Physiognomy PORTRAITURE and the Study of the Human Face

by Dave Newman FSWPP

As photographic portraitists we must be aware of the wide variety of controlling factors present in the simple, classic or traditional, head and shoulder portrait process. There is no simple or universal set of cookiecutter guidelines that will apply to each and every portrait client who sits before your camera. Portraiture-for many thousands of professional photographers-is a business that not only requires patience, but the honing of a variety of technical skills, not the least of which is the ability to make and execute many rapid working decisions. We are in a constant state of evaluation and decision making. There is no simple or universal set of cookie-cutter guidelines that will apply to each and every client who sits before your camera. The simplest of tasks (a client's request for a traditional head and shoulder portrait, for example) can quickly become a horrendous challenge to our work-a-day world if we fail to perceive the intricacies involved. In professional photography, even the "simple" portraits are not easy if performed with savvy.

Ultimately, we must recognize the personal desires of our clients. So often these unspoken requests hinge upon the anticipation and expectation of flattery. Face the facts: people who want to look their best exercise great faith in our skills to help them achieve this. They are also very willing to pay for it. The strength of our skill in facial analysis and subject enhancement is often the barometer of our success in portraiture as our livelihood.

To refine this skill, we must first learn to analyze our subject just as a master jeweller would view a diamond in the rough: choose the finer facets to highlight and conceal the less desirable imperfections. My brief statement here will attempt only to draw attention to those areas in which expertise may best be honed. Most of what directs our analysis and photographic decisions can be contained in the concept of facial physiognomy.

Physiognomy speaks of the human face and all that it entails. Definitions of Physiognomy encompass the perceived appearance of the face, the design of the face, the characteristics of the expression, and physical structure of the face itself. Some studies have concluded that certain measurements of distance of eyes to nose and to month to chin etc., can indicate true pleasurable, measurable beauty.

While others derive beauty from a subject's skin texture, hair design, eye size and flesh tone. Still others purport that the expression of the face is the most important aspect in conveying a flattering image. As we study faces by their expression and structure and physical characteristics, we ponder the very controls that we make use of in our work of enhancing our subject. We begin each session as if presented with a flat, clean canvas. The lighting we use, the angle of the face we choose, and the length of the lens all add up to not only the resultant portrait, but also to a naked statement of our skills as a portraitist.

The majority of my clients are looking for a photographic rendition of themselves which is neither an over-glamorization or a character study, but simply a traditional and unaffected presentation. Samples on the walls of a studio's showroom may certainly present many exciting and different styles of portraiture, but, alas for the customer, none of these "looks" seems to suit the norm that most people want. So often we offer our clients ice cream "with all the toppings" when we find only too late that most are really happier with plain, old vanilla. The questions now stands before us as to just what avenues of our expertise must we employ to create a meaningful and satisfying headand- shoulder portrait of our sitter which is based upon the deceptively simple wish of simplicity and (at the same time) enhancement or flattery. It is not enough just to aim and shoot with correct exposure.

To assist in this client enhancement process, more than a few factors come into play. We should always be aware of the many camera room techniques and controls at our fingertips even while we are deciding upon those few which can have the greatest affect. Personally, I lean heavily on the established fact that the better portraitists rely mainly on just three areas of camera room control: (1) lens choice, (2) posing and (3) lighting.

A LENS FOR THE TASK

Lens choice, for traditional head-and-shoulder portraiture can be derived by calculating twice the diagonal length of the film or CCD, and converting it into a lens length. A common example is: a 6x7cm negative that has a diagonal measurement of 9cm.Two times this measurement is18cm. This figure yields a request for a 180mm telephoto lens as a result of relating the measurement of the film plane to the focal length. Another typical example is the 35mm negative with a diagonal measurement of 43mm that results in the use of (approximately) a 90mm lens for distortion-free head-and shoulder portraiture. This simple formula provides a comfortable working distance, for conversation and assessment yet provides enough optical distance to eliminate distortion. The rule of thumb is to remember that a longer lens provides an undistorted, cleaner facial rendering, while a shorter lens can give only the sad, distorted opposite.

