Sunday, November 27, 2011

Two paintings for gifts

©2011 Josh McCallister
©2011 Josh McCallister

I made these two on commission. The patron had them made for two of her bridesmaids. The men in the paintings have both passed away, so I felt some pressure. Also, the photographs I had to work from were small and poorly lit.

This is a good chance to make my suggestions for how to take photos of people. At least, these are my tips to making a photograph I can work best from.
1. Shoot outdoors or use natural light. Flash photos are not very useful.
2. Frame the shot so that the person's face is filling the frame. Maybe head and shoulders. Come in close enough to eliminate the clutter in the background.
3. Tripods can be useful if the light is low, because without a flash, camera shake is an issue.
4. Take the picture with the camera slightly higher than the person's eye level - this gets them looking up a bit and usually makes for a more flattering image.
5. Learn to use your camera. Most have a portrait setting nowadays. If you can set up in good light and frame your shot well the camera setting will help you out.
6. Bear in mind that a painting of a person is not meant to be a snapshot - we're not trying to remember one moment that happened, and I am usually not trying to put the subject in a location, either. The portrait photo does not need to be a good smile, or a flawless complexion. An honest depiction of the subject is best.

In short, I prefer to take my own source pictures, but that's not always possible. I think folks should take good pictures of the people in their lives, even if they aren't planning to hang them on the wall. I've had a handful of commissions of people who've passed away, and the starting images were not strong. I can only go so far working from a bad photo.

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