Digital Camera Photo Tip: Mug Shot To Nice Shot!
It doesn’t matter if you work in the police department or an amateur photographer willing to take great mug shots or portraits, to make them look good you need to know your camera basics and how you can tweak in changes here and there. With these basics in your arsenal you can get great mug shots or portraits in no time. There are two different types of portraits, the formal one and the one on a more casual side.
With your digital camera you can easily get a real nice shot. Here’s something you can try:
The right settings on the camera:
Choose aperture priority mode and a small stop number i.e. a large aperture for a portrait. This will prevent the backdrop from becoming the more focused area in the picture. Your focal length should be about 80 mm-100 mm with 85mm being ideal for a nice shot. A focal length less than 50mm would make certain facial features appear much bigger than they actually are, so avoid that from happening at any cost.
For a noise free portrait go for a 100 on ISO setting and enable image stabilization if that is an option available in your digital camera as this will help prevent blurring of the image due to slight movement.
With good lightning and shutter speed around 1/125 you can get a nice shot easily. Also try an use a tripod to prevent shaky hands leading to blurry images if you’re new at this.
The right lighting:
Having the right lighting can do wonders as it makes the picture look more natural. Try to avoid incidental light as they have a tendency to cast unnecessary shadows instead try getting a nice shot with overhead light. A diffused light source works best also try and get multiple light sources for the even effect from all sides.
Approach and techniques for different portraits:
Formal- For a mug shot or formal picture for documentation purpose you need a great shot. Pick a solid backdrop colour and if you’re taking a mug shot make your subject stand close to the wall and if it’s a naturally formal image try making the subject stand a few feet away from the wall.
Outdoor shots: try early morning or late afternoon for taking outdoor portrait shots as natural lighting is always the best source and at those particular times the light tends to cast a golden effect on the image. In portraits there shouldn’t be any powerful image in the background that distracts from your subject.
