Elja Trum

Portrait photography tip: Let your surroundings play a part in your photo

Thursday 26 September 2024, 15:51 by | 2,214 views | 0 comments

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

A good portrait photo is often about more than just the person in the photo. The surroundings can play an important role. They give the photo context. For example, think of a cobbler in his workshop.

Dennis

Dennis - f/5.6, 1/200s, 200 ISO @ 24mm

To include the background in the photo, you usually use a wider lens, such as a 35mm. With this type of photo, you probably also want more of the surroundings to be in focus. So use a smaller aperture opening, meaning a higher aperture number.

Try to include only things in your photo that genuinely add to its story. You do not want to distract from the subject, but instead add context to the person you are photographing.

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Elja Trum

About the author

Elja Trum is the founder of Photofacts and online photography course website Photofacts Academy. He has been writing about photography since 2006. Elja is also the author of (Dutch) books on composition, black-and-white photography, flash photography and portrait photography.

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Elja Trum

Elja Trum

Photofacts; everything to do with photography!

Would you like to take better photos and keep up with what is happening in photography? Photofacts publishes articles that teach you something about photography — from a product announcement to a practical shooting tip or a look at a website. Photofacts covers photography every day and is a hobby project of Elja Trum's that got out of hand. The articles are written by a team of volunteer authors. If you would enjoy writing one or more articles for Photofacts, do get in touch.More about Photofacts

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