Photo Tip of the Week: How to Shoot a Portrait Series

Alfonso Calero photographed close to fifty head-and-shoulder portraits in this year’s ANZAC day march. He shares five essential tips for anyone contemplating a similar project.

On Anzac Day this year I joined the morning service here in my local neighborhood of Lane Cove. I brought my camera with the idea of doing some head shots of some of the local ex-servicemen. After gaffer taping a large black velvet background to a wall in the shade I began approaching potential subjects. After only seven portraits I decided to head into the city in search of more subjects. I arrived at Hyde Park as the Anzacs were finishing the march. In total I took close to fifty portraits, some of which you can see here. All of the Anzacs I photographed were given a free hard copy or emailed a copy of their photo.

Interestingly, of all the people I approached I only got three or four rejections. The portraits have since been commissioned and will be exhibited as a public art project in front of Gallery Lane Cove on Longueville Road, Lane Cove.

Here are some tips for anyone planning a similar project.

01 TEST SHOT

Make a test shot using the background you intend to use before you begin approaching subjects. If you have a friend or assistant with you get them to pose while you adjust lighting and camera settings.

02 SHOOT IN THE SHADE

Shoot in the shade with nice available light. It can be helpful to combine natural light with an artificial light source but it’s certainly not essential. You should be able to get good results with a very simple setup.

03 WORK QUICKLY

Work quickly while engaging with your subject. In the Anzac day project I had about one minute with each subject. People have other things to do, and you’ll lose their attention if you take too long.

04 TALK AND SHOOT

It’s better to take photos while you are talking to the subject, rather than when they are talking to you. That way they won’t have their mouth open at the wrong time.

05 SHARE YOUR WORK

Always offer to send the sitter a free copy via email or post. On Anzac day I handed out my business card with the time their photo was taken so I could reference the images later for delivery.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Alfonso Calero moved to Australia at the age of 15. He graduated from the Sydney Institute of Technology with an Associate Diploma in Photography in 2001 and has been professionally photographing food, portraits, landscapes and travel subjects ever since. He started a travel education and tours company four years ago delivering workshops every Saturday morning in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle. He also takes groups of four people to Japan,  Philippines, Spain and Tasmania once a year for 10-14 day photography workshops. For more information about his tours and workshops go to www.alfonso.com.au or www.photographytravel.net.au

Anzac Day 2012. Photo by Alfonso Calero. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF85mm f/1.2L
lens, f/2.8 @ 1/125s, ISO 200. Canon 580 EX II Speedlite with beauty dish.



Anzac Day 2012. Photo by Alfonso Calero. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF85mm f/1.2L
lens, f/2.8 @ 1/125s, ISO 200. Canon 580 EX II Speedlite with beauty dish.



Anzac Day 2012. Photo by Alfonso Calero. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF85mm f/1.2L
lens, f/2.8 @ 1/125s, ISO 200. Canon 580 EX II Speedlite with beauty dish.



Anzac Day 2012. Photo by Alfonso Calero. Canon EOS 5D Mark II, EF85mm f/1.2L
lens, f/2.8 @ 1/125s, ISO 200. Canon 580 EX II Speedlite with beauty dish.