7 Tips for Taking Better Portraits

Taking portrait photos does not necessarily mean that you’ve got to use an expensive lighting setup in your studio. In fact, with a bit of planning and some hacks, you can get great results using just natural light. Professional wedding photographer, Vanessa Joy, shares with you 7 creative hacks to help you take some beautiful portraits:

The tips that Joy talks about are pretty simple to implement, yet the results speak volumes. It’s the little things that you have to think about for the end result to be brilliant.

When using natural light, try to prevent harsh lighting and shadows on the subject’s face. Look for shade with even lighting. There, you can even use a reflector to add some highlights to the subject’s face and catchlight to their eyes.

Also pay attention to how your subject is posing. Constantly communicate with them, and try to emphasize their jawline. You can do so by asking them to stretch their neck outwards. Keep in mind that the poses with graceful curves are better than those that form sharp angles.

And finally, compose your shots considering the basic rules of composition. The rule of thirds, leading lines, and foreground-midground-background are some of the composition guides that you can follow. They instantly grab the viewer’s attention and also add depth to the image.

What’s your favorite tip for taking better portrait photographs? Let us know in the comments.

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