Creating The Best Portrait

A portrait is arguably one of the best types of photographs amongst others. In photography, the ability to make a photo as realistic as possible is an ultimate goal.

Essentially, your job would entail memorializing a photo, while making it timeless and about the subject involved. It is usually normal to find people confused about the difference between a regular snapshot and a portrait. However, there is a huge difference.

The first thing you should know about creating a good portrait is that it should be entirely about the subject. Now, you're probably thinking "Well, all photographs are about the subject".

With a portrait, the first thing anyone who sets eyes on it should notice is the subject. This is usually achieved by manipulating light, color scheme, composition and a variety of other factors.

Producing amazing portraits requires some level of expertise and attention to detail. Here are a few tips to help you create great portraits;

• Pay Attention To Lighting

Making great portraits requires the best light you can get. Great lighting can take your portrait from a zero to hundred real quick. It adds contrast and creativity to any shot taken.

Professional photographers always suggest natural lighting, especially when you're just starting out. In this case, you should be more concerned about the direction of the light. Essentially, the position where the light falls on the subject's face, as all focus needs to be on the subject.

• The Angles Are Everything

The angles make every photo. It doesn't matter if you're shooting a portrait in a landscape or indoor environment.

Leverage vantage points when shooting outside and you can merge both the sky and parts of the land in an amazing way. Another option would be to shoot an hour before sunset. Most artistes refer to this as the "golden hour" and why this is so great is that you can play around with light.

You can capture the best photos by just moving the subject around. With the right angles, your portrait will be timeless and iconic.

• Bring The Focus To The Eyes

Headshots are a huge part of portrait photography. Since the whole point of portrait photography is for the subject to be noticed, you need to focus on the eyes to achieve this.

The eyes are the pivotal point of expression in every human, hence they need to be emphasized. However, to properly accentuate the eyes, you require great lighting.

Artificial or natural lighting has the ability to play up the photo and add meaning to it. Paying attention to the eyes and how the light accentuates it makes better portraits.

• Try Something Different

Portrait photographs need originality and creativity to be unconventional. The best way to do this? Try something different! Try a different scene, a random subject on the street, tell a joke while shooting to ease your subjects…. Literally, anything that piques your interest. This way, you have fresh content always.

To Wrap It Up

Getting great portraits entail using a great camera, however, other factors are needed. Trying the aforementioned tips will help you improve your game in portrait photography