Photographers would have been criminals if breaking the rules of portrait photography were a real crime. But this is also why not everyone can create the ideal portraiture.

Hear the rules of portrait photography from a professional portrait photographer to capture the best headshots for the rest of forever:

Say No to Cluttered Backgrounds

You want to capture a portrait on the most boring background you can find — anything from a lightly textured wall or white screen should do. This is because you want the viewer to pay attention to the subject rather than be distracted by something colourful.

Likewise, you want to tell the subject not to wear anything too bright as the viewer is automatically going to be drawn toward it.

The Facial Features

A lot of photographers take portraits head-on, with maybe just a tad bit of tilt. Now you want to pay attention to just how straight the subject’s nose and cheek line is; not doing so ruins the flow of the face.

Secondly, focus on the jaw — bring the head forward, tilt the jaw downward and out. Remember, the camera can add ten pounds when the model is captured from the incorrect angle.

To avoid this, the shoulders must be at different heights with very slight variation for the subject to look skinnier. Lastly, the subject must look straight into the camera or follow the direction of the nose — there’s no in-between if you really want to keep the attention on the subject.

Off Camera Lighting

Lighting is half the battle (we’d say full) when it comes to shooting a portrait. Moving the light away from the camera adds depth, but if the light source comes from the same angle as the camera, the image will appear flat because there are no shadows left. You can also try other creative methods of manipulating the light source.

Likewise, the focal length makes a world of difference — the longer the focal length, the more compressed the image will appear, making the subject appear thinner.

Allow Artin Photography to truly capture your personality in your next portraiture. We offer services for portrait/headshot photography, family photography, maternity photoshoots, newborn baby photography, four months up to and 1st birthday photography, and our latest tradition —cake smash photography. You’re in for a treat if you sign up today for your photoshoot in Vancouver or Port Coquitlam, BC!

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