Secrets of night photography without a flash. Night portraits without a tripod and flash Options for night shooting portrait

As you know, photo shoots with the participation of men are held much less frequently than photo shoots of children or women. Most often, men do not tend to show off in front of the camera, many of them, unlike the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity, are not very concerned even with their own appearance, they have no particular desire to show off in front of others.

How to turn male photo session into an exciting creative process? How to make it more comfortable for both the photographer and the person being photographed?

During preparation for work, the first thing to do is to choose for your model as many diverse and attractive clothes as possible, and preferably in different styles, so that when shooting you have plenty to choose from. Plus, clothes can sometimes tell you the character, style of the future portrait. Do not forget that the clothes for your model are familiar and comfortable. This will help the person to relax.

Don't forget about props. In the portrait of a man, very different things can be present, here your choice is not limited by anything. It can be a laptop, and a guitar, and a glass of wine, and a ball, and a tennis racket. The main thing is that all these items help you express the inner world of the person being portrayed.

Even before the start of the photo session, it is important for you, the photographer, to understand what the customer wants to get from you, what is important for him to see as the result of all your collaboration. That is why it would be good to discuss all possible shooting options in advance, even a few days before the start of work.

The photo that you plan to take for your client should express the status of a man, should emphasize his dignity and hide possible disadvantages. Most often, men want to look brutal, sexy, masculine. All this must be taken into account. You can even show him this article with photos as a cheat sheet.

Many men prefer black and white photograph. A black and white photograph emphasizes the masculinity of your model, his masculine heroism, power, strength. Many photography professionals who work with men say that their clients feel more confident, more comfortable, more comfortable during the shooting if they are in a trusting relationship with the photographer. In this case, it is much easier for them to be liberated, to be natural. Although it happens quite the opposite. That is why it is important for a portrait photographer to also be a good psychologist. He just needs to study the psychological portrait of his model, learn as much as possible about this person, about his work, favorite sports and other attachments and hobbies. It would be nice to know his musical tastes as well, and put on the client's favorite music while photographing.

In a male portrait, poses look interesting, which can be called the most simple and natural. The simpler the pose, the more natural the portrait will be. A masculine pose is usually called a pose in which right angles are visible and there are slightly more vertical lines than horizontal ones. In order to effectively show the muscles and broad shoulders of the model, ask your client to turn their shoulders to the camera, and, on the contrary, slightly turn their hips away from the lens.

It is customary to build the composition of a male portrait so that the eyes of the model look in the same direction as his face is turned. Regardless of whether the person portrayed is standing or sitting, special attention must be paid to his posture. If your customer has forgotten about this, you need to delicately remind him of this. The back in the portrait should be straight. Well, the introductory part of our conversation is over, it's time to start talking about specific poses for creating good portraits of good men.

The first pose for a male portrait is very simple: the model is standing with her arms crossed over her chest. In this pose, you need to pay special attention to two details: the belly of the person being portrayed should be tucked up, and the shoulders should be laid back a little.

The second pose is similar to the first. It is good for a full-length portrait. The portrait must cross his arms over his chest, and so that his hands are on the elbow bends, and his thumbs are hidden inside. When photographing a man in this position, you can ask him to cross his legs as well, and you need to do this so that one leg is in front of the other. Here you need to pay attention to the fact that the body weight of the model is transferred mainly to one leg, otherwise the pose will be awkward and ugly.

This pose may even slightly repeat the previous one. The only difference here is that the model put one hand in her pocket, and the other remains in a relaxed position. The same pose can be slightly modified. Ask the person being portrayed to place their hands partially or completely in the front pockets of their trousers. And immediately the posture of the person will become natural, the man will look relaxed. There are two options for this posture. First: the hands are folded into a fist and located approximately at the level of the belt, and the thumbs are in the pockets. Second: the hands are hidden in the pockets, and the thumbs are outside.

Very good full-length portraits are obtained if a man stands with his back against the wall. In this case, it is good if his hands are in his pockets. And if one leg of the person being portrayed, bent at the knee, also leans against the wall, then the photo will turn out to be natural and unconstrained. If your goal is to photograph a man who is sitting, then ask him to put the ankle of one foot on the knee of the other. In this case, the posture will be natural and familiar to the person. In this case, the shooting point should be slightly higher than the eyes of the person being portrayed.

