15 Essential Portrait Photography Tips and Inspiration
We are all seeking that perfect photograph to add to our portfolio, for our hobby and business alike. It is truly incredible how a minor detail can entirely change a photograph, but what tips and tricks can we use? We definitely need the “ Wow” factor that makes the user gaze a little longer, that has an impact on him. Lets think out of the box, break some rules and stun even our peers with our perfect photos.
1. Alter your perspective
Everyone takes pictures from an eye angle. Why not mix it up a little bit? Make it special. We are all tired of bland photos. Get high and take a picture downwards, surprise us with details that we don’t normally see. As in the picture above, the photographer managed to gain our interest. We can feel how cramped up that family is, eating their lunch in front of the TV. You can’t possibly get that view from a normal angle.
Or why not do the opposite thing? Change the angle as if you’re shooting from down to up. There are so many terrains unexplored. This is the “Wow” factor you were looking for.
2. Play with eye contact
You’re wondering at what she’s looking right? It gained your interest and you wondered a little bit. This is the thing that makes users remember photographs. Have your subject pose and create a certain connection by expressing emotions by smiling, laughing, crying, yelling or whatever you’re looking to tell the world. This is a method of looking out of the frame.
There is another method that implies the subject to look inside the frame at another thing, or person. They are equally great methods, it just depends on what you’re looking for.
3. Break the rules of composition
A very important thing that you need to remember while taking photos, is that you need to let the users room to look into, gaze upon details, amaze them with scenery. But every rule can be broken, so you can easily put your subject in the middle of the picture and you can possibly strike a nerve.
Be creative, place your subject on the edges, upside down, experiment and see what you can get away with.
4. Experiment with lightning
Techniques such as slow sync flash can bring the wow factor to your pictures. Experiment with the lightning to give it a surreal impression. You can make it darker or brighter, emphasize on different spots in your picture to create different new perspectives.
Modifying the lightning in a picture can sometimes be a bad decision, so use it wisely. Not every picture needs its lightning to be modified.
5. Move your subject out of their comfort zone
Try using your subject posing in different styles. Make them jump up and down, curl on the ground, strike a pose while jumping on the bed, or as you can see, in the pool. It conveys humor to the person watching your photographs, or it can easily express sadness.
The picture posted above amazed us. How can a human being be possible of striking a pose mid-air, with such elegance. We would have never known if the photographer didn’t think out of the box. So why won’t you?
6. Shoot candidly
Try to make your subjects be natural, comfortable while you take photos. Telling them to strike a pose, and coordinating them to the inch can seem a little bit staged, and you don’t want that. Make a story out of it, let them react to their surrounding naturally.
You will get better results this way. Just think of yourself as a paparazzi on the hunt for a great picture. Seize the moment and take it.
7. Introduce props
Adding props can create another point of interest that can enhance your photograph. Be careful how you use them though, it may take away all the attention from the subject, and people can get confused.
You don’t want people to think that your focusing on Christmas lights, when, in fact, you want to express a palette of colors.
8. Focus upon one body part
Don’t be afraid to get up close. Focusing on just the legs, arms, the mouth of the subject can leave the rest to imagination. Leaving something out of the picture can actually mean something. Find more ways to express yourself.
What do you think of the picture attached to this title? What does it say to you? Let us know in the comment section.
9. Take a series of shots
This photographer decided to take photos of this child rolling down a hill, he used a technique called burst, or continuous shooting. If your subject is changing positions really quickly, try using this method to capture them. By doing this you create a panel of photographs, frames put together that create a short-story.
10. Frame your subject
And I don’t mean frame your subject for murder, take it easy. Framing gives more depth to the image represented. It is like another doorway to the photograph. It draws the eyes of the watcher to certain points that you want to be more focused.
It is a pretty cool technique that allows you to draw attention easily to one, or more, elements.
11. Go with a wide angle
If you’re planning on doing some portrait photography, go with a wide angle lens. It distorts the image in such way that leaves a mark, a wide open and dramatic mark. It also leaves your subject in an impressive setting if it were to pose in such way. You’re basically looking at a hall way.
12. Play with backgrounds
Using a black and white picture, and transforming the background into pure white is another mean to express yourself. The duality of humankind. Ying and Yang. Good and Evil.
What if you change the background to a blue’ish nuance? What would you think of then? Backgrounds are important, it sets the mood to your picture. It tackles the subconscious.
13. Hold your camera on an angle
Try experimenting with different angles, and not like before, but with tilting the camera diagonally, or going down and diagonally. Different angles can transform a picture altogether.
14. Take unfocused shots
Unfocused shots can set the mood to ethereal. It is like a magic world, filled with mystery. Break the rules a little bit, stop using sharp focus a while, see where you get at.
You can either focus on one element and leave your subject blurred, or you can leave the whole image out of focus and create a dreamy state where everything is possible.
15. Introduce movement to your subjects
This way you can bring more energy to your photograph. You can either use a slow enough shutter speed to capture the movement, or have your subject move really fast, while you a shutter speed so fast that it freezes them in time. Not really in time, but in picture.
Experiment with different methods. Tell your subject to move, and let the background be unchanged, static, or tell your subject to stand still a little bit, while, in the background, people, cars, animals are moving.
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