Portrait photography

Portrait photography is an art that anyone just starting out can accomplish with a lot of practice and by following a few simple suggestions and tips. Although photos of our family, friends, children or strangers are all portraits, some turn out wonderful while others are not as good or interesting. Portrait photography is the ability to take a person's picture, especially of their face, that leaves the viewer with a wonderful impression of the individual. With portrait photography the key is to have the portrait to leave an impression or make a dramatic statement about the person. This could be because of a very subtle characteristic or something extremely dramatic. Either way, portrait photography should reveal a little something about the subject in the picture that gives you a peek at their personality, their mannerism, mood or even attitude. That indefinable quality separates a good portrait from a great portrait.
With portrait photography, the photographer needs to be extremely knowledgeable about such things as composition and lighting but also possess excellent people skills. He or she must be able to make the subject feel comfortable, establish a great rapport and have them feel at ease in order to capture something unique and interesting about that person. A person that is able to do this when taking portrait photography, and brings out these unique and interesting features, is a successful photographer. Some photographers posses this ability, while others have to learn how to accomplish this. They must also possess patience, as the photographer could capture that terrific, unique shot in five minutes or it could take hours. In professional portrait photography the subjects range from very young and often restless or cranky children to seniors. Personality, patience and maturity are very important factors that enable the photographer to bring out the unique or special qualities in a subject.
Here are a few more great tips so your portrait photography experience is positive and you end up with wonderful portrait pictures.
• If you are experiencing many blurred images, not holding the digital camera steady enough or shaking it slightly often causes the problem. To correct this, bring your lower arms in closer to your body, moving the camera closer, while looking through the viewfinder
• Taking digital pictures that are interesting results from not having the subject centered in your photo. Place the person slightly off centre to add a little variety
• Use the manual focus feature on your digital camera if you are very close to the subject or the lighting situation is difficult
• When doing portrait photography outdoors, make sure that the sun is always behind you, so your photo does not end up looking washed out.