A man can lean against the wall and sideways. Such a portrait can be both improvised and official.

One of the easiest options to show a man on vacation. The model is depicted sitting in a free and natural position for him, while his hands lie freely on his hips.

Pose for a person sitting at a table. She is pretty simple. At the same time, one hand of the model lies freely on the table, and the other, clenched into a half-fist, props up its chin. Well, in order to indicate the occupation or profession of this person, any objects can be included in the frame. Let them lie in front of him on the table (a telephone set, business papers, writing materials) or be located somewhere in the background (for example, books in a closet, something hanging on the wall ...). In this case, all these things and objects will work as signs.

A variation on the previous pose is good for business portraits. One hand still lies on the table, the second, standing with the elbow on the table, is raised up and the fingers of this hand are in a half-bent position. At the same time, the model slightly tilted her head and looks directly into the lens. This posture makes a man more creative. The model is still sitting at a table or just in a chair, while the chair or chair is slightly turned back to the lens. One hand of the model rests on the handrail of the chair or on the table with the elbow, and the hand of the second hand rests freely on the second handrail.

The person being portrayed sits at a table, leaning on crossed arms. On the table, as always, you can put various items that indicate the profession of the person being portrayed.

A chair as a support for a standing man will make his portrait much more attractive and interesting. Instead of a chair, you can use a window sill, a table or something else. You can add some variation to this pose. For example, ask the person being portrayed to stand so that he rests his hip on the edge of the table. The legs can be crossed. You can cross your arms over your chest, or lean them on one of the supports mentioned here.

The man sits freely on the ground. The pose is simple and natural. You can experiment with its various options by changing the direction of the model's gaze, shooting points, angles. There are a lot of options, full scope for the flight of the creative imagination of the photographer. Another similar pose. Also on the ground. More precisely, somewhere in the forest, on the grass ... The person being portrayed leaned back a little and leaned his hands on the ground. Free and natural posture.

Also sitting on the ground. A young man sits with his legs crossed in front of him, on which lie crossed arms. Everything is simple and lyrical. Again sitting on the ground, but not on the grass, but somewhere in the city, on the pavement. The posture is relaxed and informal. The man sits with his back against the wall of a building, a fence, or some other support. At the same time, his legs can be both elongated and slightly bent at the knees, or one leg is bent at the knee. And there are a lot of options here too.

And the last. Don't be shy or afraid to take close-up shots of your clients. Let there be only one face of the model or even part of the face in the frame. This will make your subject the main one in the photo, focusing on the eyes or some other bright personality of a man. A close-up portrait can be just wonderful!

Well, in conclusion of this article, I would like to remind you that the naturalness of your model in front of the camera is the main key to success, the key to creating a good and competent portrait that reflects the whole essence of the person depicted on it.

Zach Sutton shares his experience in creating effective night portraits.

Throughout my career as a photographer, I have often been in rather unusual places at very unusual hours of the night - or rather, very early mornings. During my nocturnal adventures, I have repeatedly lost lighting equipment for free (umbrellas were blown away by the wind, lamps were overturned along with racks), I broke my camera and even limbs.

I learned a lot about working in the dark. I hope this article will help you save time, money and hassle when you decide to go shooting at night.

This article will be useful to you, provided that you use at least some kind of off-camera lighting: external flash, light block, etc.

In addition, you should prepare your equipment for transportation. If you need to walk a couple of miles to get to your location, pack your lighting equipment securely. Worse than carrying all the equipment on your back - maybe only dragging this equipment on yourself in the middle of the night.

How to shoot a portrait at night: Location

When choosing a location for shooting, consider all possible factors that may interfere with you. Remember that what does not interfere during the day can become a significant obstacle at night. I think few people would argue that shooting in an abandoned warehouse during the day and in the middle of the night are completely different things.

It's extremely important to make sure you have a constant light source on location to illuminate your workspace. You just need some kind of ambient light - be it street lighting, neon signs, or your car's headlights.

Once again, this is very important - otherwise you run the risk of constantly tripping and tipping equipment in pitch darkness. Of course, many modern DSLRs are quite well protected from adverse weather conditions and accidental impacts, but I can guarantee that when it comes to confronting the magnesium alloy of the camera body and concrete, the camera always loses.

