10 Tips on Portrait Photograpy

1. Alter Perspective
     Completely change the angle that you shoot from. You can get up high and look down or get as close to the ground as possible and shoot up. Either way, it will give you a new perspective on your subject.

2. Eye Contact
      A. Looking off Camera: Have your subject look off in the distance and outside the view of your camera. Be aware that when you take these kind of shots that you can also draw the eye of the viewer of the shot to the edge of the image also the subject.
       B. Looking with the Frame: When you give your subject something to look at that is in the frame, you are able to create a new point of interest and relationship between it and your primary interest.

3. Break the Rules of Composition
     The Rule of Thirds is a rule to break, placing your subject either dead center can sometimes create a powerful image or even creative placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot can make interesting images.

4. Lighting
     Side-lighting can create mood. Backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.

5. Moving out of Comfort Zone
     Try something new such as jumping or falling. Anything that is fun and different.

6. Shoot Candidly
     Photograph your subject at work, with family, or doing something they love. Some subjects don't look good posed in a environment, so in this case switch to candid type.

7. Props
    You may have the rid of adding to much to the main focus of the photo, but you may also add a sense of story and place to the image that takes it in a new direction and give the person an extra layer of depth that they wouldn't have had without the prop.

8. Focus on One Body Part
    Get close or use a long focal length to only capture part of your subject. Photographing just bits and pieces of your subject can really impact the viewer.

9. Obscure Part of the Subject
     You can do this with clothes, objects, their hands, or just by framing part of them out of the image. You are able to leave a little bit of imagination to the viewer.

10. Take a Series of Shots
       Switch your camera to burst mode or continuous shooting. You are able to create a series of images that can be presented together instead of just one image. Works very well when photographing children.