Portrait Photography 101: Tips and Tricks for Future Pros
- Nathan Thompson
- Jul 6
- 8 min read
People are self-centered and vain.
In 2024, portrait-related photography services pulled in a whopping $37.4 billion worth of revenue worldwide, according to research from the Business Research Company. Whether it be weddings, senior portraits, studio portraits, headshots, family photos, or any variation of a photo with someone in it, people will always want their photo taken and they’ll want it taken well. So, if there’s such a massive market for this sort of thing, how do you take advantage of it and become a great portrait photographer?
What is a Portrait?
First, it's important to have a basic understanding of what you're creating. When it’s broken down, a portrait is a frozen moment of time that is meant to capture the essence of a person, people, or a pet. It's important to understand that photos are frequently interpreted as fact, making it incredibly important for us photographers to be honest and transparent about our processes. Though it’s increasingly common for an image to be fabricated in some way, with AI features making it even easier, there will always be a need for a human being to be with another human, look through a viewfinder, and press the shutter release. If you’re looking for job security in the age of AI, portrait photography is a good way to go.
I’ve been shooting portraits for nearly seven years, and I am by no means a portrait photographer (I consider myself a “shoot-anything-if-it -pays” photographer). However, seven years is the time it takes for your average American child to be born, eat roughly 6,500 meals, begin to develop cause and effect relationships, and scream about Skibidi Toilet or whatever viral trend might be relevant to this metaphorical six-year-old— so I consider that a fair amount of time to build expertise. In these seven years, I’ve learned a lot about the do’s and don'ts for specific types of portrait photography, and I’m always learning more. For the sake of brevity, and in hopes of avoiding a digital flogging by all you Avant Garde oddballs, I’ll focus on the lessons I’ve learned taking traditional portraits.
The idea of rules in photography, and art in general, can feel constricting, but we must learn the basic building blocks of creating powerful images so that we can experiment freely. As anyone who has ever taken an art class is aware, "we learn the rules so we can break them." My hope is that this article can help speed up the learning process for photographers just starting out and maybe make an experienced photographer nod in agreement.
The Elements of a Great Portrait
Story
Measuring art is nearly impossible since it’s wrapped up in subjectivity and lathered in personal preference. What often separates a strong photo from a weaker photo, beyond the basics like exposure and composition, is an image’s ability to tell a story. Portraits are certainly not excluded from this. It is incredibly beneficial, arguably necessary, to have a concrete idea of the story your images will tell before you even think about the other elements. Ask yourself, “what is the story I want to tell and what elements can I use to achieve this vision?” I’ll often break a shoot into a sentence or two revolving around a few basic emotions so I have a simple, guiding narrative. For example: A graduate is proud of their accomplishment and excited for the future; a business leader exudes power and control while remaining welcoming and friendly; a family is warm and comfortable as they revel in a shared moment together; a model is distant and uninterested as if they think they’re too cool to be there. Breaking down a shoot into a single sentence like this helps ensure the elements of your images tell a cohesive story that will be easy for a viewer to understand.
Scene
Once you have a story, you need to build your scene. This includes everything from the backdrop of your images to the kit you shoot with, to the light source you use, to the way you shoot your subject. Every element should have a justifiable purpose. For example: I’m shooting this graduate in the mountains because it resembles the journey they have taken and the uncertain path that lies ahead; I’m shooting up at this business leader to make her look strong and in control; I’ll shoot this family at golden hour using natural light and a reflector/diffusor to make the images feel natural and cozy; I’ll shoot this model with an 85mm at f1.8 to direct all focus towards their eyes.
Important elements of a scene to consider:
Background
Place your subject in a scene and consider how it builds their story. Do you want the subject to be interacting with their environment? Do you want a solid-color background so all focus will be on your subject?
Lighting
Natural or studio? Harsh or diffused? All these decisions will drastically change the story of your image. Harsh light creates higher contrast, making an image feel moody and dramatic, and diffused light is far more flattering and welcoming as it softens shadows and makes potential imperfections less pronounced.
Composition
Where you put a subject in your image and what angle you shoot from will dramatically change the story of your image. For example, shooting a subject from above can make them feel small and powerless, while shooting from below makes them look proud and strong.
Your Glass
Understanding how your lenses affect your image is a simple science that adds another tool to your visual storytelling toolkit. To overly simplify it, longer focal length brings the background closer, shorter focal lengths will distort the image but yield a wider field of view, and the focal range closest to that of the human eye is 50mm for full frame cameras (If you’re shooting an ASP-C or other 1.5x crop sensor, a 35mm is your best bet).
