Portrait Photography Tips

Today I was fortunate enough to go to my sister’s home and celebrate my niece’s and my brother-in-law’s birthday’s. This is my niece and it’s her 9th birthday. I remembered my camera to document her special day and fished her out of the pool. She’s very accustomed to her uncle asking her to pose, so she dutifully followed me to the front porch where I made this portrait. I decided to write a bit about finding good locations anywhere, just about anytime. Here’s the front porch.

The light is somewhat dappled from a palm tree and the background is basically clean. There is also an area of ambient light on the lower area of the pillar. That way I can choose to have her stand and then sit down. Two different lighting situations within two feet! You just need to look with different eyes.

Here’s another couple of shots.

After a couple of shots where she smiled like her mom was taking her photo, I asked to just stare into the camera. I achieved a portrait of my niece that shows the real her, at age nine. It takes a little patience, but the rewards are great. Next time you photograph a younger model, let them do whatever they think is expected of them. Then just wait and you’ll get to capture a true portrait of them that let’s the viewer sneak a peek into their souls.

One last location: My daughter was with me, so I noticed a white wall on the area just inside the front door.
I asked my daughter to lean against the wall and made a sweet little portrait.

To recap, look for good light. It exists anywhere and look for nice clean backgrounds to place your subjects in front of. Lastly, remember that great portraits are made with pre-planning(bring your camera), a keen eye(look for potential backgrounds) and patience(wait for your subjects to reveal their souls).