- Aim for a shallow depth of field. When shooting portraits, you typically want the focus to be on your subject’s face, not the background. In other words, you want the subject’s face to be in sharp focus, but the background should be much softer. To get this effect, you may need to tinker with your DSLR’s camera settings. A wide aperture will help create a shallow depth of field, and to compensate for the increased light, you’ll probably need to increase your shutter speed.
- Always shoot in RAW. When you go into post-processing, you want to have as much material to work with as possible. With digital photography, that means shooting in RAW. While RAW formats introduce larger file sizes and greater complexity, they also give you the greatest possible control over how your images look. You’ll be especially thankful for RAW images when it comes to adjusting the white balance of your photographs.
- Shoot at your subject’s eye level. For example, when shooting children, place yourself at their level instead of shooting from above. There might be instances in more creative portraiture in which experimentation with angles will yield interesting results. Get creative, but keep in mind that shooting from above can diminish your subject, and shooting from below can create unflattering angles.
- Use indirect light. Nothing ruins a portrait like a subject squinting into direct sunlight. When shooting portraits, choose a light source that is bright but not direct. If you’re shooting inside, consider placing the subject near a window to take advantage of the natural window light. When you’re outside, shoot in a shady area or wait until it’s cloudy. You can also use a portable diffuser to soften direct light.
- Focus on the eyes. There are a few simple ways to accelerate your skill development in portrait photography. First, focus on the eyes. Eyes are evocative and powerful. Compose the portrait so that the subject’s eyes are a central focal point. Consider blurring the background to place even more emphasis on their facial features.6 .Looking within the frame. Alternatively, you could have your subject looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, or a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta – it can all work. You see, when you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame, you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. It also helps create a story within the image.
7. Focus on one body part (and get close up!)
Use a lens with a long focal length, or get up close so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographing a person’s hands, eyes, mouth, or even just their lower body can leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer.
8. Find the right location
The location you choose for the portrait shoot is going to be a significant influence on the final results. Shooting outdoors in natural light gives the best results but poses many challenges. You would need to plan according to the weather, time of the day, and changing lighting and environment conditions as the day progresses.
9.: Using a longer zoom lens to step out of the immediate proximity of your subjects can make them lose the shyness or stiffness of being photographed.
10. Capture emotions and expressions
Artistic portrait photography is all about finding emotions and expressions in portrait pictures. Getting your subject to emote is easier said than done. Make sure that you avoid fake smiles and blank looks. A genuine sparkle in the eye, a faint smile, a confident expression – these are the recipes for creating portrait shots that will shine.