6 elements to take care of during portrait photography

Portrait photography is not easy, and because the access to common portrait photography tips is starting to make all pictures look almost the same. There are many elements in portrait photography than what meets the eye. You must consider technical aspects like the focus, exposure, and non-technical aspects like composition and getting to know your subject. There are many things that portrait photography tips don’t cover and that is why it is important to attend photography classes, and workshops, and read up as much as you can before you start practicing.  

If you are just starting with photography, try opting for online photography classes first before you set out. It may take a while to shoot that perfect portrait but if you begin with the right course then you can follow a systematic way to grow, now that online photography classes are available everywhere, try opting for one. However, here are 6 elements you can keep a note of while shooting portrait photography:  

 

1. Camera  
   If you have some portrait photography tips and tricks up your sleeve you can add brilliance to it with the right camera. Brands like Panasonic Lumix are worth your investment when it comes to cameras, try your hand with Panasonic Lumix S1R, S1H, S5, GH6, and G100. Your additional gears like a flash, tripod, and lenses are something you can pick once you know the details of the shoot.  
    

2. Know your subject 
   In a portrait photograph, you have different subjects, from pets to family to individuals who are also artists themselves. It is important to make them comfortable and get to know them truly, not just the name and hobby. One of the top portrait photography tips and tricks is to make the subject familiar with your lens and your creative eye. Look at them and find out their angle.  
    

3. Lighting  

4. The lighting pattern is of utmost importance when it comes to portrait shots. How the light falls on your subject, how it will impact the outcome and the ratio of dark and light that lead to contrast images. Some of the lighting patterns are split lighting, loop lighting, butterfly lighting, and Rembrandt lighting. If need be, you can attend photography workshops on lighting and learn more about them.  

 

4. Background  
   How you put focus on your subject depends on the background. See that elements like the following are checked – the contrast, bright colors (bright yellow or red), sharpness, bright areas, and see that the background does not distract the subject in focus. The most common shots are keeping dark, low contrast, and blurry backgrounds.  
    

5. Angle and poses 
   A flattering pose or angle for the subject can get tricky if you have not studied the subject yet. Find different angles to shoot because the same angle gets boring. You can also finalize some poses before the actual shoot so that the subject is comfortable.  
    

6. Exposure and metering  
   Some of the experts during photography workshops advise upcoming photographers to use a certain setting for portraits, like using manual mode, single-shot drive mode, Single-point AF, One-Shot AF to focus and lock, Shade white balance, and shooting in RAW format. You can follow this too if you want to have control over your settings.