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

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.

Close up portrait of smiling beautiful blond female with hair lightly fluttering in the wind by Pavel Kolotenko on 500px.com

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

*** by Tatyana Nevmerzhytska on 500px.com

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.

Beautiful girl by LuckyImages on 500px.com

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.

Portrait of a charming sexy brunette with long flowing hair wind by Andrey Bezuglov on 500px.com

<2>How do you do it?

Beautiful woman by Olena Zaskochenko on 500px.com

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).

Freedom by Tatyana Nevmerzhytska on 500px.com

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.

Mixed race woman looking down and smiling by Gable Denims on 500px.com

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.

Natasha by Sean Archer on 500px.com

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!

scared girl in black by Alekcej Tugolukoff on 500px.com

Have fun!

Table of contents

Portrait Photography

Read more from our category

Darren Rowse
Darren Rowse

is the editor and founder of Digital Photography School and SnapnDeals.

He lives in Melbourne Australia and is also the editor of the ProBlogger Blog Tips. Follow him on Instagram, on Twitter at @digitalPS or on Google+.

I need help with...

Some Older Comments