Tips For Taking Better Portraits

When composing a portrait I like to experiment with different angles rather than just doing a square, straight on shot. To me, the key skill in portraiture photography is to focus on the eyes. If the eyes are in crisp focus everything else in the shot will fall into place naturally. Don't be afraid to experiment with cropping your image either. I find that a square crop adds super dimension to the subject's face.

If you are going to shoot a portrait it is absolutely essential to get the flash/strobe off your camera. Often I will combine a flash or strobe on one side of the subject's face with natural light on the other. If you get your settings correct, this method can produce stunning results. As can be seen in the image above.....getting all of the face in the image is not a prerequisite. Most of all, try to get your subject to relax, have fun. The shoot should be enjoyable for both the subject and the photographer.

http://www.jameschristiephotography.com