In addition, even the weakest constant lighting will make it easier for your camera to focus. There is nothing more annoying than the sound of your camera's autofocus drive darting back and forth trying to focus. Say that in this case you need to use manual focus - well, try to do this when you can not see anything in the viewfinder.

If your location doesn't have a readily available constant light source, you'll have to create one yourself. One of the solutions in this case can be an LED flashlight. It's incredibly compact, lightweight, and inexpensive, but it puts out a lot of light, so there's no good reason for any photographer not to have it in one of the pockets of their backpack.

Tip: Ask your model to hold the light near her face so you have enough light to focus. This will allow you to have both hands free to operate the camera. When you lock the focus, simply ask the model to remove the light from the frame.

Night portrait: Working with ambient light

You will often be faced with a choice: work with ambient lighting or block it completely.

If you use a multi-flash system for shooting, you can afford a greater degree of control over the lighting of the scene: you can completely block out ambient light and light the scene exclusively with flashes. This usually means having flashes configured to illuminate the background. This allows you to use faster shutter speeds and easily find the optimal balance for exposure and subject and background.

If you're more modest in terms of lighting equipment, it's a good idea to work with ambient lighting instead of fighting it. This can be done using long exposure. I usually get well-exposed surroundings using my camera's light meter.

After metering in natural light, I fix the settings and then adjust the flash output settings to balance the two light sources. This helps to slightly underexpose the background. In addition, it will help you in cases where there is too little ambient light on your subject.

How to Shoot a Portrait at Night: The Workflow

I'll walk through a simple example that illustrates how you can quickly get good enough shots with the help of proper light positioning.

Trial shots

First of all, measure the ambient light at several points around your shooting location - this will give you an idea of ​​the degree of light scattering.

Here is my first shot, taken with the camera settings suggested by my exposure meter. It looks too dark, as expected, but that will change once we add our main light source. In the meantime, we see only the highlighted hair and part of the silhouette:

I then add my strobe flash (with a honeycomb beauty dish mounted on it) set to 1/4 power to see what happens.

The photo is still too dark and the right side of the model is not lit.

In the next frame I raised ISO sensitivity, opened the aperture a little and slightly increased the flash output.

Well, the result looks much better already.

Then I adjusted the position of my main light source and gave my model a more dominant position in the frame.

At this point, we've got some nice highlighting of the smoke and making it stand out, a backlight that gives depth to the scene, and a well-balanced exposure on our model's face. Everything about everything, including the installation of equipment, took me 15 minutes.

This is a snapshot of the setup used for the above survey. Of course, the ambient light is a bit lacking, but you can also see the tripod where my camera was and all the lighting equipment. When shooting at night, I like to use a honeycomb beauty dish because it puts the light exactly where you want it.

If you use a beauty dish without a honeycomb for night shots, the scenes shot may look too unnatural due to excessive lighting.

You can also see the striplight in the photo. I didn't use it when shooting, but I included it in case the light from the beauty dish was not enough.

post-processing

Below you can see the final version of the photo after I processed it.

All I did in the editing process was remove some distracting background details, desaturate, brighten/darken areas of the image, and sharpen. Everything is very easy and simple.

More sample photos

Here are some more examples of night portraits from my archive.

Guy with a cigar

In this example, you can see that I've lit the model from above with a hard light, simulating street lighting.

You may notice that I used a high ISO (800 or so) to make sure the background was at least a little visible. Of course, I had the opportunity to use a slow shutter speed with a lower ISO, but in this case, the smoke in the photo would have turned out blurry.

With fast shutter speeds and high ISOs, it's much easier to get nice, crisp smoke like it came out in the final image. I didn't shoot at full aperture because I wanted to get focus on the model's entire appearance. At the same time, I did not close the aperture too much to get a fairly soft and blurry background.

For this photo, I chose a warm palette to enhance the illusion that the photo was taken in the light of real street lamps with tungsten lamps. This, of course, is solely my imagination, because street lamps, in most cases, do not install lamps with a tungsten filament. Street lamps are most often filled with sodium vapor, which tends to give off a greenish light.

Girl in the street light

For this shot, the model was lit with octaboxes above and behind the camera. The girl was photographed on a fairly well-lit street, which is why the photo shows large bokeh from snowflakes and street lights. The frame, like the previous one, was shot at a high ISO, but with a fairly wide aperture of f / 2.8.

