The following is a direct copy and has been Pasted in for future reference from the People & Place coursework PDF Doc. (pasted in Maroon)
1 photograph
First discuss with your potential subject what kind of natural activity he or she would be interested in, and whether this would be indoors or outdoors, sedentary or moving about. For ease of execution, you might find it easier to avoid fast-moving activity, simply because of the extra technical demands of composition, changing camera settings and so The point of having an activity is to preoccupy your subject, and if this can be achieved without too much movement or changes in location, so much the better.
As this is primarily a portrait exercise rather than an exercise in reportage, try not to get distracted by the demands of showing how the actions are performed. In other words, for example, if you have decided to photograph someone pruning in a garden, you do not need to show exactly how the pruning works – concentrate instead on the person and the facial expression.
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Equipment
Camera – Nikon D4
Lens – 24/70 – f2.8 lens
Method & Approach
Please see pictures and captions below.
Note – all pictures have been compressed hence there might be a quality reduction when enlarging.
Picture 1 – An active portrait
Camera Details
Camera Nikon D4 (handheld)
Speed 1/90th sec
Aperture f3.2
ISO 500
White Balance Setting Custom (4700°K)
Lens 24/70mm
Focal Length 48mm
Comments – With this particular shot I didn’t want to mimic or just copy the sample image from the course work, even though my wife is just as keen as me when it comes to photography. She is also keen on her phone and in this example I wanted to keep the portrait interesting by blurring the foreground but making sure her face is sharp. I used a speedlight behind her head and a softbox just slightly to my left. I like the result of this shot and I did try several more in an attempt to stop her shoulder from blowing out but in doing so I lost the light effect around her head and hair line.
What have I learnt from this exercise
I have learnt from this exercise to just let the subject do their own thing and whilst watching them … gently click away and try not to interfere with their thought process. In this way I believe you capture the natural look of the person. Also try not to occupy a single area or space, I like to move around the person as well as using the zoom for best framing. I have enjoyed this short exercise and as always my wife is up for having her picture taken, none of these exercises could be done without her.
Thoughts and Reflection
As I mentioned above and also in my Comments, I tried several variations of this shot by altering lighting positions and intensities as well as moving around the subject and in doing so the best pictures started to come after a little practice and time with just letting my wife be herself for this particular exercise.
Summary
These type of pictures can really describe a persons hobbies, nature and also private life and getting a picture right can really promote the person. For instance if a written article were to be required and a picture needed, this kind of informal portrait can introduce a totally different value and thought process of … say a famous or popular person. Another example could be of the same person walking their dog or playing with the children, pictures that the public don’t ever see i.e. the persons private life.
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