Eyes are the windows to the soul. That is one of the main reasons why portrait photography is so fascinating. Likewise, portrait photography consists much more things than simple photography. Taking your camera out and pointing at someone does not make portrait photography. Instead, while looking at the photo, there should not be the only person; the picture should reflect the emotion behind the person through the image. That is what is called perfect portrait photography.
Portrait photography is not too hard to conquer, but sometimes it can be a difficult task to do, especially when you have no idea what to do. Everyone wants to do their best and give the best result, but it is nearly impossible to capture a perfect portrait photo without skills and ideas.
You need to be familiar with everything from the camera in your hand to the subject and the environment you are taking photos to get a perfect shot. You can follow some tips if you want to get excellent portrait photography. We have made a list of some of the tips for portrait photography that you can follow. We are pretty sure you will take beautiful portrait photography with these given tips.
Table of Contents
Use longer lenses
Generally, a lens of 50mm is considered the best mid-range camera lens, and it is also the lens that many photographers love to use. But apart from this, there are several other best lenses you can use while doing portrait photography. One of the best to use is longer lenses like 85mm to 200m range lens. This lens will help make better compression of the image without decreasing the quality of the picture.
Moreover, the longer lenses can bring the background closer to the subject, which can help get a more bokeh effect and blur in the background.
Try different position
Using the same old angle to every photo can make your photo look boring even you take the best shot. That’s why trying different angles and perspectives can make the image look more attractive and unique. Break the rule of thirds and shoot by the angles you have never used. Try taking pictures from different angles and make an extra distance around the subject. Experimenting is the key to the perfect shot, so don’t be afraid to try something new while doing a photo shoot.
Diffuse your light source
When choosing the environment for a photoshoot, consider selecting the environment with soft and defused natural light. An indirect light source will be the best for shooting because the direct sunlight can create a dark shadow and make the unwanted skin color. It will be best to use diffusers like softboxes to make the light soft and flattering.
Keep the focus on eyes
Portrait photography means the subject’s face to be the main point, and on the face, the eyes need to be sharp. If the focus is on the eyes, it will make the eyes clear and sharp, which helps to make better eye contact between the subject and the viewers.
Because of that, it is essential to set the focus point carefully while doing portrait photography. There are several Autofocus points in every camera that you can see through the viewfinder. , keep the autofocus on the center of the subject’s eyes while taking a shot.
Once you focus on the subject’s eyes, half-press the shutter button. It will lock the focus, and you can move the camera if you want to change the composition. After making your composition, full-press the shutter button to take the shot.
If you are recomposing the image after locking the focus, make sure you don’t move your camera too much; otherwise, the subject’s eyes will no longer be in focus.
Use different aperture settings
While doing portrait photography, sticking with the same aperture settings can not be a good idea to go with. If you are doing a photo shoot of an individual, you can lower your aperture as much as possible. A lower aperture will blur the background and focus on the subject. Similarly, if you take pictures of a duo or a group of people, try increasing the aperture. It will keep everyone in focus without creating a blur.
Use pros
Using props while doing portrait photography can be very helpful in getting beautiful results. You can use any objects as props like the architecture or foliage. It will help to create a more dynamic composition. If you use the lower aperture or, the longer lens, it can make the pros blur make a focus on the subject, and add an interesting effect to your shot. You can capture something like a fence, giving an exciting pattern and reflection on the subject.
Try several poses
When you have managed everything and be ready for the shot, give your subject the instruction to give a better pose. Sometimes people you are shooting might not be the model and might not know how to give the best pose. That’s why, as a photographer, it is essential to give the proper instruction to the model.
Try different poses and ensure that you don’t tell your subject the complicated poses. Keep it as simple as possible like “Slightly raise your chin”, “Look towards me”, or “make your back straight”.
Bring an additional lighting source.
Flash is one of the essential pieces of equipment that you will need while doing portrait photography. Camera flash can bring more light to the photo, but it does not always provide the light that you need. When you are doing a photoshoot from a close-up, camera flash can make the subject’s face wash out. Using an off-camera flash can be very helpful because you can control the light coming from the flash and enhance the contrast. One of the best sources of light while doing a photoshoot outdoor is natural light (sun), but it can not give a satisfying light every time. You can use your off-camera flash to create your perfect shots in that condition.
Exposure in the face
Exposure means the brightness or the darkness that will be on the image. While doing portrait photography, the essential thing that matters is the subject’s face. That’s why, make sure that the subject’s face is perfectly balanced, neither under-exposed nor over-exposed.
You can easily change and adjust the exposure setting on the camera depending on which mode you are shooting. Moreover, you can also use the camera’s metering mode to Center-weighted metering or Spot metering. This will help you ignore the excess light or the dark area around the edges.
Faster Shutter speed
The Shutter speed is one of the main components used in photography and ISO and aperture. Together, Shutter speed, ISO, and aperture create an Exposure Triangle. Shutter speed is essential for changing the image’s brightness and creating several effects by either blurring the action or freezing the motion.
