One of the biggest problems photographers encounter when using flash are harsh shadows in the background. In particular, flash shadows are the bane of anyone who shoots portrait photography (for more on problems like this, see 99 common photography problems – and how to solve them).

In the tutorial below we show you how you can eliminate shadows from your pictures so you can start taking flawless portraits.

An example of harsh shadows

How to eliminate harsh shadows when using flash

Step 1: Watch your distance
To avoid horrible shadows on flash-lit portraits, ensure that your subject is positioned two feet or more in front of the background. Even bounced flash will struggle to make shadows disappear from a subject that’s placed directly in front of a background.

Step 2: Bounce it all around
Pointing the head of a hotshoe flashgun vertically and bouncing the light off the ceiling is a simple way to avoid subject shadows. As the light hits the ceiling it diffuses and bounces around the room, illuminating the space between the subject and the background (see our guide to Bounce flash photography in 4 simple steps).

Step 3: Set the power and zoom
As the light has reflected off the ceiling, you’ll lose a stop or two of power. Let the camera look after the exposure and keep the flash power at the standard TTL setting, with no compensation. Change the flash zoom to 50mm for the most effective spread of light.

READ MORE

44 essential digital camera tips and tricks
Digital camera effects from A-Z
Free portrait lighting cheat sheet

Whether you’re taking portraits of your friends or you’ve been commissioned to photography a family – or whether you’re taking your own family photos – working from your own home photo studio can be exceptionally rewarding.

Below we’ve compiled 10 expert tips on how to set up your home photo studio, with fundamental photo ideas for how to light, pose and set up your camera to shoot family photos.

Tip 1: Family portraits
Shooting any group of people is challenging, but photographing families can test even the most experienced professionals. You need to take control and be authoritative and clear about what you want everyone to do, giving you the best chance of getting everybody looking your way and smiling. Take multiple shots to give you the widest possible choice of images – somebody will always be blinking or half-smiling/ half-grimacing.

To inject some energy and fun into proceedings, encourage your subjects to move around and interact with each other. The flash lights will freeze them in action, so you’ll still get sharp shots. Alternatively, split families up into pairs, to capture more intimate portraits.

Tip 2: Home photo studio lighting kits
ontrary to popular belief, you don’t need to spend thousands of pounds to get a decent studio lighting set-up. Both Elinchrom and do good lighting kits for around £500, while Interfit and Lastolite have studio lighting kits starting at around £220 and £300 respectively. All come with two heads plus softboxes or umbrellas, so you can bounce and soften your light for more flattering and professional- looking portraits. The next step is to invest in backdrops; you’ll need a few rolls of different coloured paper, plus two stands and a roller holder.

Tip 3: Hiring a studio
Booking studio space is a good opportunity to take some great portraits in a controlled environment. But ask about ceiling height, or you may struggle to put light stands up high enough to position softboxes. Can you use the studio’s lights and cables? What backdrops are available? Will somebody be on hand to assist? And if you only need a few hours of studio time, ask if they do a half-day or hourly rate, or share the cost.

Tip 4: Photographing children
kids get bored easily, so turn your photo shoot into playtime – bring along favourite toys for them to hold and play with. This occupies them, keeping them still for a few seconds, plus you’ll get some interesting expressions on the little angels’ faces. it’s also essential that mum or dad is on hand so the kids feel comfortable – get them to stand behind you and attract their children’s attention (with silly faces, dancing – whatever it takes!) so they’re looking in your direction.

Tip 5: Basic lighting set-up cheats
If you don’t want a studio set-up, you can also achieve professional-looking portraits with a pair of modern flashguns and attachments. our example portraits were taken using a small portable background and two off-camera flashguns, fired through white brollies.

Tip 6: Shoot in Manual mode
When using manual mode in your home photo studio, a  good starting exposure is 1/200 sec at f/9 and iSo200.

Tip 7:  Bright lights
Your home photo studio lights dictate how bright or dark your subjects are. increase or decrease light power to brighten or darken them.

Tip 8: Get to know your aperture
Aperture controls depth of field, as well as how much the flash lights your subject. Wider apertures lighten subjects, while narrower apertures make them darker.

Tip 9: Speed freak
Your shutter speed controls ambient light. Set it higher to darken backgrounds, lower to brighten them. Maximum flash sync speeds are 1/200 or 1/250 sec, depending on your camera.

Tip 10: Be sensitive
ISo controls how far the flash light spreads – pump up iSo if subjects (such as groups of people) are far away, or if you want to brighten up backgrounds further.

