Taking great pictures is not always a matter of pure talent. Often it’s a combination of skills, knowledge, and technics. Professional portrait photography implies knowing the right angles when it comes to face and background. Sometimes it’s more science than art.
If you want to show beautiful faces, you need to know special methods allowing you to highlight attractiveness and hide flaws. You’ll also need a good camera, other equipment, and the desire to learn new tricks. Now let’s see what you can do to improve the quality of the portraits.
Don’t Forget about Processing
Let’s face the truth: you’ll never reach the level of magazine pictures without enhancement and post-processing. It’s not a sign of low professionalism. Modern technologies allow significant improvements, and it’s stupid to ignore this opportunity. You can master the process yourself and buy special software or use the help of specialists. For example, the photo retouching service photoretouchingservices.net works with all types of photos and offers several levels of processing.
By the way, after proper photo retouch, people are more likely to share your pictures. Learn about proper photo credit on Instagram and other social media to know what to expect. Don’t forget to give photo credits yourself; it’s a matter of professional solidarity.
Take Multiple Pictures
Do you know that only 5 to 10 % of pictures are good enough to undergo further processing? It means that you have to make 100 shots to get 5 or 10 decent photos. Making beautiful portraits of people sets even more requirements for the photoshoot. You need more material, and it’s great to use the “Continuous shooting” option. It creates a series of photos within a short time. Afterward, you can select shots for further improvement or present the whole series for more emotional and dynamic results.
Experiment with Colors
Even a slight color correction can make a great difference. Try to experiment to find the best solution for each face. Sometimes vibrant colors help to add more life to the pictures; in other cases, the black and white variant will be more suitable. With some practice, you’ll learn how to feel the spirit of the future portrait, but it’s impossible without experiments and trying unusual color schemes.
Learn the Rules and Break Them
A formal approach to portrait photos doesn’t allow you to take interesting and unique pictures. You can’t create something special and personal if you follow the guidelines written by someone else. Study books are useful only in the initial stage of learning. When you learn the basic rule of photography, it’s time to think outside the box.
The only rule you should never break is a responsible attitude to the environment. This article explains the meaning of sustainability in photography and shows how you can take care of nature while doing your favorite job.
Interact with Objects
All portrait-style photography artists can tell that each object can serve as a prop. Unleash your creativity and see common objects from an unusual angle. It will give uniqueness to your pictures and creates the desired effect. Flowers and greenery can add color contrasts, and household items will highlight certain character traits of the model. Use your imagination and vision, and you’ll get amazing shots.
Play with Angles
Do you remember the famous project which presented the same model at different ages, just with the help of make-up and angles of pictures? In fact, each girl on Instagram knows the basics of photography angles and their effects on the face. Don’t make the standard photos; experiment with positions for the photoshoot.
Try to depicture the model from above or from a lower position, and take some photos from the sides. You’ll see the most advantageous variants and learn how to achieve the needed effect. You can make the model look completely different just by changing the angle.
Remember the Basics
There are some things you can’t ignore, for example, the lighting. In order to have a successful photoshoot, take care of the light and the model position. You can play a little with light and shadow, but don’t get too excited. It’s better to know the basic rules and use them in your job.
The experience of many generations of photographers will help you to avoid multiple mistakes and raise your level quicker. It’s better to learn from someone else’s example than to make all the journey for yourself.
Summary
As you can see, the art of portrait pictures is more about creativity. But you can’t be creative without a solid theoretical base. In order to break the rules, you have to learn them first. Master necessary skills and trust your intuition and imagination. After some time and practice, you’ll start to feel the character and see the best variant for each face. So, don’t be afraid of experiments, and you are doomed to success.
