Top 10 Portrait Photography Tips

6 min readFeb 1, 2019

To all the portrait photographers out there, we’ve all been through the struggle of trying of figure out how to make the perfect photo. After trying multiple cameras, lenses, angles and models, we always think that this war with portrait photography is futile, but at Photos of Us we urge you not to give up! To help you master your portrait sessions, we’ve compiled a list of our top 10 tips to help you get the best portrait shots possible!

Have a Change of Perspective

As you browse the internet, you may notice that the majority of portraits are taken at about eye level. These portraits, although beautiful, start to blend in with the rest that you see as you scour through Instagram. To make your portrait photography stand out, we recommend shooting from a unique perspective. Changing up the angle you shoot from can dramatically add that “wow”-factor to your work. Try shooting from up high or even from down low to create interest. Remember, portrait photography doesn’t have to be “one size fits all”, so switch up your style a bit and see what works best for you!

Play Around With Lighting

Lighting is always a major factor to take into consideration when trying to take the perfect shot. If you’ve read our past blog posts you probably know that we’re all about the golden hour (the hour just after sunrise or before sunset), using natural lighting, and shooting when it’s cloudy. Beyond these tips, there are a few other fun ways you can take advantage of lighting to create a stunning image. For instance, side lighting can create mood, and backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features will make your shot look more powerful.

The most important part of this tip is to have fun with it! When it comes to photography it’s important to be creative and adventurous, so if your first shot doesn’t come out how you imagined, just try again! Eventually you will get into a grove and find what does and doesn’t work for you.

Encourage Your Subject to Get Creative

We’ve all come across models or clients that can be uncomfortable and camera shy. This is why it is so important for you as a photographer to encourage them to put themselves out there and to push them out of their comfort zones. Have them step away from the standard everyday poses they do, and instead have them do something out of the box. Shots that show raw emotion tend to come out better than those that are purposefully posed and static. Having your subjects jump, dance, or laugh will make for a much better photo than if they simply look straight into the camera.

Prop it Up

Everyone has seen portrait photography where a subject leans against a brick wall in the city or sits in a field in the country. Try stepping away from this and add creative props to make your shots stand out from the crowd. Adding a prop creates a new point of interest, which when used properly, can enhance your shot. Now, the key to utilizing props is to choose one that does not take too much attention away from the subject of the portrait. Whether it be a lollipop, a paintbrush, a teddy bear, or a milkshake, adding a little something extra will add interest to the shot.

Get Close

Focusing on a specific part of your subject’s body is a fun and creative way to mix up your portrait photography. So get up close! Perhaps one shot you hone in on your subject’s hand, leaving the rest of their body up to your audience’s imagination. Or have your subject sport a vibrant lip color and focus the camera on their lips. Doing this adds mystery to the photo and makes for photography that is anything but ordinary.

Make an Original Series

Okay, we’re not talking about a Netflix original series like Stranger Things or Friends from College (but we definitely recommend giving them a watch). In this case, we mean a series of photos rather than one, static image. Doing this will add variety to your portfolio of portrait photography and will make the story behind the photos prominent. This is especially great to do if your subject is very active like a child or a dog owner and their furry friend.

Get Emotional

From the outfit your subject wears to the lighting in the background, it is essential that all the colors in the photo compliment one another. Before heading off to a shoot consider the tones of your subject’s eyes, hair, and skin to choose an appropriate color combination for them to wear to the shoot. Doing this will make your subject stand out in the photo, plus they’ll look and feel great in a outfit that compliments them, which may boost their overall confidence.

Colors that Compliment

Set the Scene

The setting of a photo says a lot about your subject. Whether the photo is taken in an office, at home, in the city, or at a park, make sure you choose a place that tells the story behind the subject. Do not, however, let the setting take over the photo. Instead, create a balance between the subject and the environment so that the setting aids your image, rather than taking it over.

Anticipate

Similarly to when you try to capture an action shot like a jump or a kick, it’s important that you anticipate what your subject will do next. Once your subject is comfortable, and as they move around and adjust their positioning and facial expressions, make sure you’re on your toes so you don’t miss out on the perfect shot. The key here is to watch them carefully and always be ready to capture the key moments. To help, make sure you get your camera settings ready in advance so that you don’t waste time and miss the shot.

We hope that these tips help and make you feel more confident when going into your next portrait photography session. Got any other tips? Share them with us on Twitter @photos_of_us!

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