How to Take Better Portrait Shots

Taking a great portrait shot requires getting many factors correct. Preparation is the key and here are some of the most important things you must get right before shooting.

When it comes to taking portrait shots, one of the best modes to use is the aperture priority mode. This is a good way to control the shots, since it allows you to decide how blurry you want the background to be. The general rule is to make sure the eyes of the viewer are drawn towards to person in the portrait, rather than another object in the background or foreground.



If the background is simple and plain, then is it perfectly fine to use a smaller aperture to get a good focus and detail of the background. However, if the background is busy, and likely to take away attention from the subject, then it is generally recommended to use a large aperture and blur it away. It also helps to take out other people from the picture. Especially if the photo is set in a busy street, it can be impossible to find a moment when there are no other people around. Make use of a large aperture and blur out all other people on the street. The disadvantage of this will be that it becomes harder to focus on your object, since the depth of field will be very small, and the focus plane is impossible to use, since your subject may be moving.



The next most important thing is to make sure you focus on the eyes of the subject. The eyes tell the full story of any picture, and if you happen to focus on anywhere else on the subject, then the whole picture is ruined. It helps to use spot focusing especially if the subject is stationary and has other objects which may confuse the camera if a larger focusing area is used. If the subject is moving constantly, then you may want to consider using a larger area, or use a moving auto focus, to keep up with the subjects eyes. Depending on how quick your lens is, and whether it has an inbuilt motor for fast auto focus, this method will be the best chance of getting a sharp image at the end of the day.



After getting good focus, then you will want to concentrate on the exposure. Unless you are specifically aiming for a artistic feel for the image, you generally want good lighting on their face, which is both smooth and consistent with the rest of the image. To get a good exposure, make use of the exposure lock feature that comes with almost all dslr cameras. This is a great way to get the skin tone you are after, holding and keeping your thumb on the button, and then continuing to take great shots. The last thing you want is for your picture to be in great focus, but then a back lit background making your face too dark. Sure, this can always be corrected by post processing, but it is best to just get it right the first time.



With all of these factors to keep in mind, no wonder photographers always have different settings to get the same picture. Generally, you want a fast lens to give yourself the best options and fast shutter speeds. This will give you a sharp picture, which is generally accepted to be the best feature of professional portraits in the modern day. Soft pictures are no longer the preference when it comes to a good portrait, since street style picture are more preferred and the detail in their clothing is what attracts the customers to the photo. Give these ideas a try, and you will see a big change in the quality of your photos.



For some great props for kids photography, look at a barbie laptop which will even come in handy with their education.

By Rachel Smith

Published: 9/6/2010 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-take-better-portrait-shots.html