Newman on portraiture

A SUITABLE LIGHTING PATTERN

A through study of studio lighting patterns and ratios would involve an entire book rather than the summary paragraph presented here. As a general rule, I adhere to simple guidelines. Lighting ratio is more productive if kept between 3:1 or 4:1 for general portraiture, and 5:1 (when applying diffusion). Lighting ratios can set the feeling and tone of the session, as well as the limited printing-control factors, and must be applied with knowledge and taste. Generally speaking, most subjects can be handled best (to my liking) by using a short-lighting pattern. By short-lighting, I mean shooting into the shadow side of the face. Short lighting most often yields a flattering portrayal of the human face since it slims, and can be used to deemphasize larger ears or unbalanced facial features that are placed into the shadow side of the face. Believe it or not, thin faces also can be widened with short lighting by simply swinging the key light's arc closer in toward the camera; round faces are slimmed by the opposite treatment of moving the key light's arc away from the camera position. The height of the key light is dictated by the depth of the eyes and the facial structure. I'm paying little attention to the nose shadow in relation to the lips, but rather to the "good" feeling of the portrayal of the eyes. The eyes, as we know, can be the window to the soul of the sitter if treated properly. I personally almost never find much corrective control in using broad lighting. The butterfly type Covergirl / glamour lighting is another story and should be used only if the face is well balanced and the makeup has already built-up the necessary contouring and modelling.

CORRECTIVE POSING

Another control besides proper lens length and flattering facial lighting is definitely the facial angle as it relates to the viewer / camera. We must remember that we are reducing a three-dimensional subject to the two-dimensions of a flat piece of photographic paper. The third, or depth, factor in the three dimensions of our client which is lost in a photographic process can be reintroduced by the skilled application of lighting and shadow upon the subject's face if the angle of the face is considered first and used as the starting point. Begin with the camera directed into the bridge of the nose (this can be raised or lowered in relation to the desired facial effect, i.e., raising to reduce a large chin, or lowering to reduce a prominent forehead. Careful adherence to one of the five basic views of the human face keeps me out of trouble.The five classic views of the face are: full front, two-thirds (left and right), and profile (left and right). Avoid the split profile of the face (which allows the nose to break or cross the cheek line) in order to render the face without undue awkwardness or distortion.

A detailed awareness of these corrective methods for the "simple" head-and-shoulder pose can help fulfill the client's request for a more flattering rendition of his or her face. This list appears here in summation, as an over-simplification. The list of corrections and remedies could, indeed, go on and on.

A FEW HELPFUL GUIDELINES

The following few remedies are useful to specific applications, but they represent only a few corrections in a long list of solutions to facial problems that we must remember and work with. A double challenge to the professional portraitist occurs when the subject's facial structure requires employing more than one of these corrective measures and procedures at the same time. The best remedy may often be to use only the most effective of the two. Often, corrective procedures used in tandem become conflictive and even useless.

Double Chins and Heavy/Round Face:

Use a projection stretch of the neck to "turtle" the head forward. Ask the sitter to lean and stretch forward as if to touch the camera with the tip of their nose. Avoid low camera angles.

Prominent Ears:

Use short-lighting in a 2/3rd view of the face. Turn the head until the far ear is totally hidden.

Deep Set Eyes:

Try lowering the key light. Avoid high ratio lighting.

Prominent Nose:

Shoot straight into the tip of the nose. Raise the face as needed. Avoid high camera angles.

Poor or Crooked Teeth:

Avoid cross-lighting. Include poses with a pensive, closed mouth expression. Always reassess the teeth under various lighting angles, looking for protrusive and uneven teeth. (Note: overly grim and pensive portraits taken in the 1800s were often due to the poor dental conditions of the sitter. We must be sensitive to the fact that modern practices and procedures in dentistry have lead to the expectation of "perfect" teeth in every portrait.)

Uncontrolled Blinking:

Caused primarily by the "flinch" after hearing the noise of the camera prior to the exposure. Try using the mirror lockup setting. Avoid working in an extremely quiet camera room….add music to mask these culprit camera sounds.

Lazy or Weak Eye:

Methods vary, but asking the subject to look at an object located in a distant corner of the camera room can often solve the problem.

Glasses and Eyewear:

My favorite method is to raise the key light much higher and add a bounce "white" card onto a table in front of the subject. This works, of course, for head and shoulders poses only, by adding "up-light" which opens eye sockets and causes only a slight touch of hazing into the glasses. Other methods include careful removal of lenses from the frames, changing angles and raising key light. Also, you might try tilting the glasses and raising the ear pieces slightly above ears (works best when the ear pieces can be hidden in up into the long hair of the subject).

A word to portrait artists about using Photoshop™.Adobe Photoshop™ is the most important enhancement tool of our generation, but becoming an addict to this post production repair can reduce your effectiveness as portrait artist. As a general rule; don't rely on Photoshop™ to solve your problems. Often investing a few seconds making corrections with your subject in the camera room can save time-consuming efforts in the computer processing of your work.

Photo Quote: Photography can only represent the present. Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past. - Berenice Abbott