I tried to keep the foreground colors natural. The photo is fashionable, so I wanted the colors to look the same in the image as they do in real life. You will hardly find any sepia-toned photos in the catalogs, because people want to see what color clothes really are.

Be a night owl

I hope all of the above has given you an idea of ​​how I work and how I think when shooting at night.

May there be many in your life beautiful photos, and male portraits as well! After all, you have probably come across the question more than once: how to make a man pose for a photo? And here is the answer!

Use 10 proven tips for shooting male portraits and the result will have your models begging you for another shoot!

#one. Male postures are characterized by curves and sharp corners. Ask your model to lean on her elbows or fold her arms across her chest - this gives the man an angularity that emphasizes courage. Portraits of men are excellent from a direct angle: widely spaced legs give the man self-confidence.

#2. A very common problem for men: nowhere to put their hands . The easiest way is to ask the model to put her hands in her pockets so that her thumbs are visible.Another way: give the man something in his hands so that they have something to do. It can be a cigarette, keys, glasses or any other accessory.

#3. Transferring weight to one leg helps relieve tension. You can ask the model to cross her legs, transferring her body weight to one of them. In this case, you can lean on a wall or column. A large portrait can be shot in a sitting position, then the emphasis will be on the expression of the face and eyes, and not on the pose itself.

#four. It does not hurt to have a telephoto lens with you . Men are very jealous of their personal space. In order not to violate it, it is better to use a telephoto lens. With it, you can make cool portraits without getting close to the model and without straining the person being portrayed.

#5. If the image of a man is simple, you can play with the background. Men usually dress discreetly: in black, gray, dark blue. When shooting outdoors or indoors, you can use a bright background and play with contrast.

#6. Provoke emotions for funny photos . During the shoot, talk to the model about what the man being portrayed is interested in: about his hobby, work, or favorite beer.This creates an atmosphere of confidential communication and allows you to capture genuine emotions: laughter, indignation, delight.

#7. You can use tricks to get interesting shots. Say that the first few shots are trial shots, the person will feel more at ease. Often, just the first photo is included in the set of successful shots. One of the good tricks to get a good look right into the camera lens is to ask the model to look at some point, and then into the lens. At this point, you need to press the shutter button.

#eight. Do not forget about the posture of a man . AT Regardless of whether the model is sitting or standing, you need to pay attention to posture. If a man forgets about his posture, you should gently remind him to keep his back straight.. Slouching is rarely photogenic.

#9. And teenagers can fool around! They can be filmed on roller skates, bicycles and skateboards. Or even put the guy on the pavement.If a teenager does not yet need to look serious and courageous, then you can experiment with camera angles and shooting points.

#ten. The male portrait is being processed in black and white. To emphasize the brutality of facial features, you can use hard light and black and white photo processing.This works especially well on dark-haired men with well-groomed facial hair.

We have made for you a selection of black and white portraits of men in Pinterest.

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Greetings to all lovers of photography, from young to old! Continuing my series of articles on studio shooting, today I will tell you about a male portrait: what is a “classic male portrait”, what kind of lighting is used to make a portrait of a man interesting, and of course about the most interesting lighting schemes that allow even a not very experienced photographer (with due diligence) to get amazing results!

I will assume that each of you, dear readers, has some experience in photographing the male half of humanity - well, who has not taken portraits of their friends, relatives, acquaintances? :) But does everyone know what a classic male portrait is, what should it be? When shooting such a portrait, it is important to convey the masculinity of the model, his personality and look. And you also need to be able to focus on the character, mood, relief of the face and body of a man. “Wow, how many troubles with a male portrait!” - the beginner will certainly be surprised. Do not panic, I assure you, everything is much simpler than you imagined there.

It's time to lift the veil of the secret of creating a male portrait, because since you are reading this article, it means that you also want to learn how to take such photos, where all of the above elements will be present - and masculinity, and individuality, and everything else. So, use hard light and "play" with the contrast of light and shadow. That is, no two-meter octoboxes half a meter from a man's face! (The closer the light source is to the subject, the softer the light and shadow pattern.) Just leave all these soft light “fun” for beauty portraits of women :)

Of course, as in other areas of photography, there are exceptions to the creation of a male portrait. For there are specific tasks when you can’t do without a soft box that generates soft light. And I will definitely tell you about these exceptions to the rules - stay tuned for the release of fresh materials.

