Portrait Tip: Add Interest and Movement into Your Shots with Wind

Sometimes portrait shoots can be tough with all your shots seeming a little ‘bland’.

Today we’re going to look at a technique that can give a portrait a little spark – it’s something photographers have been doing for years.

Here’s a quick tip to add interest to portraits – introduce wind.

Studio portrait photographers have been using fans to blow the hair of their subjects for years and while at times it can be a little cliche – done well the movement of a subjects hair can add a sense of fun, sensuality and interest into a shot.

It won’t work for every subject or situation but it is one option to have up your sleeve – particularly when photographing subjects with long hair.

<2>How do you do it?

It’s not rocket science really – make some wind! Fans, hair dryers, get your model outside in the wind or even flicking their hair around my tossing their head back and forth (just think shampoo commercials).

One of the keys with these types of shots is to think about the length of shutter speed that you use. There are two main options. One is to use a fast shutter speed and FREEZE the motion created by the wind.

The other is to go with a longer shutter speed and let the movement create a little (or a lot) of blur in the image.

Again – it’s not a technique I’d be using in every portrait that I was shooting but it could be worthwhile in spicing up the occasional shoot!

Have fun!