Portrait Photography

Are you interested in improving your portrait photography? Portrait photography is one of the most interesting types of photography. What makes it even more rewarding is the fact that you are making someone else beautiful through your camera.Interestingly, there are several things that one should keep in mind in order to get that "wow" effect in the final portraits. Below are a few quick tips to help make quality portraits.

Focus On The Eyes

"The eyes are the window to the soul." While that is well overused, you can't get much more honest than that. The eyes, and how you portray them in a majority of portraits will either make or break and image. Be sure they are in focus, well-lit, and are conveying true emotion in your portraits.

Keep It Simple

The more complex your scene is the more unlikely you are to get a shot that is the "wow" factor. Keep your backgrounds (and foregrounds) uncluttered, work with natural light where you can, if you have to use artificial light keep it simple and use as few lights as possible.

Set Up The Shot

Be as prepared as possible before your subject arrives. If you're shooting on location know where you want to shoot. Have your camera's settings ready to go and even do a few test shots before your subject arrives.

Experiment With Lighting

When shooting outdoors, experiment with back lighting. Doing this will add interest, depth, and sometimes color into an image. Lens hoods are a must if you're doing this outside in bright environments.

Post-Processing

Everybody appreciates a little "magic" from post-processing. Be aware of glare on the forehead, chin, and the tip of the nose and take them out or reduce their brightness in post-processing.

Read more at Digital Photography School

© 2011 Emily Sheehan