So, we create a male portrait in the studio, and we use hard (drawing) light for this, for this it is most logical to use special light-shaping attachments, here are the most popular of them:

• beauty dish
• reflector
• reflective umbrella

However, if you take a nozzle that forms diffused light (soft box, white umbrella through the light or octobox) and move it along with the monoblock away from the model (sometimes two meters is enough, it all depends on the size of the source) - you will see that the softness light and shade changes towards hardness, and now we have already sharply defined lines of light and shadow on the face of the model. This means that in order to create spectacular portraits with key light, it is not necessary to be limited only to the use of reflectors or beauty dishes.

What lighting schemes are suitable for the task of creating a beautiful portrait of a man in the studio? I will give, in my opinion, the most interesting solutions in examples.

(ss) Daniel Zedda

how it's done:

Perhaps this is the most classic scheme. It is also called the "triangle" - note the characteristic triangle of light on the less lit side of the face.
Here the light source is a monoblock + a white umbrella in the light, located about a meter from the model, the height of the monoblock is about two meters. This is a great example of how you can achieve a bold, interesting black and white pattern with a single light source, as well as organically highlight the white background behind the model. Due to the fact that the source is close to the background, a pleasant natural vignette formed around the edges of the frame.

(ss) David Pichot

how it's done:

The light sources here are two monoblocks with reflectors, they are located on both sides of the model, at a distance of about two meters each. The height of the right post is at least two and a half meters, the light source on the left is much lower, at a height of about one and a half meters. The impulse of the reflector installed on the right is approximately one and a half to two times more powerful than the second one located on the left. Note! The model is three-quarters away from the camera and thus illuminates both the left and right sides of the face and body.

(ss) Joshua Hoffman

how it's done:

There are two light sources here: monoblocks and white umbrellas in the light. The first monoblock is located behind the camera, frontal to the model, it creates a moderately hard light. Moderately hard due to the remote location from the model (at least two meters), with a stand height of about two and a half meters, it gives a very balanced picture - the shadows are distinct, while there are no gaps in the shadows. The second light source is located behind the model and illuminates the dark background, adding volume to the image and also acting as a backlight source, slightly highlighting the silhouette of the model.

(ss) studio.es

how it's done:

This scheme may seem a little "intricate", but in fact everything is quite simple. Two light sources were used here - these are monoblocks equipped with reflectors. The first monoblock is located approximately three meters from the model to increase the rigidity of the light output. The second monoblock highlights the background and adds volume to the frame. The author also used black panels, placing them on both sides of the man - to further increase the contrast between light and shadow.

(ss) Daniel Zedda

how it's done:

The semi-shadow scheme (only one half of the face is always lit) is very popular among professional photographers. The author used only one light source - a monoblock paired with a white umbrella to the light, placing the source to the left of the camera, at a distance of one and a half meters from the model, and raising the monoblock to a height of about 2.5 meters and turned towards the model. As a result, this source gives an overhead light, with a moderately contrasting pattern on the face of the model + it highlights the background with a pleasant light spot, separating the man from the background. Note! Dark clothes and a dark background enhance the contrast, focus the viewer's attention on the main thing - the look, the texture of the skin and clothes, and emotions. By the way, an attentive reader will most likely notice that this lighting scheme is similar to the first, but there are differences. Here the light source is much higher and to the left, which is why the results in the examples are so different.

As you can see, in order to create a male portrait, it is first of all important to create the right lighting. The examples given, as you understand, are only a small part of all kinds of techniques and ways to capture a man in a photograph as he is - strong, courageous, charismatic, enthusiastic, etc. And looking at these photos, it becomes obvious that even with only one light source in the arsenal, you can achieve very impressive results!

There are no special restrictions for creating a male portrait, just like when shooting a female one. The main thing is the imagination and skills of the photographer. What should be a male portrait, we understand the new training Master's program Nikon together with professional photographers. Share their secrets Marina Shcheglova , Alexander Annenkov , Pavel Sokolov.

And the traditional contest: we are waiting for your portrait works in the comments here until August 10! We remind you that the photos must be taken with Nikon! According to the jury, the author of the best picture will receive branded souvenirs from Nikon! Good luck and bright mood to everyone!

