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Portraits in general, are shots of people. Due to the diverse
personalities and characters of people from all walks of
life, it continue to be one of the most photographed subjects.
I have tried people shots under both indoor studio and outdoor
conditions.
 Studio
shots are taken indoors, with precise lighting setups in
an controlled environment. As a results, exposure is often
spot on. However, I find that after a while, such studio
shots can get a little boring. With everything nicely setup,
the photo taking can sometimes end up simply just clicking
away without much thought. Furthermore, the background is
often of a plain and uninteresting colour.
 Outdoor
shots, on the other hand, are much more interesting. However,
without a controlled environment, the lighting conditions
can often be far more tricky. Nevertheless, given the 'right'
lighting, outdoor portrait shots can often produce stunning
results. Often, I find that a little fill-in flash helps
improve the shot tremendously. This is especially true under
a back-lighting condition. And in some situation, I find
that using a softening filter help improves the shot too.
The Nikon Soft 2 filter that I'm currently using seems a
little too soft for my liking. Perhaps I should have gotten
the Nikon Soft 1 in the first place.
  
One of my favourite lens for portrait shots is the Nikkor
80-200mm F2.8. Despite the weight (approx 1.3 kg), the sharpness
and speed of the lens made it a great lens for portraits.
The film that I'm using for most of my portrait shots is
Fuji NPS (now replaced by Fuji NPC, both rated at ISO160).
If you intend to shoot using slide, Fuji Astia would be
a nice alternative for such shots.
Lastly, in case if anyone is interested in having their
photos taken (outdoor portraits in Singapore only), I should
be able to provide the service for free (less flims and
development cost). Those interested can contact me for further
discussion. Contact information can be found in the Guestbook
page. Be fast though before I decides to turn professional
and charge for each shot. :)
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