portrait photography


-->Digital Portrait Photography
Help and Tips

Photography tips to help you take great digital portrait photos of your friends, family, co-workers, and others. Portrait tips include avoiding blinking, dealing with props, and reflections.
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#1: Place Office Worker in Front of Their Desk
An unconventional portrait photograph of an office worker may express openness and friendliness.

#2: Avoid Flash to Avoid Red-Eye
Increase available lighting to decrease the need for flash in your digital photos.

#3: Get in Close!
Don't cut out someone's face when taking portrait photos.

#4: Don't Intimidate - Step Back and Zoom In
Step back and use your digital camera's zoom feature to make your subject more at ease.

#5: Avoid Rocking and Rotating Chairs
Keep your digital portrait photography subjects from fidgeting in a moving chair.

#6: Don't Be Afraid to Ask to Rearrange Props
Use your intuition; remove unnecessary items from digital portrait photos.

#7: Keep People from 'Clamming Up'
A simple technique to add more life to your digital portrait photographs.

#8: Consider NOT Filling the Frame
Why you should ignore some peoples' advice and NOT fill the entire frame with your subject.

#9: Take Advantage of Digital Features For Children Photos
Sometimes posed shots do not turn out the best.

#10: Black and White Shoots Add Drama
Black and white portrait photography can add a new level to your digital shoots.

#11: Use Simple Backgrounds
Focus your photo viewer's attention on the subject.

#12: Be Awake, Alert, and Smiling
Smile, and hopefully your subject will smile with you.

#13: Use Night Photography Techniques in Low-Lit Areas
Taking digital photos in low-lit situations? Here are some tips to try, including shutter speed lengthening and increasing ISO.

#14: Bring Along a Mirror
Everyone wants to look his or her best in a photo.

#15: Step Away From a Wall
Don't place your portrait photo subjects directly in front of a wall.

#16: Don't Neglect the Hands
Consider photographing a person's hands to make their photo more expressive of who they are.

#17: Overexpose to Reduce Blemishes
A slight overexposure of your digital portrait photography may reduce visible blemishes.

#18: Get the Parents Involved
Ask parents to help you take digital photos of children who don't want to cooperate.

#19: Set Everything Up Beforehand
If you are taking a formal photograph of a subject, try to set your lighting and environment up beforehand.

#20: Huge Clothes Plus Small Kids Equals Cute Photos
A cute photo idea when taking digital photos of children.

#21: Avoid the Blinking Syndrome
Help prevent the inevitable blinking in group photos.

#22: Removing Eyeglass Reflections
Use a circular polarizing lens to reduce eyeglass reflections.

#23: Use a Fast Shutter Speed for Babies
Use a shutter speed to match with how fast a baby can move.

#24: Use Blur Creatively
Consider blurring your digital photographs to express movement in a busy scene.

#25: Consider Rotating Your Digital Camera 90 Degrees
Show more of your subject in your digital photos.

#26: Flash Can Reflect Off of Clothing
Flash can have undesirable effects with clothing or bright jewelry.

#27: Fast Shutter Speed is Vital
A fast shutter speed is essential to capturing peoples' quick-changing facial expressions.

#28: Don't Neglect your Digital Camera's 'Portrait' Scene Mode
Don't have time to calculate settings for a portrait photo? Let your digital camera do it for you!

#29: Shoot From a Kid's Eye Level
Let your digital photo show the world as it is seen by the eyes of a child.