At first, you need to make sure what result you are trying to get and after that, experiment with the Shutter speed. If you are trying to take a picture without any blur and freezing the moment, you can use the higher Shutter speed and vice-versa.
Fill the frame
If you want to keep your subject on the main focus, consider filling your frame. If you fill the whole frame with the subject, the viewer’s eye will focus because there will be no distractions.
Filling the frame can also make sense of closeness because there will be nothing else apart from the subject’s face for distraction. This will help viewers to make direct eye contact with the subject.
Placement of the subject
Many photographers feel difficulty breaking the Rule of Thirds while placing the subject while doing portrait photography. Likewise, some photographers even feel difficulty in placing the subject anywhere else and place the subject at the center or the front of the shot.
Suppose you focus on filling the frame without cropping the essential features of the subject. In that case, the placement will automatically be managed, especially if you are taking close-up shots. If you are not taking a close-up shot and showing the whole body of the subject, then how the background and the position of the subject will affect the photo. Always place the subject in a place where even there are distractions in the background, viewers will be not be distracted, and their focus will still be on the subject.
Communicate
Communication is the key. It is one of the main factors that can help you achieve the best shots. Be frank and talk openly with your subject. Tell them if you have any idea about poses you want them to do. Sometimes they might need that but are afraid to ask. While giving a pose, if the subject’s arm or chin is low, tell them verbally to understand better. Crack a joke, talk about some other things. These things can make you and your subject closer if you both are comfortable with each other. Because of these small things, you can achieve the best results because once they are satisfied, they can pose comfortably in front of you without hesitation.
Use a tripod
Sometimes you need to use heavy lenses while doing portrait photoshoots, and because of that, it becomes difficult to keep carrying the camera. Your hands will start getting pain. Likewise, sometimes you might need to take pictures in a meager light. In that condition, you need to make your Shutter speed low, creating a movement in the photo. The best solution for these can be to use a tripod.
You can also use tripods usually while doing photoshoots, but most have the equipment when shooting in low-light conditions and while using heavy lenses. It makes the image stable without any blur, even in shallow settings.
Use gels
Gels can be beneficial in changing the mood and the color temperature of the photos. If the pictures you are capturing make an unnatural tone in the skin, the gels can help fix that. If you are doing a photoshoot in the daytime, you can use the orange gels to make the environment look warmer. Likewise, if the image is coming in a warmer tone, you can use the blue gel to make it cool down. The temperature you need will be dependent on the theme you are going to shoot. That’s why choosing the environment accordingly is essential.
Take pictures in RAW format.
You might think it is better to take pictures in RAW format because it can easily be transferred to mobile and used quickly. But let us clarify that capturing photos in RAW format is far better than taking in jpeg format. Pictures taken in RAW format will you more features to adjust the image in post-processing. You can easily adjust the white balance and exposure of the photo taken in RAW format without affecting other parts of the picture.
Use burst mode
Whether you are just a beginner or a professional portrait photographer, using burst mode can be helpful for everyone. It is challenging to take a perfect picture in just one shot, isn’t it? Sometimes we miss the special moment just a second late, and we can not do anything else rather than regretting. Well, burst mode is made for helping you capture the moment that is impossible to take in just one click.
You can find the burst mode setting in your camera in-built. Turn on the setting, and it will take multiple pictures in just one shot. It will help capture the perfect moment and choose the best shot in post-processing.
Shoot candidly
Sometimes you can get the best shots unknowingly. There is nothing wrong with the posed photos, but sometimes the candid shots can give you the moments and emotions on images that can not be taken on the posed photos.
At first, ask your subject if you can take their candid shot. They will probably say yes and when they are not looking at the camera, try taking their pictures. Sometimes you can get beautiful shots with natural emotions.
Cover the part of your subject
From the beginning of the article, we have read that the portrait photos should be mystery and storytelling. This point adds one more way to make your subject more exciting and storytelling. Just cover your subject with something.
Using a scarf, hats, jackets, or something else to cover the part of the subject can be very helpful in portrait photography. Use a scarf to cover the face by just showing the eyes. It will make a direct focus on eyes and make it storytelling. Likewise, you can use a hat to cover the subject’s face.
Post-processing
After taking the picture, post-processing also plays a vital role in making the image more attractive. You can use several available photo editing software for retouching and enhancing the image for the final touch. Whether you need to avoid the distracting shadow, change the exposure and lighting, twerk the image’s background, or crop the image, you can do everything in post-processing using software like Photoshop, Lightroom, and others.
Want to learn and take inspiration for portrait photography?
So we have learned all the basic tips that are essential tips that can be very helpful while doing portrait photography. You can follow these tips, and we are pretty sure you will be taking outstanding shots. Even after these, if you need inspiration by looking at other portrait photos, you can check out photoAC. photoAC is a free photos website where you will find thousands of free images that are best for using free and take ideas from. You will find any photos that you are looking for on photoAC.