Tips for Taking Portrait Shots

Sooner or later you’ll want to take a portrait shot. Unless you are practicing to become a professional photographer, this will probably be fairly informal, but there are some tips that will make your portrait taking easier and give you better results than you might otherwise get. Many amateur portrait shots end up in the bin due to over-exposure or being out of focus. Don’t let this happen to yours.

When you take a portrait shot, you need to focus on your subject’s eyes. Character is in the eyes and you want to express the character of the person. Use an aperture of f8 and be about three feet away. Make sure your subject is relaxed and in a happy frame of mind. Any anger or tension will show up in the photo. Chat to them, crack jokes if they are that type of person or play music. Make sure the music is something they like; otherwise you could get a scowl rather than a smile.

Make sure your subject is comfortable. Provide a chair or other seating with good back support so they don’t slump. Make sure they are not too hot, too cold or thirsty. If the subject is a child, offer an appropriate toy to hold. If they are very small, they may not want to give the toy up easily so it could well be in the photo. In this case, make sure it is not dirty or tattered. You could also have interesting pictures on the wall for them to look at while you get ready.

You will need to get all your props and things ready ahead of time. Children and old people get fussy if they have to wait. If you have spotlights coming from anywhere but your camera, you may need light deflectors such as a white board or umbrella. This will diffuse the light, make the tones warmer and prevent red-eye.

The background is important. If you are taking a portrait in your house you won’t have access to much gear with which to create a plain background, so try for a blank wall. One with wallpaper could be good to prevent light reflection. In front of drawn curtains would also be suitable. At least, try not to get the refrigerator in the background.

An ordinary 35mm camera is ideal for portraits, but they can be taken with other cameras. If you don’t have a 35mm, just use whatever you have and see what happens.