Every face tells a story and you can capture it with the right use of the camera, writes Salliza Salleh
YOU can learn something about a person from his or her facial expression, but getting an expression that tells a story can be challenging.
Take your fancy mirrorless or dSLR camera on a stroll and capture a face, either of your loved one or a stranger. With the right angles, poses and light, anyone can look photogenic, and with a face that tells plenty.
Some say capturing a person’s face is like capturing his or her essence and soul. Master the technical know-how of the camera first and aim for a head shot portrait that can convey great emotions and connect well with viewers.
Here are five tips to capture a memorable headshot portrait.
1. UNDERSTANDING LIGHT: Look for the light and shadow. Learn to feel and see the different impact of light on your subject. Morning and afternoon light is always the best but any available light is good if you can manipulate it well.
2. GET THE RIGHT BACKGROUND AND CAMERA SETTING: Fix the background first then set your ISO, shutter speed and aperture, according to the available light. Make it simple, set the shooting mode to A or Av and shoot at different aperture for each pose. Be quick as the light will not wait for you.
3. AIM FOR THE EYES: The eyes are the windows to the soul. It tells stories about the subject better than any other body part.
4. CONNECT WITH YOUR SUBJECT: Analyse your subject. Talk to him or her. Make them feel safe and at ease with you. You will be surprised to see the difference a mood change can do to your photograph.
5. CAPTURE THE DECISIVE MOMENT: The unplanned, spontaneous and honest emotional moment creates a beautiful expression. Moments sometimes do happen in between poses. Trust your instinct, anticipate it, be subconsciously ready to click the camera and capture the decisive moment.
A professional photographer who believes that photography helps her understand life, Salliza Salleh aka Matsuda Mashimaru wanders the globe to experience moments with her trusty friend, her camera.