Back to The Basics: Portrait Photography
First, I’ll state that the writing for this is going to be pretty lax and chill since I made this publication due to multiple requests. Initially, I was asked to make videos of how I do things behind-the-scene, but when I’m in the midst of putting things together, I don’t think about showing the process since I’m so focused. Currently, this is the best I can provide for those that are interested in knowing. I’ll split things into various topics like photography, video content, set design, lighting, etc. For now, let’s start with portrait photography.
What Equipment Do I Use for Portrait Photography?
My camera body is a Canon EOS 80D DSLR. I purchased it along with a starter lens (18–135mm).
The lenses that I personally think work best for portrait photography are the 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm lens. Other portrait lenses include the 24mm and 135mm lens.
Obviously the series of the lens and starting aperture vary (f/1.2, f/1.4, f/1.8), the lower the starting aperture, the higher the price. The most popular lens of the three is the 50mm lens aka The Nifty 50. It is also the cheapest of the three (You can get a brand new Canon 50mm f/1.8 for about $100). Although I recommend these lenses, you can still take portraits with other lenses including the starter lenses (18–135mm and 18–5mm lens).
35mm lens — Mild distortion, artsy, lifestyle/IG, less bokeh and more visible background, quite pricey
50mm lens — Most popular lens, bokeh/blurred background, lacks stabilization, great for natural lighting, inexpensive lens
85mm lens — Higher depth of field, clear separation between subject and blurred background, editorial/magazine lens, mid-range cost lens
My personal fave of these lenses is the 85mm as I enjoy editorial shots.
To save money on purchasing lenses, check buying used lenses from www.adorama.com or www.keh.com . You can also rent equipment at some locations or use Afterpay or Affirm to make monthly payments on purchasing equipment.
What Photo Style Do You Shoot?
I prefer editorial style photos. I love styling artistic exaggerated looks and taking pics. Right now, the most popular style is soft natural looks. I think those are nice too, but it’s just not personal preference. I also love experimenting with lighting using floodlights, which I will discuss in another article.
Anyways, my advice is to learn about how the camera you’re using works. After that, realize that the first 1–2k photos you take will probably not be good. Figure out what the relationship between you and your model looks like, and what how you want to compose your photos. I prefer natural lighting, but you have to be wary of oversaturation and position of the sun when outside. For this, purchase a UV filter that fits the lens you’re using during the shoot. For natural lighting indoors, windows are your friends.
Where Do You Like To Take Photos?
In my office!!! But actually, I like to build sets in my office, which I will talk about in another article. Otherwise, I prefer outdoors tied in with the theme of the photoshoot. I like botanical gardens, parks, art galleries/street art, alleys, or places that provide complementary or supplementary contrasts and moods. Sometimes I’ll go to pop-up photo locations, but they tend to be pricey and poorly lit (I once brought my own on-camera light and was super grateful I did).
How Do You Edit Your Photos?
I edit all my photos in Lightroom, Photoshop, and then VSCO. I only color edit photos. I may clean up some blemishes, but I do not alter body images. For posting to IG, I always increase the sharpness of the photos since IG and FB both compress images. Twitter thankfully does not. Photosites like Flickr and VSCO do not compress image quality.
That’s all I have to share for right now! More articles to come. Feel free to follow me on insta: @jessica_innis or email me at iamjessinnis@gmail.com or visit my website at www.jessicainnis.com
