait photography. Changes in light and shadow can give more content to the photo. And how to express the character with light is a great knowledge. The principle of using light in fresh portraits is to avoid direct light. Whether it is the top light at noon or the direct positive light, they are all "killers" of fresh portraits.

Avoid direct sunlight on sunny days. Of course, if the shooting time is not suitable, you can also choose the window with shutters (the famous "Birdcage Light" in the movie "Evil from the East and the West"). The construction of the blinds can soften the harder light to some extent, and the mottled shape is undoubtedly an addition to a portrait photo.

On the other hand, if it is cloudy, the clouds become a huge soft mask, which seems to be more suitable for outdoor portrait shooting. In fact, in an indoor room like a cafe, you can also use smooth light to take transparent portraits, such as using large windows to create a "channel of light" to form a beautiful silhouette effect.

Of course, after all, it is indoors, if the light is not enough, the appropriate supplementary light is still the first choice. Before shooting, be familiar with all the "light resources" available in the cafe.

In the environment shown above, let the model slowly get closer to the light pointed by the arrow, and finally take the following picture.

TIPS: turn on Sony A7RII's real-time view mode, WYSIWYG, and you don't have to worry about inaccurate exposure anymore.

Second, brewing emotions

You may often hear others criticize your films as "unnatural". In fact, "unnatural" here refers to the model's lack of emotion, and how to mobilize the model's mood has become a compulsory course for portrait photographers. One of my simplest personal experiences is to tell the model what kind of scene she is in, instead of simply ordering the model to look left, go right, and turn three steps forward. How to brew emotions and get models into a state quickly is a job that requires continuous accumulation of experience. Don't be impatient, communicate patiently, and you will find that you will become more and more comfortable.

While taking the following picture, I said to the model, "imagine a favorite toy on top of your head and peek at it."

In addition, proper guidance is also essential, which will allow models to play properly, and models will become more and more confident. For example, when I took the following picture, I said, "you've got it. What will happen to you?" . So the girl naturally approached it and put out a kissing POSE.

TIPS: when taking such photos, you often need to pay attention to the eyes of the model, turn on Sony A7RII's face recognition function, and set the custom key to eye-controlled focus, so that the camera can automatically focus the model's eyes when shooting.

Third, skillful use of props

Cafes without props are "unqualified". For beginners of portraits, they will encounter the awkward situation of not knowing where to put the model's hands and feet at the beginning of the shoot. in fact, in addition to being familiar with the necessary portrait pose, in a place full of treasures such as cafes, they can quickly open up the situation by adjusting measures to local conditions and skillfully using props.

Grab a retro phone at hand, not only limited to the action of making a phone call, but also have a variety of interactions with the phone.

Order an afternoon tea and let the model look at the direction of the camera and easily capture some facial expressions.

Even if there are not too many props available, it is also a way to find a seat directly. In the picture below, I let the model sit on the piano chair, and the piano, clock, retro typewriter and lamp in the background all set off a fresh and retro atmosphere.

IV. Local close-up

Do you have to get a face when you take a portrait? Of course not. Everyone has the most beautiful local close-up, the so-called "details see the real chapter", should be good at finding the shining points on the model. In addition, in a group of portrait photos, partial close-up photos can also supplement the story and picture.

One of the most common launches for close-ups is to make the part outside the main body of the picture as virtual as possible, so that people can suddenly focus on the beautiful parts you want to highlight. Hair tip, auricle, fingertip, shoulder, side face. As long as you watch carefully, you will get something. The focus of 85mm allows the photographer to keep a distance from the model, making the model behave more naturally. There is no need to worry about the virtual aspect. Sony FE 85mm fhand 1.8's out-of-focus performance is excellent, which can provide a natural virtual experience.

What are you waiting for? Write down these four tips, call your little sister and have a relaxing cafe date.

Source: network

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