Monday, August 15, 2011

Jargon 03: Traditional and Non-Traditional Portrait Photography

What is Traditional and Non-Traditional portrait photography?
Generally, traditional photography has a specific style of photos with specific rules for portrait photography. Those can be broken and when they are that is known as Non-Traditional style when shooting portrait photography. Non-Traditional portrait photography is generally done within every known aspect but very formal photo shoots. Traditional photos are generally family portraits, sport team portraits, senior portraits, and just about every aspect of portrait photography that is servicing the general public...
Non-Traditional is generally in model photography, advertising photography, candid photography, event photography, just about anything you can think of when people are the subject(s). It may sound a bit confusing but when you’re working directly with models they’re not considered the general public, same goes for businesses, makeup artists, hair stylists. But this rule doesn’t apply 100% of the time some general public clients such as for wedding photography is normally the general public but most of the time those clients prefer non-traditional style photos for they won’t get that fake “cheesy” feel and tone to the photos (but some clients may specifically ask for that or not).
The typical rules to Traditional style photos are generally always posed, always have the “cheesy” smiles, and have everyone wearing very neat clothing with little to no logos or designs. As well have perfectly straight portrait/vertically shot photos. Another thing that this style uses is muslin backdrops when in a studio to give that classic look, feel and tone. When shooting a traditional style portrait you have to have a specific amount of “extra” blank space above the head, the general rule of this is holding two fingers above the head of the human subject, if more than one, use the tallest person (in the middle of the photo) and use the two fingers of space of that person’s head. In traditional style shots they generally have very well balanced lighting to have minimal to no shadows.

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