Win Digital Camera’s Ultimate Guide to Portrait Photography

To celebrate the launch of ‘Portrait Photography‘, the latest instalment in our Digital Camera Special series of beginners guides to photography, we are running a picture-based competition via Facebook. Simply visit our Facebook page and upload your best portraits. We’ll pick 5 of the best portraits posted on our wall and offer these readers an advice clinic as well as a free copy of ‘Portrait Photography’.
READ MORE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Famous Photographers: 225 tips to inspire you

44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

13 tips for better pictures of babies, toddlers and teenagers

21 street photography tips from the professionals

Digital camera effects from A-Z

Night photography tips: 9 essential steps for beginners

53 essential photo ideas for winter

Follow us on Pinterest!

Do your photos of family and friends look more like snapshots than fine art? It’s a common problem we all face when struggling with available light or stubborn subject.

Who better to turn to for advice than leading UK lifestyle, portrait and wedding photographer, Brett Harkness. Below, Brett shares his 10 best portrait photography tips and photo ideas for improving your output.

Brett’s Top 10 Portrait Photography Tips

1. Stay short

Try using a fixed short lens, such as 50mm, for your lifestyle portraits. This will help you to make more of the surrounding scene, rather than just focusing in on the subject. Longer zoom lenses can be great but, as you’re further away from the subject, they can make it difficult to interact well with your models. Shooting with your lens wide open can give great results but this shallow depth of field will make it hard to keep focus if the subjects – such as kids – are moving around.

2. Start indoors

When photographing children, start off your shoot indoors to get them on side in the comfort of their own home. Use your Canon’s Manual setting, which will give you accurate control over both shutter speed and aperture. Making use of a doorway or French doors to throw light onto the faces will help; or position them near the front door of the house, move outside and shoot back into the hallway. Overexpose by at least 1-stop, which will give lighter and better skin tones. Turn off any interior lights as they will cast an unwanted (yellow) light on the subject.

3. Time for reflection 

Always have a reflector with you. This fantastic and versatile tool can be used in many different ways. I use a Lastolite Sunfire soft silver reflector, which cools down warm skin and warms up whiter skin. Getting a small one will help indoors while a larger one will be better for outdoor use.

4. Clothes maketh the shoot

Clothes can make or break a lifestyle portrait shoot! Don’t be afraid to check out the wardrobe and find colours to suit your background; don’t force people to wear what you want but gently guide them. Pick colours that go well together, and always try to do at least one shot with the whole family wearing similar colours or tones. Getting your subjects to wear brighter clothing will help also when it comes to getting a faster shutter speed.

5. The light of day

Schedule your shoot to utilise enough daylight; shooting family groups with flash after the sun goes down isn’t easy and needs practice. If the light is fading then increase the ISO to compensate – recent cameras are excellent at minimising noise, but even so try to limit your ISO to around 800. During the winter months, the sun will go down quickly so use your time wisely.

6. It’ll be all white

If your shoot overruns and you start to lose the light and have to go indoors, turn on all the lights and try to perform a custom white balance from whichever is brightest. Shooting RAW also helps because you can alter the white balance later. If your whites still don’t look white, turn shots to monochrome for an easy way to overcome the issue.

7. Play the game

Kids get bored easily so you’ll need to shoot quickly and with a plan. Make sure you ‘play’ in the best light and in front of the best locations. If you’re struggling to get the entire family to look towards the camera, point to something in a tree or the sky and everyone’s attention will focus on the same thing. Using an assistant is invaluable for this: it takes the pressure off you having to entertain and shoot!

8. Be my baby 

Try putting babies in the bath with no water in it: a white bathtub is a fantastic reflective light source and keeps the subject from crawling away! Going in close with a macro lens enables you to pick out details; however, you will need to watch your depth of field; try to shoot at least f/5.6-f/8 to get more in focus. Another great way to capture babies is to use the downward light from a window. Put a couch up against the window, get a dark towel or cloth, lay the baby down on it, and underexpose by about 1-stop.

9. AI Servo vs One shot

For 95% of my family shoots, I keep my camera on One Shot. AI Servo or continuous focusing is great for moving subjects, but can get caught out. Try prefocusing on a spot, such as a twig, and have a child run towards you. When they reach that twig press the shutter: great for perfecting your timing.

