Taking Portraits? Learn These Few Tips First
One of the most profitable areas of any photography business is portraiture. Try to imagine the number of parents out there who want to have a yearly picture of their children to have a ‘record’ of their child’s development, or just think of the couples out there who just want to immortalize their happiest moments together. Indeed, if you are into portraits, there are a lot of opportunities for you, especially in terms of making a business out of a hobby.
However, there’s always competition. In order for you to gain more money and to stay in business as long as you want, you really have to increase your techniques that will make every portrait that you take closer to excellent and satisfy every customer. Sounds like a big call right? It really isn’t though.
The following basic tips below should help you along the way to a flourishing business slowly but surely:
1. Make use of natural light.
You’ll probably agree with me when I say that what’s natural is what’s most often beautiful. To make use of natural light, you can position your subject near a window, or better yet, take them outside! By doing this, you could really capture their natural glow and convey the message your subject is naturally beautiful or attractive. Of course, this has the additional benefit of being flattering, increasing the odds that they are likely to commission you again! However, there are disadvantages when you use natural light. Your subjects could be eaten up by the background. If your subject is enhanced by nature, the elements on the background could also be enhanced, making both ‘the same level.’ You could enlarge the picture so that the focus will be on your subject. This is very simple but it really makes a difference.
2. Reduce your subjects’ nose prominence.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that your subjects’ nose is unattractive. It’s just that the nose is something that really stands out on a face sometimes. Let’s face it, it is the nose that is the most protruding part of the face. Hence, when you don’t do something with some peoples’ noses, they will often scream for attention, directing the viewers’ focus to it instead of the whole face. So, to reduce nose ‘prominence’ a little more, it is advantageous to stand at least twelve feet from your subject. Surprisingly, by doing so, the nose seems to lose its prominence. Then, if your subject wants his or her face to cover a whole frame up, you could adjust by zooming in. The difference is significant.
3. Take your subject’s pose seriously.
Yes, a lot of photographers just push this one aside. However, we really think that this one is really important. You are not only taking a picture of your subject’s physical appearance. You are trying to capture them as a whole—including the personality, the mood as well! So try to make a connection with your subject. Talk to them so they can be a little more comfortable and give the session a taste of their personality. Remember, as people, when we are comfortable or at ease, we feel high and uplifted, causing our eyes to glow and our faces to lighten up a little. So, be consistent with this objective throughout. After all, portrait photography is an art that needs to reveal connections to feelings and emotions in most cases to be appreciated and admired. This link allows you to access the portrait photography category of this website.
