P#16 Q1: What Is the Single Biggest Mistake People Make when Taking Photography Portraits?

Don't Take It For Granted

Bobbi Lane: The first mistake that most people make is that we take light for granted. We forget that there are aspects of light that really control what the effect of your photograph is.

That's what I have to say the biggest mistake is -- not being aware of what the light is actually doing.

We have a tendency to just look at the subject and our brain compensates for the light. I'm sure that many of the listeners out there have had that experience, when they look at the photograph later and it's not what they saw when they were taking the shot.

The reason the actual portrait isn't the way they remember it is because their brain compensated for the lighting.

The biggest mistake is not being aware. You need to learn to see what the light is actually doing -- understand the quality of the light and how it falls on the face. It's crucial to have that awareness of the light.

The other mistake people make is putting their subjects in the direct sunlight.

I have three rules about working with natural light, and that's the first one -- no direct sunlight except the first hour of sunlight in the morning or the last hour of sun in the day.

At that time of day, the light is lower in the sky, diffused by the atmosphere. It's warmer in color. That's really the only time you can put somebody in actual direct sunlight.

In Closing

If you want to avoid the biggest mistake people making when shooting portraits, you need to learn how to understand and appreciate the light and, as Bobbi Lane explains, remember that direct sunlight is rarely the photographer's friend (except at the "magic hour."). These two things can have a significant impact on the quality of your photography portraits.