10. Flash? Aaa-aaagh! 

Using flash on families with kids can be tricky. Keep it simple; bounce an on-camera flash off a ceiling or wall, making sure it’s light in colour, white or cream! The larger the flash surface area the better the results, so try a softbox on your flashgun; Lastolite do great on- and off-camera soft boxes that enable a lot more shooting creativity. Try using your flash in high-speed mode when shooting outside in bright light; this will facilitate pushing some great fill flash into the face of the subject, creating a beautifully natural look to your portraits

READ MORE PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Famous Photographers: 225 tips to inspire you

44 essential digital camera tips and tricks

13 tips for better pictures of babies, toddlers and teenagers

Family Portraits: 10 tips for setting up your home studio

21 street photography tips from the professionals

Digital camera effects from A-Z

Night photography tips: 9 essential steps for beginners

53 essential photo ideas for winter

Even the mere thought 
of taking pictures of people on your travels is enough to send chills down the spine of many a photographer. Approaching complete strangers and asking if they mind being photographed can take some bottle. Persevere, though – it’s the people that make a place after all, and some well-crafted local portraits will lift your portfolio.

Whether you feel it’s right to pay for pictures is a personal decision, but don’t take them if you have no intention of paying

1. Be culturally aware

Be aware of any social attitudes towards photography. In some places people can be fearful of long lenses; in others, taking photos of women is taboo. Most guidebooks include a section on photography that should flag up any major considerations. A faux pas could result in you being spat on or you could even find yourself being arrested.

2. How to approach people

Most people you meet while travelling will be happy to oblige when you get your camera out – they might even be flattered to have their picture taken if it’s a destination that hasn’t been over-exposed to photographers. Sometimes 
all it takes is a friendly gesture with the camera and a smile to get the response you hope for, and in countries where there’s a language barrier this is probably the only option.

It always pays to be polite with a potential portrait sitter. Don’t just walk up and point your lens at them. They need time to get used to your presence. Strike up a conversation first if you can and it will really pay dividends. Talk about their country, how beautiful it is, 
the weather, what their name 
is and so on. Don’t be afraid 
to tell them about yourself 
and where you come from. Chatting like this will really break the ice and gives your potential subject the chance 
to say no to having their picture taken. Some people don’t like being photographed for religious or cultural reasons, and you should respect this.

If your subject seems willing, politely ask if they’d mind being photographed – almost treat 
it as an afterthought – and try to explain what you would like them to do. Non-Western folk often pose in one of two ways: thumbs up with cheesy grin, or rigid and upright. So spend time with your subjects to help them relax for a more natural shot. Suggest ways for them to pose, show them some photos you’ve already taken and offer to take their address and send them a print.

Marcus Hawkins/Future

3. Make sure your camera is ready

Once you’re at the point of picture taking, 
you don’t want to be trawling through your camera menus and fumbling with settings. As with everything, preparation is key. Make sure you’ve analysed the situation before you start interacting with your subject and have your camera set up ready.

First, make sure you’ve got the right lens fitted. A short telephoto zoom with a focal length between 85-135mm is the ideal lens for head and shoulders portraits. Remember to set a
wide aperture – f/4, for example – to throw any distracting backgrounds out of focus. If your subject’s environment is interesting, reach for a wide-angle lens instead. If the focal length is wider than around 28mm then don’t place anyone near the edges of the frame, otherwise they’ll appear horribly distorted.

Shoot with a low(ish) 
ISO setting and set the lens aperture wide open, which will give you a fast, handholdable shutter speed. Switch the camera’s autofocus to single focus mode and lock the focus on the person’s eyes. Use your camera’s high-speed drive mode so that you can shoot several frames in quick succession to ensure you don’t miss the best expression.

Although you want to work fast, do take your time to get the details right. Many photographers mess up here. Having found a willing subject, they rattle off a few quick pictures without thinking about the background, the subject’s expression, what to include in the shot and what to exclude, the quality of the light and all the other things that would be instinctively considered when shooting portraits back home. So before firing off multiple shots, try to forget your nerves and think: 60 seconds spent setting up the shot will be rewarded by photographs that are infinitely better.

Ben Birchall/Future

4. To pay or not to pay?

In many countries the local people have realised that they can make money by posing for tourists – with the potential to become their main source of income in some cases. Often this is quite blatant and money’s discussed before 
any shots are taken, whereas elsewhere it’s a much more subtle rubbing together of fingers and thumb after you’ve taken them. Whether you feel it’s right to pay for pictures is a personal decision, but don’t take them if you have no intention of paying. Perhaps consider buying something from a trader as a token in return for taking a picture instead. Don’t be intimidated into paying a small fortune by 
a demanding subject, and politely walk away if the situation gets heated.