“A black and white male portrait is always an emphasis on the model. Visual means are light, shadow, contrast, texture, and black and white light adds drama, brutality and highlights the look of the model. In a black and white male portrait, I highlight the following features:

● Texture (skin, hair, clothes, objects in the composition)

The light can be soft or hard. The side light, top or bottom, gives a great texture, it also adds a black and white pattern - it creates the volume of the image.

Light from the window, black background and dark flag on the side
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/80
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm

● Drama in the portrait

To do this, I usually use one light source and black reflectors in front of the model (on the one hand, on two, on the sides, in front, depending on the desired effect of the picture), they, absorbing light, enhance the shadow on the face. This also achieves the effect of sculpting a male face, when cheekbones are drawn instead of cheeks, the forehead tending to the sides goes away and brutality appears. In the studio, black reflectors are flags, in the open air there are dark surfaces, business center buildings.

Beauty dish, painting light on the model, background light and honeycomb cone reflector
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF NIKKOR 24mm f/2.8D
Aperture: f/11
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 200
Focal length: 24mm

● Atmosphere and volume of the picture

In portrait photography, I prefer natural light, here it is possible to add volume through blurring the background and reflection in the eyes of natural light sources and reflective surfaces, rather than studio softboxes, the natural movement of the model in the frame.

Evening light, side lighting, bright reflective reflector on the side
Camera: Nikon D700

Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/2500
ISO: 500
Focal length: 155mm

● Contrast

Light and dark objects, model's clothes, light, shadow, composition. Preference for natural light over artificial, as it is more fast way study the face of the model and take the best shots without wasting time setting up the light.

Morning light from the window
Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: AF-S ZOOM-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D IF-ED
Aperture: f/3.2
Shutter speed: 1/1000
ISO: 200
Focal length: 145mm

● Depth of view

To do this, I use a portrait or telephoto lens so that at a distance from the lens the model in her comfort zone can prove herself. Portraits with wide-angle lenses create maximum conditions for model-photographer interaction on set, and add more space to the composition.”

Day diffused light. The model is located between two tall dark buildings that act as a dark reflector.
Camera: Nikon D750

Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/250
ISO: 100
Focal length: 50mm

“In my opinion, shooting a male portrait is one of the most interesting directions in photography. Despite the fact that there are more female portraits in my portfolio, it is more interesting for me to work with men. Perhaps this is due to the style of my shots and vision, since I really like graphic, rhythms, and texture in the frame.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
Aperture: f/4
Shutter speed: 1/400
ISO: 200
Focal length: 50mm

● Preparing to shoot

It is very important to first assess the strengths of the model in order to correctly present them. I usually choose clothes for shooting for a specific person. And, since I am a supporter of classical genre photography, which made a great contribution to my vision, I prefer not bright clothes, without drawings and inscriptions. As a rule, I try to choose shirts, jeans, coats, raincoats, hats, glasses.

When choosing clothes, it is very important to understand in advance how I want to see my shots and in what locations I will photograph. And one more point - to remove something that can distract the viewer's gaze from the model.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF NIKKOR 20mm f/2.8D
Aperture: f/4
Shutter speed: 1/400
ISO: 200
Focal length: 20mm

Get inspired before shooting! Of course, everyone will have their own sources of inspiration: photographs, music, beautifully falling light, which was noticed in advance. Sometimes an insight / idea just comes, which would be good to write down right away for further implementation.

Camera: Nikon D800

Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/320
ISO: 400
Focal length: 105mm

● Hardware

I only take the essentials with me: a Nikon D800 camera, two AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G lenses and an AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens. I used to have a wonderful AF-S DX ZOOM-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens (great solution for crop sensor cameras).

I also always have glass and a small mirror with me for creative effects (we'll talk about this too).

● Shooting

Let's take a look at the factors on which the process and result of the shooting will depend:
- Mood (look / emotions / postures);
- Location and lighting conditions (shooting outdoors / in the studio)
- Creative techniques.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
Aperture: f/2.2
Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 400
Focal length: 50mm

● Mood

Every person has their own character, and I believe that one of the main tasks of a photographer in a male portrait is to reflect this character in his pictures.
Sometimes, in order to better understand the model, you need to talk, understand the interests of a person, delve into his inner world. Then it will be easier to shoot.

