I was at the Kumbh Mela a few days ago and spent some time photographing the visitors who had come to take a dip at the Ganga-Yamuna conflunce. When I shared some of these images on a few image-sharing platforms, one of the portraits was particularly well-received by my regular audience. It was not just in terms of number of ‘like’s. A few people wrote to me directly on how they found the portrait very appealing. One of them also said, while she loved the portrait, she couldn’t tell “why the shot has a feeling of perfection”. Here is a rather long story trying to delve into everything that went into making this portrait image.
I will start with a disclaimer. You can skip this paragraph if you are not keen to read a bunch of excuses. I am no portrait-photography specialist, though I have shot many-a-portraits in my long photography career. With what I could grasp from the response from people who get to see my work regularly, there is a good number of portrait images from my basket that have been appreciated by many. Yet, I do not understand what most experts call a good portrait and why. On many occasions, I wasn’t able to get in tune with critics or failed to appreciate the well-known images that the subject-matter experts have praised. For example, I have had difficulty in finding merit in the much-appreciated image of an Afghan girl by renowned photographer Steve McCurry. I may be just a contrarian or I might simply not have sufficient know-how on this topic. This disclaimer is essentially meant to warn you that although I am writing about a portrait (and about portrait photography), I may differ from generally accepted views or may not have the same view as experts do. Take this story with a grain of salt.
There are several things that went into making this image. All the decisions were taken in an instant and the entire portrait-making process took no more than a minute, but much consideration went into making the image. Here is the full list.
We talked to the person who was going to be photographed
Portraits by definition (according to me) are images made with cognizance of the subject. To say the same thing using the word in vogue today, portraits are usually not ‘candid’ images. To make a good portrait, you need to plan the lighting, background, and other elements that may have to be in the image. Yes, you can use a telephoto lens, walk around and search for a person in just the right light / location and still make a good portrait without your subject being aware. But nearly all good portrait photography happens with some co-operation from the subject.
This photograph was made on a tall bridge with the location of Kumbh Mela in the background. Some time after I arrived at this location, I had some ideas on the kind of portrait image I wanted to make. But this needed just the right person to model for me. I saw this gentleman approaching us swiftly along the footpath, and thought he would be a perfect fit.
My equipment were all in the camera bag and I did not have a lot of time to get things ready. So, I immediately asked my friend, who was shooting with me, to talk to him and request him to pose for us. By the time they had exchanged a sentence or two, I was ready with my equipment.
Next, I requested our model to stand the way he is seen in this portrait and quickly took a test shot. It required a few corrections to the camera settings and another press of the button before I had this image in the camera. In less than a minute, I could get exactly what I wanted. We thanked the gentleman for his cooperation and he was on his way again in no time. The whole operation had to be concluded quickly, for, I wasn’t sure how long he would have obliged to our requests.
Key takeaway: I could get the exact image because we talked to him and requested for his assistance. If we had taken a shoot-and-scoot approach, this image wouldn’t have been possible.
The background has an important role
Much thought had gone into choosing the right background for this image. I wanted the image to have an impression of the location where it was shot — the Kumbh Mela. If I had made a photograph from the walkway where he was, without re-positioning him, my background would have been partly sky and partly a concrete-bridge with a lot of vehicular traffic. Neither of them are exactly symbolic of the location where this portrait was being made. Such background would have taken away a key factor in this portrait — the importance of the event and the location.
So, I requested him to stand where he is seen in this portrait, and positioned myself in a way that I have the relevant background. If you look carefully into the background, you will see the pontoon-bridges over Ganga that are well-known as part of the setup of Kumbh Mela. They appear in many images of the event, is commonly photographed and often easily identified. The dazzling lights in the background are from the location of the confluence — a busy place and the center of action during the festival. They were both symbolic of Kumbh Mela for me and I wanted them in the background.
But I wanted to keep this location information subtle, allowing his greater emphasis on the person himself and far lesser emphasis on the background. This meant throwing the background out of focus, not allowing any background details to dominate in the image. Obviously, this is easily achieved with a small f-number and proximity of camera to the subject. Lighting also played an important role in achieving the desired outcome, which I will explain in the next section.
I think the choice of background (and the way it was represented) made a huge difference to the final appearance of this image.
