location,wheregraphicelementsofthelandscapecanadd
to theeffect;tree-linedpaths and walls willallowfora
more dynamic, effective use of this technique.
Selectivefocusingcanbeaverypowerfulcreativetoolin
portraiture,withthephotographerdeciding tohighlighta
particularfeaturesuchastheeyeorhandsofapersonoran
areawithintheimage;thisinturncanaddanarrativeand
character to a portrait.
A strong portrait image using selective focusing with a
shallowdepthoffieldcanreallydrawextrameaningfrom
an imageby pushingall otherdetailsout intoblur. The
vieweristhendrawntowards,thepointofinterestquickly
andwithlittledistractionfromotherareasoftheimage.By
usingalessshallowdepthoffieldthephotographermay
addafewmoredetails intotheportrait,givingacontext
andlocationtotheimage.Inbothsituationsyouultimately
need to consider what information is important for the
portraitandthestoryyouwishtotellandalsohowthiswill
affect the composition of the image as a whole.
Ifitaddsnothingtothestoryorcomposition,bluritout;if
itgivesusalittlemoreinformationaboutthesubject or
addsadimensionorgraphictothecomposition,thenleave
it in focus or as a suggestion.
METERING THE LIGHT
Acorrectlyexposedimageiskeytoqualityportraiture.The
photographershouldbeawareastohowtoachievethisby
understanding fully the inbuilt metering system of the
camera.EverydigitalSLRonthemarkettodaywillhavea