5. Photographing kids

Children are the same the world over: they’re inquisitive, lively and make excellent subjects. Get down to their eye level and fire off several shots to get them used to having their picture taken. If you can’t get them to pose long enough for a decent portrait, pull back and shoot them at play.

Whatever your subject’s age, treat 
the subject with dignity and respect. A shoeshine boy in rags may look like a colourful character to you, but he will still be a shoeshine boy working hard to earn a meagre living when you’re back home enjoying your holiday and vacation photos, so don’t exploit or patronise the people you shoot. If you 
do, you’ll make it more difficult for the next photographer.

Marcus Hawkins/Future

6. Candid portrait photography

If you find the idea of asking strangers to pose just too nerve-wracking, your only option is to shoot candidly. In crowded places, such as markets and squares or during festivals and busy events, this can produce superb results, so don’t look upon it as second best – people are usually more relaxed when they’re not aware of you and your camera. If you dither with camera settings or worry about being spotted you’ll miss the best expressions and attract attention.

A longer telezoom – around 200-300mm at the top end – will be ideal, enabling you to take frame-filling shots from a fair distance. Shooting at a maximum, wide-open aperture will provide a shallow depth of field that will throw any messy backgrounds out of focus.

Another option when you’re photographing in crowds is to get into the thick of things with a wide-angle lens and shoot at close range. Thanks to the wide field of view you can include people in your pictures without them realising because they think you’re pointing the camera elsewhere. Live View (available on many of the latest cameras) opens up the opportunities further, as you don’t even need to look like you’re taking a picture.

7. Consider the light

Use the soft, warm light of early morning and late afternoon when photographing people, and carry a small folding reflector so that you can bounce light onto your subject’s face. The magical appearance of a Lastolite will raise a few smiles and relax your subject, but a newspaper can work just as well if you’re pushed.

Beware of flare. too. If you’re photographing people in exposed sunny locations you can end up with hazy, low-contrast images if you let the sun shine across the front of the lens. Fit a lens hood or use your hand to shield the front element to reduce this and get the best from your camera lenses.

Digital Camera’s 10-part series ‘Teach Yourself Photoshop’ builds into a complete video reference library. These easy-to-follow video guides will take you on a start-to-finish journey through perfecting your photos in the digital darkroom. In this tutorial video you’ll find out how to use Layers to create a desaturated, high-contrast fashion shot. Discover how to use Layers, Shadow/Highlights, Levels, Blending Modes and more. Click the links to the right and build up the complete collection with each new issue of Digital Camera.

Digital Camera’s 10-part series ‘Teach Yourself Photoshop’ builds into a complete video reference library. These easy-to-follow video guides will take you on a start-to-finish journey through perfecting your photos in the digital darkroom. In this video you’ll find out how to retouch a portrait by whitening teeth and eyes, removing wrinkles, improving skin tones and tidying up hair. Discover how to use the Dodge Tool, Sponge Tool, Spot Healing Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, Adjustment Levels, Adjust Colour for Skin Tone for perfect portraits. Click the links to the right and build up the complete collection with each new issue of Digital Camera.

Digital Camera’s 10-part series ‘Teach Yourself Photoshop’ builds into a complete video reference library. These easy-to-follow video guides will take you on a start-to-finish journey through perfecting your photos in the digital darkroom. In this video you’ll discover how to retouch portraits using basic tools in the Adobe CameraRaw editor and Photoshop Elements including the Spot Healing tool, Healing Brush, Clone Stamp tool and more. Click the links to the right and build up the complete collection with each new issue of Digital Camera.

Digital Camera’s 10-part series ‘Teach Yourself Photoshop’ builds into a complete video reference library. These easy-to-follow video guides will take you on a start-to-finish journey through perfecting your photos in the digital darkroom. In this video you’ll learn how to enhance the skin tones in your portrait photographs by using the Levels command in Photoshop Elements. Find out how to adjust the shadows and highlights to create a range of tones while keeping all the details in your portraits. To watch more videos in this series, click the links on the right, and build up the complete collection with each new issue of Digital Camera.

A look that has become increasingly popular in recent times, especially with portrait images is characterised by muted colours and boosted contrast. In this video tutorial we’ll show you how you can add the effect to your own images. We’ve used a simple portrait taken in a home studio, but you can try out this effect on portraits of your family and friends to give them a magazine style makeover – watch the video to find out more, and check out the related links for the text walkthrough of this tutorial.