3 Portrait Photography Tips For Better Photographs

by Jetweb

In order to take a good photograph you need to follow a set of guidelines which will ensure that your photograph is crystal clear with vibrant colours. Portrait photography is not as difficult a discipline as it seems if you learn how to control certain elements whilst capturing the best parts of your model. If you are learning about portrait photography here are a few tips that will help steer you in the right direction.

1. Rule of Third

When it comes to taking a good photograph you need to focus on composition. Where your subject is in relation to other points of interest in your shot is important. Though in portrait photography your focus is on your model, this does not mean that the model needs to be dead centre of the shot. In photography there is a Rule of Third. When you divide a photograph into thirds both horizontally and vertically you will have a grid with 9 squares. Where the lines intersect is where your points of interest are. These points of interest are simply invisible points where the eye naturally focuses when viewing a photograph. Your model does not need to be dead centre but make sure that the best part of their face or another interesting object is on a point of interest.

2. Eye contact

In portrait photography you usually have a model who looks directly into the lens however I would suggest you play around with letting your model look away from the camera into the distance or at another object. Natural photographs always look better so mimic that by having your model look away from the lens and compare the photographs.

3. Light

Depending on the types of light you use, you can create different moods in portrait photography. Side lights create mood and you can also create contrast using lights which makes for very interesting portraits.

These are 3 of the most basic portrait photography tips that you can play around with to create stunning portraits. As with any discipline you need to practice these principles and become comfortable with them, then you can break the rules to create interesting portrait photography.