All tips and tricks for model photography

Would you like to get into model photography but don't know how? We'd like to help you on your way with a few practical tips and tricks! Whether you want to take a family portrait, a fashion photo or a picture of your pet, it all falls within the field of model photography. To make it easier for you, we've divided the tips into categories: model photography, portrait photography and lighting. Finally, we have a few practical tips for your equipment! Who would you like to photograph?

4 tips for model photography

Good preparation is half the battle. That's why you should be clear in advance about what you want to capture and what the goal of the shoot is. You can create a mood board for this, for example. That's not only useful for you as a photographer, but also for your model. Think about which poses you want to capture and what the styling should look like. Once you've photographed everything according to plan, there's often still enough room and time to improvise!

Don't have any ideas yet? Then read this article with eight creative portrait ideas!

You can surely imagine that standing in front of the camera can be quite uncomfortable for a model at first. Most models therefore need some time to warm up before they really relax during a photo shoot. Take this into account in your planning and give your model time for it. If you make sure your model feels comfortable, this will also be reflected in the end result.

Model photography is a broad field. That invites you as a photographer to experiment! For example, vary your models: from children and pets to adults and couples. You can also experiment with different perspectives, lighting, settings and post-processing. Experiment until you've found the type of model photography you enjoy, and become an expert.

There are already many model photos out there. That's why it's important that your images stand out from those of others. You can achieve this through your own style and consistency. Many photographers work with presets in post-processing. This makes all photos look the same, so your work and your style are easy to recognise.

4 tips for portrait photography

Many model photos are also portraits, which is why we also give four practical tips for portrait photography. Because taking an original and creative portrait sometimes seems more difficult than it is. For example, you can play with perspective and composition, but also use different lenses and photograph animals.

When you look at a portrait, you usually look at the eyes of the person in the photo first. That's why it's important that the eyes are sharp. Because portraits are often taken with a wide aperture, parts of the image quickly become blurred. That's fine for the background, but the face should be sharp. If you focus on the eyes, you'll get the optimal sharpness for a beautiful photo. Keep in mind that with a wide aperture, your model's ears and the tip of the nose can also become blurred.

Sometimes colours in a portrait are just distracting. That's why it can be interesting to shoot your photos in black and white for a change. This draws attention to the lines and contrasts in the image. If you choose black and white, pay attention to the lighting. In black and white it is more noticeable when the light is too bright or when there are unwanted shadows due to strong contrasts. Many cameras can shoot directly in black and white, but we recommend converting your images to black and white in post-processing. That way you can always decide on a colour photo after all.

As with all types of photography, composition is also important in portrait and model photography. In portrait photography, the rule of thirds often offers a solution. If you keep your model's eyes on the top line and position them to the left or right, you can quickly take a good, classic portrait in which the viewer can make eye contact with the model. Just make sure you don't stick to the rules too much. If you deviate from them, you can create your own style!

Animals can also model for your photos! However, this is often a challenge, as animals can react unexpectedly to the camera and photographer. So start with a lens with a long focal length, so the animal can get used to it. Is the animal very lively? Then choose a zoom lens so that you can focus and switch quickly without having to move. In this case, also use the fastest possible shutter speed to avoid motion blur.

4 tips to make sure your model photos are perfectly lit

Harsh shadows, squinting eyes and accentuated wrinkles: the lighting of your model photos is very important. That's why we have four practical tips for you, so you're prepared for every lighting situation.

For model photography, it's usually best to choose soft, diffused light. It would be annoying to discover after a day of shooting that the model has disturbing and distracting shadows on their face because hard light was used. Apart from the fact that harsh shadows can sometimes look strange, they also accentuate wrinkles in the face and create excessive contrast in the images. That can be very distracting. So try putting a softbox on your lamp or flash. This softens the bright light and lights the model more evenly.

If you're shooting outdoors, keep an eye on the sun. Bright sun can cause too much light and harsh shadows. So try to avoid direct sunlight on your model. Apart from the fact that bright light can affect your images, it also doesn't look good when the model has to look into the light. It can be interesting to shoot against the light. That can create cool effects! Otherwise, you can also shield the sunlight with a diffuser cloth. Clouds can also break and soften the light. So a slightly cloudy day is good for model photography!

Every day, nature offers the best light for photography for a short time (sunny or slightly cloudy). Shortly before sunset and shortly after sunrise, the sun is low enough not to cast harsh shadows from above, and high enough to light your subject softly. This light has a warm glow and gives your photos a beautiful effect. Photographers call this the "golden hour".

If you take a shot where the light comes directly from the front, you quickly get a flat image in which your model disappears into the background. To solve this problem, you can use light behind the model. Use a small lamp or a minimal flash to light the model's contours, so that the light stands out from the background and gives the image more depth. This isolates the model and makes them stand out better.

4 tips to make sure you have the right equipment and settings at hand

Model? Yes! Mood board? Done! Now all you need is the right equipment and the right settings. We give you four practical tips so you have the right equipment with you, remember the best settings and can get started with post-processing. Want to learn more about the absolute must-haves for model photography? This article tells you all about it.

A commonly used focal length for portraits is 85 mm. These lenses are therefore often called portrait lenses. A wide-angle lens can distort the image and a telephoto lens can flatten the face. That makes the 85 mm lens the perfect size. These lenses deliver beautiful depth of field and detail. With this lens you can also stand at a reasonable distance from the model and have more freedom of movement. Besides the 85 mm lens, the 50 mm lens is also often used in model photography.

The photo you take is rarely the end result. By post-processing the (RAW) files you can adjust colour and exposure, for example. You can also use programs such as Lightroom or Photoshop (Elements) to emphasise certain parts of the photo. In a portrait, for example, you can try to give the eyes a little more colour or brightness. This makes them stand out and shows the model to their best advantage. If you like, you can also brush away blemishes. Be careful: it's often noticeable when a photo has been edited too much. So use editing sparingly.

If you open the aperture as wide as possible, you get a shallow depth of field. That often works very well in model photography! The blur then isolates the model from the background. So try to set your lens to the lowest possible f-number. Lenses with an aperture of f/2.8 or even f/1.4 are very popular because of the bokeh they create.

If you bring flashes to your shoot, you can always adjust the light to your liking. Choose speedlights, for example. These are often easier to carry than lamps and give much more light per photo. When using flash, make sure you don't overexpose your images and try to avoid direct flash as much as possible because of the harsh shadows. You can also avoid harsh shadows by using a diffuser. Like a softbox, it ensures a softer light output.