How Improve Your Portrait Photography

People are such a great subject in photography and many have expressed a desire to improve in this area. 

Although portrait photography can be a fun subject, some are still struggling to really enjoy it.

Here we are going to see how practicing, using the right equipment and having a different perspective can help you to improve your portrait photography skills!

Portrait photography may not be the easiest field to master. You often see photographers struggling to arrange a good pose, for example, and sometimes things can get awkward when the photographer and the model can't agree on the pose.

If this happens to you what can you do?

Talk to your model and make him/her understand how you want to get the best out of them; that you are looking for that special glow that only he/she can show. Of course, you then should listen to their feedback and see what perhaps they would like in their picture. Especially if they are the ones that have commissioned you to be their photographer.

It is important for your model to be relaxed, to be themselves. Some friendly chatting, perhaps even some joking, can often achieve this. Once your model is relaxed, study your them carefully. Look at their face and see what is so special about them. A good portrait photographer can see the character of a person from his or her face and know how to put the lighting to properly illuminate their model. Some say that you can even tell a person's story from their portrait, when done correctly.

Try looking from a different perspective. Everyone is unique in their own way. You could ask your model to look away from the camera and focus on their face. Or you can get your model to rest their head on their palm so that you can focus on their gaze. You need to be creative and ‘think outside the box’, so to speak.

You can improve as a portrait photographer using the equipment you already own. New equipment may improve your results but there’s no need to initially spend 1000’s in equipment when you could easily use natural lighting, or some DIY equipment, for example. (More of this in a future post.)

        Tip: Zoom in to your model when taking a portrait, because wide angle lens might make your                      model look "wide" and your model might not be very happy!

Finally, practice makes a photographer better. There’s absolutely no way around it! As in anything, there’s more chance in improving things that you do over and over again. Initially you may have to spend a lot of time experimenting and trialling how your model needs to pose for you, how to get the lighting right, and so on. But once you have acquired the experience, you will know how to get these things right with just a single glance 😉

What about post-processing, re-touching, and ‘photo shopping’?

I know there are very strong opinions out there regarding this in model photography. I fully understand both sides.

Then again, which model would object to some light re-touching, for example gently smoothing out the skin of their blemished face?

This may sound like a difficult thing to do, unless you have extensive experience in using photo editing software. Thankfully, this has now been made very easy with the latest software from Skylum – Luminar 4 (coming on November 18, 2019).

It has a feature called “AI Skin Enhancer”. Its unique human-aware technology finds all the skin in your picture (not just the face), smooths it out, and removes blemishes while preserving pores, texture, and hair. All in one click and with adjustable strength. It works for any age and skin type.

Another feature, “Portrait Enhancer”, uses revolutionary new technology to help you create the perfect portrait in 15 to 60 seconds. It helps make face, eyes, and mouth picture-perfect. Twelve tools give photographers of any level absolute precision and control.

You can pre-order Luminar 4 at a special price before launch (click banner below). But HURRY UP! Time is running out…