Shoot
Now that you’ve done your homework, you finally get to the fun part: the shoot. Believe it or not, taking photos shouldn’t be your primary objective here. Though you’ll need to operate your camera to deliver what’s promised in your contract, the absolute most important thing you can do during the shoot is to build rapport and comfort with your subject(s). If your subject is uncomfortable around you, this will come through in the photos. You could have the most beautiful person in the most incredible location with perfect light, but if the model doesn’t trust you, your photo is never going to reach its full potential. I laugh at everyone who calls me a good photographer (sorry, Mom) and remind them that anyone can do what I do— all you have to do is press a button. The real skill behind photography is selling yourself. At the beginning of every portrait session, I promise to my client(s) that I will make more of a fool of myself behind the camera than they will ever feel in front of it.
Mistakes I Made
What photographers just breaking into their career won’t tell you is that you’re practically paying them to muck up and learn how to be better for the next shoot. This doesn’t mean the photos will be bad, it just means you should book them again in a year.... When I first started, I shot everything on 50mm at f1.8 because I fetishized buttery bokeh and true-to-life proportions. I also seemed to think that the closer I got to the center of the Earth, the better the photo would look. Worst of all, I shot with a “fix-it-in-post" mentality. First of all, if you’re shooting with the twisted idea that you don’t need to try as hard or worry as much during a shoot because our lord and savior Lightroom will bail you out, I suggest either fixing that mindset or considering a career change. While the capabilities of Lightroom and other retouching/editing software are incredible, and they’ve bailed me out on countless occasions, you’re ultimately slowing down your progress to becoming a better photographer while providing a major disservice to both your current and future clients by relying on it. To clarify, this is far different than "shooting for the edit," where you have a vision in mind, and you shoot your photo based on the edits you know it will take to produce that image.
Bonus Tips
The Power of the Gaze
Eyes are the focal point of nearly every portrait. The first thing we look at when we’re given an image is the subject’s eyes—depending on how much skin is showing. That’s why it’s important to capture that small patch of highlights in our subject’s eyes known as the catchlight. This catchlight is an artifact caused by a light source reflecting off the subject’s eye. This glint pulls our focus and breathes life into the subject. The direction a subject is looking also informs the way we explore an image. If they look to their right, we naturally follow their gaze through the image to see what they might be looking at; If they look directly at the camera, it might encourage us to look inward towards the subject or ourselves.
Avoid the "Wattle Shot"
People are incredibly worried about having a razor-sharp jawline, so doing what you can to reduce the number of chins that come through in a photo is a great way to ensure your client’s happiness. I blame the Hollywood hotshots like Zac Efron and the false body standards pushed on us by "the media" for this phenomenon, but that’s beside the point. The point is, nothing turns someone away from a photo of themselves as fast as a composition that shows a little too much skin under their chin. I call these “wattle shots,” aptly named after that weird piece of skin that hangs from the neck of turkeys. Unfortunately, our wattle becomes more and more pronounced as we grow older, and unlike turkeys, we don’t use it to attract mates. Fortunately, this is a simple catastrophe to avoid: simply shoot from slightly above your subject’s eye level to ensure their chins stay hidden and they stay happy.
Experiment
The best way to grow your skills as a portrait photographer is to carve out opportunities to chase down your own creative vision. Whether you're taking photos of yourself, friends, family, or models, experiment with all these elements and more. It's easy to fall into the pitfall of following a formula when you're consistently practicing a specific type of photography. Experimenting gives you the opportunity to shake up all the variables, throw in some new elements, and potentially create something new and exciting. Creating projects that fill your soul rather than your wallet is a great way to maintain your passion and avoid burnout.
The Rundown
To break it down for all of you too busy (or lazy) to read the whole shebang, I'll wrap it all up nicely for you here.
There is a multi-billion dollar industry for portrait photography riding on the shoulders of human vanity.
AI will never replace the need for portrait photographers capturing genuine expression.
A portrait's capacity to tell a story is a great way to measure its effectiveness and is arguably the most important element of any image.
During pre-production, develop a simple, guiding narrative based around a few emotions e.g. "a graduate is proud of their accomplishments and excited for the future."
Use your story to inform the construction of your "scene."
A scene is primarily constructed through you choices of background, lighting, composition, and lenses.
The most important element of a shoot is developing comfort and rapport with your subject(s).
Ditch the "fix-it-in-post" mentality. Seriously.
The eyes are the focal point of most portraits, and the gaze informs the way a viewer will move through an image.
Avoid the "wattle shot" by shooting above your subject's eye-level.
Closing Thoughts
I hope there was something in here that you found value in. Whether it be something to laugh at, something learned, something reaffirmed, or truly anything else, all of these words and thoughts come from a guy wishing nothing more than to encourage your success in both photography and life. Everything here is genuine-- no AI, no BS.
Please feel free to start a dialogue in the comments if you had any thoughts jump out at you while reading this, or if you have any relatable stories from your experience as a portrait photographer. Your stories and insights can help inform and inspire countless more photographers and help build a network of photographers looking to support one another.
Comments