Often, people who make portraits try to settle for a clutter free or a dark/black background. While it’s certainly a good idea to have a muted background for a portrait, I think choosing a perfectly black background is a lazy photographer’s approach to portrait photography. I personally prefer a background that can have some symbolic significance to the place, event or the person you are photographing. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the person you are photographing remains the primary subject in the frame, and not too much emphasis given to the background. Below is another example to drive this idea home:
I could have easily chosen a completely black background for this image of a young monk in Cambodia. But after a bit of thinking and looking around, I chose to include the statues and the candle you see in the background. They helped symbolize the location in which this image was made — a monastery. As the idols were poorly lit compared to the young monk in the foreground, they did not dominate the image and did not take away the attention from the subject. This background help set up the scene much better compared to a completely black background, in which case it could well look like a studio-portraiture.
Key takeaway: a relevant background can add a lot of value to your portrait. But it’s important to ensure that the subject remains the most visible part of the frame, and the background doesn’t takeaway the attention from the person whom you are photographing.
I used an external flash
Although an amateur may not detect it, a seasoned photographer will immediately identify that our model was lit with additional lighting. It could be the flash, or it could well be a powerful street light, but the use of some kind of light other than skylight/sunlight has played an important role in making this image.
I used an external flash mounted on the camera for making this portrait. These are the two reasons why it was important to use one in making this portrait.
- Without a flash, our model’s face would have been dark. This portrait was made in the evening, just after sunset when the sky was still bright. With a bright sky, and very little light on the man’s face, you normally end up with an image that has relatively dark face and a bright sky. But in a portrait image, you typically want the exact opposite — a well lit face and a relatively dark background. An additional light source was required to achieve this effect.
- If you notice the person’s face and the background carefully, you will see that their colours are entirely different and form a nice contrast. The face is lit with a warmer (more towards yellowish) light while the background is cooler (bluish). This creates an excellent separation between the foreground and the background, and helps add more emphasis to the person.
Key takeaway: we often let the lighting be at the mercy of sun or the ambient lighting situation. When there is a possibility, take control.
Related Links: Some of our photography tours with that involve a lot of people/portrait photography:
- Bhutan Photography Tour
- Ladakh: Life of Changpa Nomads Photography Tour
- Colours and culture of Rajasthan
- Photographing Dev Diwali and ancient traditions of Varanasi
- Photographing Hornbill Festival and North-East India
I got lucky!
While some planning went into making this image, there are several things that just fell in place and worked in my favour. Our model had an amazingly photogenic face. He obliged to our request and did not just walk away — something I am very grateful for.
I had walked away from other friends in my group a few minutes ago and was by myself until a few minutes before this image was shot. I had subsequently messaged the group and had asked them to join me, since I had found some good photography opportunities where I was. Just in good time, one of my friend in the group had walked in and she helped me in chatting up with our model, while I struggled to get the equipment ready (pull out the camera from the bag, pull out the flash from the bag and then from its cover, mount the flash on the camera, adjust the camera settings!). Without her help, this image wouldn’t have been possible.
We stayed at this location for almost half-an-hour after this image was made. Many people walked by, and I kept a watch for a long time after I made this image for someone who looked as interesting/photogenic as this gentleman. I did not find anyone. We just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and things fell in place!
The inspiration to make this image came from another person who walked by a few minutes earlier. He too had a long beard, long hair and was also wearing an orange robe like most holy men in the region do. He too looked like a good model for a portrait, but had walked away before I could think much about making a portrait image (we had reached this place with an intent to photograph the temporary pontoon-bridges across River Ganga and had no intent to shoot portraits. That’s perhaps also why I already did not have camera in hand and did not have the flash mounted). As he walked away, I started contemplating on what could make a good portrait image here, and considered the possibility of making portrait image of the next photogenic person who may walk by. This person who triggered my thoughts helped me to prepare mentally for making a portrait image. By the time we started talking to our next subject, I had a clear mental image of how I wanted to shoot, what background and lighting I need, etc. This pre-imagining helped me finish the shoot quickly and efficiently, which I think was key to get this image successfully.
Key takeaway: If you stay alert, lady luck will offer her helping hand!