First of all, I look at the appearance and determine for myself what interesting things I can emphasize, sometimes one detail is enough (but this is far from always the case). Perhaps the model has an attractive look, and we can convey all the charisma through it. Or there are special facial features (rounded or more angular). The hairstyle, the image of the model - all this is important for the frame and its construction.

Most often in my shots, I strive to show some rigor, if it is relevant.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/320
ISO: 400
Focal length: 105mm

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/4
Shutter speed: 1/400
ISO: 250
Focal length: 105mm

● Location and lighting conditions. Shooting outdoors

The selection of a place may depend on the combination of the color of the clothes and the background, graphics or a certain light, which greatly affects the final result.

Once there was a case when, in search of a location in one of the courtyards of St. Petersburg, I realized that there is nothing better than the garbage heap that was nearby. Of course, the smell there was not very good, but it was there that excellent oblique light fell (through the gate bars), boards with red stripes were thrown in the background, and the nearby wall of the house reflected light on the model’s face.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/4
Shutter speed: 1/800
ISO: 320
Focal length: 105mm

Let's look at examples:

As we can see, in this frame the background is quite simple - a gray gate with peeling paint. But here there is a pleasant and unobtrusive rhythm, the general background color goes very well with laconic clothes, and the rusty sections of the gate are in harmony with the skin in color. The pose is very restrained, symmetrical. And the plate in the upper left corner complements the frame, creating a slight disharmony (without it, the photo will no longer cling).
Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/2.8
Shutter speed: 1/640
ISO: 320
Focal length: 105mm

In the following example, we see that the location formed the basis of the frame.
In fact, it was a great success to find a hatch from which such a cloud of steam was pouring!

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
Aperture: f/2.2
Shutter speed: 1/2500
ISO: 500
Focal length: 50mm

Sometimes a beautiful male silhouette is enough for a good shot!
Here, the easiest option is to choose an arch or any other place where light does not fall on one side of the model, and everything is lit on the other.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/2000
ISO: 400
Focal length: 105mm

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.4G
Aperture: f/2.5
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 800
Focal length: 50mm

● Shooting in the studio

In the studio, I very rarely get attached to the interior, the light is important to me!
When working with a male portrait, most often I use hard light to emphasize the brutality of appearance.
But don't forget about the atmosphere. I can use the light coming through the masks as the background, or the lights themselves.

In the shot with the man in the hat, I used three light sources:
- the reflector shone from the floor through the ladder to the background, which created an interesting pattern on it;
- to the left and right of the model there were stripboxes to illuminate the face - this is how the Rembrandt triangle turned out, and the ear and cheek did not merge with the background.

Camera: Nikon D800
Lens: AF-S VR MICRO-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/5
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal length: 105mm

Here I used three lights plus a reflector.
Behind the model, two reflectors shine into the frame, and light falls on the face from a beauty dish with honeycombs. The lower part of the face is illuminated by a reflector.
Camera: Nikon D300s

Aperture: f/11
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 38mm

A beauty dish was used as a background to create an interesting effect that can be interpreted in many ways. Also, the light from this source well traced the contour of the shoulders. The front of the model is illuminated by two stripboxes, creating a very soft pattern on the face. Blue stripes added in post-processing.
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: AF-S DX ZOOM-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/10
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 38mm

● Creative techniques

Remember, I first mentioned the glass and mirror that I always carry with me in my camera bag? I usually use them to reflect rays of light and / or other objects.

Here I used a mirror (I hold it directly in front of the lens). Thus, we get an interesting effect with additional meaning.
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: AF-S DX ZOOM-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/11
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 38mm

Many call this frame - "The Picture of Dorian Gray"
I used two small pieces of glass, which gave a kind of broken mirror effect.
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: AF-S DX ZOOM-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 38mm

The final example, where glass was also used to create atmosphere in the frame (it reflects honeycombs from a beauty dish).
Camera: Nikon D300s
Lens: AF-S DX ZOOM-NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
Aperture: f/10
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 38mm

In conclusion, I want to say that the result of your shooting will depend on a combination of factors. It is not enough just to take a good model, clothes and location. It is important to be able to correctly combine all the components to create a harmonious frame. Here, the color scheme, the lighting solution, the style of clothing, the type of appearance of the model, and the mood are important. The main thing is to always develop your taste, learn new approaches to photography, be inspired by high-quality portraits and not be afraid! Create, experiment, try!”