10 Important Portrait Photography Tips You Should Never Forget

Every photo tells a story. It talks about a moment, a situation, its emotions, a memory capturing a story from the expression of a face, a look, or a flirtatious pose. Whatever you want, seems to be one of the most exciting challenges in photography.

That is perhaps why portrait photography is one of the favorite themes according to reviews on NorskeAnmeldelser.

A good portrait can be achieved in different ways, and in this article, we will give you some keys you should keep in mind. Let’s see them!

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1.  Change Angle and Alter Perspective

The usual thing when we do portrait photography is to take the shot at eye level or a little lower, but it does not always have to be this way. Try changing perspective and take your portrait photos from a different angle, you will see how the results can be amazing just like at Fotoknudsen.

2.  Play with the Gaze Direction

Did you know that your portrait can express very different feelings just by altering the direction of the portrayed gaze? Normally we will tell our model to look at the camera to find that connection between the person being portrayed and the photographer or person looking at the portrait, but don’t forget to explore other options.

3.  Focus on the Eyes (Or Not)

When we take a portrait it is clear that most photographers agree that you should focus on the eyes, which are the ones that reflect the true personality of the model. And if we place it lopsidedly, then we will generally choose the eye closest to the camera as the focus point.

Although this does not always have to be this way. You can also try taking shots in which the element in focus is not the face, but another part of the body where you want to focus, such as the lips. Or even put it in another element of the composition.

4.  Fill the Frame and Try the Close-ups

A close-up can bring us closer to the person we are portraying, and I don’t just mean physically. With a close-up, we will also gain a certain degree of intimacy and drama, since we will be very close to the gaze of our model. With this type of shot, there are no distractions, we make sure 100% that the protagonist of the shot is our subject. All attention will be on your expression, and that will add some tension to the shot.

5.  Capture Details on the Model

Although when we think of portrait photography we always visualize a person’s face, the face of the model oes not always have to come out.

There are details of the person with which we can also identify them and they can provide us with very attractive shots, allowing the viewer of the photograph to have their vision of what the model could be like. A tattoo, a hairstyle, a detail of the eye.

6.  Frame The Model Within Another Element

Finding natural or artificial frames in which to place our model will help us to direct our gaze towards it, in addition to achieving a greater degree of depth in the image.

And how do we get natural frames? Well, you just have to be attentive to the environment in which you take the photographs and visualize what element could be used as a frame. Maybe it’s a tree trunk, some flowers, a window.

7.  Make Photographic Series

Something original that can give you good results in your photoshoot is to make a series. Have your model play with expressions and experiment with different moods to suggest different emotions in each shot, then compose a curious photographic series.

8.  Incorporate Some Movement Into Portraits

Another way to achieve a curious portrait is to instruct our model to take any action that requires some movement. For example, make her jump and freeze the movement at high speeds, or if the model has beautiful hair, tell her to do some movement and thus get more dynamic shots. You can also ask him to throw something at the camera, or to interact with an object that he feels comfortable with, such as a photographer can feel with his camera. That way he will forget about the camera and you will see how little by little he feels more comfortable and relaxed, which helps make the final shots more natural.

9.  Capture The Model Unaware

Sometimes the best portrait photography is the one we take at a time when our model is not aware that we are photographing him. Why? Because it is in those moments when it is most natural.

10.   Make Light Your Best Ally

If you don’t have good light, the images don’t come out the way they should be, as they look dull and with less exposure.

Natural light will always be your best ally since that will give clean backgrounds, perfect lighting, and exact framing. But if it is at night or when there is no light, you can use a camera with a flash or a reflector to illuminate the scene.

It’s your turn! You already know the basic recommendations to get unforgettable portraits. Now is the time to take your camera and put them into practice, because no matter how many tips we give you, the moment you will learn will be when you take your photos.