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Can I Do Portraits with a Compact and How (Part 2)?

The first part of the article was posted yesterday. This second part gives some tips form experience for doing portraits, especially with a serious compact.
 
 
 
 
un (Medium)
(Lock Me in Your Heart: This was taken with a Minolta Dynax 7, reproduced here with a P&S)
 
The Good News (Continue from Part One)
 
Thanks to the extensive DOF of a small sensor, serious compacts are great for candid portraits on the street too. Usually, you don't wish to be intrusive in doing a candid portrait or shot in a shilly-shally fashion. One of the ways is to take the shot with a fast shutter speed while you walk on.R0011087 (Medium) 
(Old Man Busked in Dreams: This candid shot was taken while I walked along in a park. The extensive DOF of GX200 allowed me to use a faster speed for this quick shot)
 
Otherwise, you may shot in a hidden position that requires you to stick out the camera, press the shutter and retreat the camera. On those occasions, the huge DOF will allow a slow f-stop to accommodate a fast shutter speed. The best part of it is the small size of a compact which an intrusive DSLR will envy.

R0011346 (Medium) (Fruit for Business: For this candid portrait, I hid behind the boxes, adjusted the manual focus, stuck out the camera, shot and left without being noticed by the man.  It was only possible with the non-intrusive size of GX200)

 

The small size also stands the photographer in good stead for portraits with a proper model. Point a gigantic DSLR to a model, take some shots. Then, do the same thing with a compact. By comparing the photos, you will likely find that the model is more relaxed in the shots taken with a compact. A model at ease makes for half a success for a portrait. The small size will also save photographers from getting dislocated shoulder joints as a friend of mine did after carrying pounds of photographic gears for a day. To the contrary of the common belief, serious compacts are great tools for portraits if you ask me.

Points to Note

However, a compact is never a DSLR. Its AF is slow. So with a compact, it is advisable to pre-focus before the actual shots (this is very important for candid streetshot portraits). Secondly, a blurred background in a portrait is not always possible. Depending on the composition and the distance between the camera and the model, the marco mode or post processing may yield a close result. But don’t expect it to be like a DSLR. As for the printing size, a reader wrote that he/ she has made A3 prints from GX200's shots. However, you will need skills in PP and A3 is probably the limit for a compact.
 
R0011169 (Medium)
(This photo taken with GX200 illustrates that a camera with a bigger sensor will allow the photographer to blur the background which could be ideal for a portrait composition)
 
Rules of Thumb
 
Lastly, yes, rules are still needed in the digital era. Experience suggests that the rules below work fine for me when doing portraits:
 
1. If possible, scout the shooting location beforehand.

2. Picture the shots in mind beforehand. You may think of a theme before the shootouts take place.

3. Avoid shooting portraits in a location where there are lots of passers-by or activities. If you need to shoot in such a location, think of a way so that the model won't feel distracted or embarrassed.

4. Faking similes and posing endlessly are tiresome. Talk to your model about what she or he is proud of or hold an interest in so as to keep the model upbeat and cheerful. Crack some jokes. But never do this as if you were a talk maven.

5. Say less "look up a bit/ down a bit/ head up…" when you shot. Instead, think about what expression or posture you wish the model to give and say something to guide the model to do it naturally.

6. Some models will fake smiles and give a tensed expression at the press of the shutter. In that case, press the shutter half a second before the model expects it to be done. When you use this trick, you don't have to let the model know or feel being fooled. And don't overdo this.

7. To help the model relax further, ask him/ her to pose properly for the first shot, make faces for the second one, and then do an impromptu for the third shot. The third shot is usually the best one. Don't overdo this.

8. Use the foreground as a frame for composition. Trim the excessive background. Compacts have extensive depth of field. The all clear background can be distracting for portraits. So mind your background unless you bother to blur it in post processing.
 
9. If you don't have an assistant to hold a reflector for you, do the portraits near a reflexive surface like a whitewash wall. If the portraits are taken indoors and a natural light source is used, a big pillow in a light-coloured pillowcase can serve as a good reflector which can fit in whatever places. You can even ask the model to hold the pillow-reflector when you do a headshot.

10. If there is no other way to add catch-light in the model's eyes, fire a soft flash. But as a general rule, don't use flash for wrinkled faces.
 
All in all, a serious compact can also do portraits and produce great results too.  There will a further evidence in the post to be published tomorrow.

Comments

Nevin said…
Another reader suggested to me in a forum that A2 size should be okay for GX200's prints as he tried A3 size for 5MP images. A good reminder for your consideration.

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