The Secret to Perfect Portraits with Alexander Vinogradov and Dawoud Bey
One can easily argue that today is the heyday for photography. With so many people able to take pictures, there is a lot of visual information on the Internet for every taste, so one must try hard to differ from the millions of other photographers. To help you stand out, our guest photographer, Alexander Vinogradov, gives us his advice on important aspects of portrait photography; from finding the perfect face to editing after the shoot.
The Formula for a Successful Portrait
The formula for my portraits is very simple: an interesting face, soft light, and delicate retouching. My name is Alexander Vinogradov. I’m a portrait photographer from Russia. I like to photograph people with interesting and unique features, as this gives me inspiration and a burst of energy before every shot. Similarly, the photographer Dawoud Bey, who is sixty-eight and one of the most influential living photographers in the U.S., has been celebrated for his rich, nuanced images.
Finding the Perfect Subject
I highly recommend to approach and look for a model very carefully. It should be interesting, unusual, catching. Don’t go for ordinary faces, but look for that muse that will resonate in your heart, and in the soul of the audience. People often ask where I find my beautiful models and most of them I meet on social media e.g. Instagram and Facebook. Searching by hashtag is very helpful. Street casting is also a good idea – you can also approach interesting looking people on the street.
When working with strangers, it primarily entails getting people to trust you within a short window of time. Bey has described his process as a collaboration between him and the people he photographs, one that gives the subjects the chance to decide how they are represented.
Styling and Environment
Tip: Choose soft and discreet clothes. Bright colors and prints will only distract the attention from your model. I prefer a natural and very feminine look. Furthermore, the background is important in portrait photography. It emphasizes and highlights your model. Therefore, the selection of the background should be as important as your choice of the model. I like to use the darker background color to emphasize the skin of my model.
Lighting Techniques
The light for my portraits is the simplest – this is a normal window and sometimes a reflector for highlighting shadows. A soft box is similar in shape to a window, so the light from it is so similar to natural light. It’s quite easy to shoot with natural light, you do not need to know how to install studio light, and you do not have to pay for renting a studio. Such portraits are possible to achieve at home.
Retouching and Post-Processing
One of the significant features of my portraits is natural retouching. I believe that retouching should not be a dominant factor in the final picture, but simply emphasize the individuality of your model, hiding everything unnecessary. Capture One Pro allows you to get excellent skin tone without additional manipulation.
I do not “smear” the texture of the skin, but only remove some of its flaws: pimples, specks, some wrinkles. The most difficult is a sense of proportion, you need to stop in time, without turning the face into plastic. It is important to get the correct exposure and white balance, so take pictures in RAW format.
Composition and Details
I like to look straight to the model’s eyes. So I often shoot large-scale portraits. I like to get close and look at every detail of those beautiful eyes. Tip: Remember to include the neck in the frame when shooting headshots. A long neck helps to make it more elegant and graceful.
Photography Equipment and Settings Data
- Model: Lera — Equipment: Sony A99, Sony 85/2.8
- Model: Daria Milky — Equipment: Sony A99, Sony 85/2.8
- Model: Katya — Equipment: Sony SLT-A99, Sigma 50 / 1.4, 1/160 c, f / 5.6, ISO 160
- Model: Daria Milky (Alt) — Equipment: Sony SLT A99, Sony 135/1.8