6 Tips For Better Portrait Photographs

Trying to capture the human form in drawings, paintings, sculpture, or photography, has captivated us for as long as we've existed. Here are 6 tips to take better and improve your portrait photography.

1. Use the right aperture

Around f/4 is ideal. Using f/1.4 has the chance of having the eyes in focus but not the nose or ears. It will depend on the lens focal length and how close you are to the subject but you will want it on the lower end of the scale so you get that beautiful out of focus background so your subject is really the focal point.

2. Pick the right lens

Most portrait photographs love 70-200m lenses for portraits. You can use either a zoom or a prime lens within that range.

Longer focal lengths are really flattering to the facial features. They will slim the face and compress other features like the nose. And of course, you will get a great background blur.

This is a particular lens range so if you don’t have something in that range you can use anything above 35mm but above 50mm would be better.

Below 35mm you get into wide-angle lens territory which can distort the face. This can make the face look wider and make the nose look bigger, which isn't very flattering.

3. Know how to use light

You don’t need studio lighting. In fact, I prefer the look of natural light but you’ve got to make sure it’s the right kind of light. The harsh middle-of-the-day kind of light creates harsh shadows on the face and can accentuate features like under-eye bags. It can also cause the subject to squint and furrow their brows, which often isn’t the look you or the subject are going for.

So try and shoot during the golden hour which is at dawn or dusk.

You can play with shadows to create a really artistic feel. Shadows across the face play with a picture's mood and add a new element.

If you're shooting at night, you can play with lights in your environment. Neon lights at night can make for incredible photos.

4. Get your subject comfortable

Meet up first with the person you're photographing, maybe over coffee, and go over what your ideas are for the shoot and see if they have any ideas they want to try.

Whether you know the person or not, you shouldn't skip this step. People can feel uncomfortable having their photo taken and getting to know someone and talking through the plan for the shoot can help a lot.

Getting someone comfortable is so important because the more comfortable they are, the better they will take direction and the better the photos will be.

I particularly dislike photos of myself (ironic I know) and whenever a photo is taken of me, 9 times out of 10 it's terrible. It's not because of the photographer but because I'm not comfortable. I look like a deer in headlights and you can see the fear in my eyes. So make sure you're doing everything you can to make your subject comfortable so that you get the best photos possible.

5. Know what posing and positioning works

Do your homework and study other portraits you like to get a good idea of what poses and positions look good and flatter people.

If you’re not working with models, people might not know how to position their bodies. It's not all standing upright but sitting Some poses and positions 

Make sure you have enough ideas so that you can work your way through the session without running out of ideas and get some variety.

6. Think about the background

A background can really add to a portrait so plan locations in advance.

There might be so much background blur that you can't see that they're standing in front of a dumpster. But you should still think about the colors in the background and how they might accentuate their features or tie in with what they're wearing.

A background that really shows their personality or a part of who they are can also really add to a portrait and tell a story of who they are as a person. Taking a portrait of a surfer at the beach or a chef in the kitchen gives you a better idea of who they are compared to a photo of them against a plain wall.