Snaps - what is it? Step-by-step instructions for shooting snaps

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

What is snapchat and snaps? The word is a tracing paper from English, which in translation into Russian means "snapshot". Another term you might come across is Polaroids, but it's rarely used.

What should be included

What are snaps? These are photos without makeup, without hair, without posing with natural soft light against a neutral light background. The set includes full-length photographs, a large portrait, and a waist-length portrait. They should be made from all angles, that is, front view, profile, ¾ turn, rear view, all this with collected hair and loose, with a smile and without a smile. Full length photos are taken in high heels. Minimum set: 3 full-length photos (front, profile, back) and 3 large portraits (front, profile, half-turn).

What are snaps and why are they?

The task of snaps is to show the photographer and the agency the model as it is. Makeup, lighting schemes, and post-production techniques can change a person's appearance so much that art shots don't really show the model's original data.

Snaps - what is it? These are the pictures you need to get first. Why? Even though they seemboring and inexpressive, a professional look will be able to assess the potential of appearance, to understand which lighting schemes and images are suitable. A model is a material from which subsequently stylists, make-up artists, photographers will “sculpt” what is required to achieve a specific goal.

Demanded models without make-up in simple clothes often look like "nothing special". It is the ability to transform, the possession of a plastic appearance that will become an excellent canvas, that are highly valued. Therefore, artistic photographs, which usually make up the bulk of the portfolio, are not of interest to professional agencies at all.

Benefits of Snapshots

Artistic photography shows the skill of a whole team of professionals: photographer, makeup artist, stylist, retoucher and model. But when you submit your portfolio to an agency, you want to be chosen, not one of these guys.

For a specialist who selects a model for a project, the value of such photos tends to zero. It does not matter to him how well the model worked out in someone else's project, it is important for him to understand whether it is suitable for his tasks. Therefore, if the model is interested, you may be asked to provide ordinary photographs. Or it may not follow if the project is serious and it’s easier to look at a few more portfolios and find snaps than to spend time collecting the missing information.

Hence the conclusion: what is a snap photo? This is a way to simplify the work of agents in the selection of models, as well as an opportunity to increase their chances ofgetting a job.

Mistakes that are allowed on a snap photo

The most common mistakes that can be found in photos of this type:

• shooting in clothes, not in a swimsuit;
• bright, colorful swimsuit;
• using artistic techniques in the picture;
• presence of makeup;
• presence of jewelry, piercing;
• using modeling light;
• using post-processing.

What are snaps? This is a presentation of the source material, and all of the above contributes to the appearance, albeit small, but distortions.

Creating Model Snaps

What equipment is required:

• the easiest camera (but not a mobile phone);
• tripod.

You will need an assistant, although theoretically you can cope with the task yourself. Below is a step-by-step instruction for shooting snaps. Familiarize yourself with it and familiarize the assistant so that you do not have to do the work again.

Make a big portrait

Place a stool at a distance of 3-4 meters from the window. Hang a neutral background behind you. It can be a white sheet, only without folds, a large piece of drawing paper or fabric. Sit on a stool facing the window.

Place a tripod with a camera screwed to it near the window, the camera should be at the eye level of the model sitting on a stool. There is an assistant behind the tripod.

It is important to choose the moment to shoot. It should not be a bright sunny day when the light from the window hits the face sharply and leaves hard shadows on it. It is better that the day was cloudy, overcast. If any lights are on in the room, they should all be turned off.

Check that the camera flash is turned off. This is a very important point! Select a 3-second delay shutter release mode. This is done so that the camera has time to take a stationary position after the shutter button has been pressed, then the frames will be guaranteed to be clear. Digital zoom cannot be used on the camera, only optical (that is, you need to rotate the lens to enlarge the picture, and not press the button).

Take three shots: front, ¾ turn, profile. Pay attention to the fact that the eyes should not be placed in the middle, but in the upper third of the frame. Look at the picture.

Correct this with your camera's optical zoom before taking a picture. When shooting a half-turn, you need to follow the turn of the head so that the tip of the nose does not “leave” the border of the cheek. In a large portrait, it is necessary that the shoulders be free from clothing.

You need to take not one, but several dozens of photos from each angle in order to choose the most successful one.

Make a full-length portrait

An important point: you need to shoot in a swimsuit, not clothes. Let's explain why. Snaps - what is it? Information about the appearance, about the figure. If the body is hidden by clothing, even a short skirt, this will lead to thoughts that something is wrong with the figure.

Swimsuit should be separate, without unnecessary details anddrawings. Taking such photos at home will be more difficult than a portrait, since a large room size and background are required. Therefore, a better option would be to go outside if it is a warm season, for example to the beach.

We need cloudy weather. The worst option is to shoot at noon in the bright sun, then instead of eyes you will get huge black circles, like a panda bear. Pay attention to the background, that is, what turned out to be behind. The fewer objects there, the better, and they should be located as far as possible. Remember, snaps - what is it? This is a one-time opportunity to impress. Pay attention to details.

You need to shoot with the camera turned vertically, from waist level, and not from eye level. There are three portraits to shoot: a front view, a profile, and a back view. There should be a little more free space above the head of the model than under the feet. Heels should be kept together and knees straight. Make sure that the lines in the frame are even, not littered.

Small shooting tricks

Despite the fact that the ABC of model snaps requires that the photos be completely without makeup, it is still possible to cheat a little and apply a very thin layer of foundation to make the skin tone more even. But this must be done so delicately that there is no feeling of deception during a personal meeting.

Again, despite the fact that it is considered necessary to snap without emotions, here toothere are subtleties. Emotionless means without flashy posing, and not with eyes like those of a plastic doll, empty and lifeless. After all, snowballs - what is it? It's a presentation! Slightly touch your lips with a smile, add a sparkle to your eyes, tilt your head slightly, as more goes. This is in a large portrait.

When shooting in full height, no one forbids straightening your back, slightly tightening your stomach, shooting from your back, leaning forward a little to make your butt look more attractive. All these nuances are owned by experienced photographers. Therefore, ideally, no matter how ingenuous such shots may seem, it makes sense to entrust the creation of model snaps to a professional.