It’s always fun to photograph people, particularly friends and family. But now you want your portraits to look more professional. Below are tips that will transform your snap-shots into beautiful photographs.
1. Do not place your subject in the middle of the frame. Rarely do you want someone in the center because it does not make for an interesting photograph. Experiment putting your subject to one side of the frame- by doing that you include some background which adds context.
2. Place your subject where the sun is gently lighting their face. If your light source is behind your subject, they will end up being darker than the background and you will lose detail in their face (there are some occasions where you would want this effect). The best natural (outdoor) lighting is in the morning and afternoon, specifically before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.
3. On some cameras you will see a “Portrait” setting, and what that does is set a shallow depth of field creating a blurred background. The advantage to this feature is that your subject is clearly the main focus of the photograph. To manually create this effect, set your aperture below 5.6.
4. Try getting close to your subject. Zoom in; feel free to fill the frame with your subject’s face. You may want to have them look in different directions rather than directly into the camera. The most important thing is that your subject is comfortable and having fun.
5. Portraits are not just about a person’s face. Experiment capturing your subject without actually photographing their face. What can you say about someone by photographing their hands, feet, possessions? Can you photograph them in their element, where they work, or where they enjoy spending their free time?
6. Be creative. Try tilting the camera, or have the person move around. In low lighting (and using a tripod), you can use a long shutter speed to create streaking effects.
There are no set rules, so just have fun. Your subject may have some great ideas for specific shots or locations. It is always nice to send your subject a great photo of them after the photo shoot.
