Three Tips On Taking Your Best Portrait
Whether you have never taken a professional portrait before, or if it is something you have done once or twice – being able to take a good portrait is something everyone wants to be able to do. I’ll admit, taking portraits has the potential of being awkward. You have a giant camera pointed right at your face. You’re not sure if you are posing right. And you have no idea whether or not the pictures even look “good.” The great things is that taking a great portrait is easier than you may think. Here are three tips on taking your best portrait EVER 🙂
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Understand The Value
First and foremost, you have to understand the value of taking portraits. It can be family portraits, maternity portraits, or even a birthday party. The reason that you are hiring a Photographer is because you see some value in capturing this moment in your life. And this value cannot be under stated.
These days, we are flooded with hundreds of pictures on social media – to the point where you can become numb to it. But in order to take your best portrait, you need to take a step back. Or even forward I guess. Can you think of a really significant moment in your life in the past 5 years? It may be the birth of a child, the loss of a family member, or moving to a new town. When you think about these potential moments, what is the first thing you go to do? Look for pictures, maybe? The important thing to understand is that in five years from now, you’ll be looking back at the current moments in your life. Your kids will be five years older. People will have come into and left your life for various different reasons. And you life will be much different. The portraits you take today will be the moments you look back and cherish in 2, 3, 4, or 10 years from now. Understanding the value of “now” is really important.
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Do Not Psych Yourself Out
The second tip I would give anyone taking portraits is that you cannot psych yourself out. One of the worst things I hate hearing is, “I hate taking pictures.” Or, “I take horrible pictures.” Psyching yourself out, before the first pictures is even taken, only works against you. Not being confident that you’ll take good pictures is natural. Especially if you’ve never taken portraits before or you have had a bad experience in the past.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is to think and say positive comments. Having a negative attitude not only affects you – but everyone else involved in the session. Including the Photographer. The best sessions I have had are with people and families who are positive and upbeat. Encouraging yourself and others involved in the session may not seam like a “game changing” approach – but it actually goes a long way.
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Focus Your Attention On What Matters
Last but not least, one of the best things you can do for portraits is to focus on what matters. Don’t focus on the person taking your pictures. Or the people in the background. Simply focus on what REALLY matters. For example, if you are taking family portraits, focus on having fun with and enjoying your family members. Joke, have fun, and enjoy the 30 or 60 minutes you get to spend with each other. The best images that I capture are ones that are fun and candid. Not overly posed and cheesy 🙂
If you are taking maternity portraits, focus on the baby. And how excited you are to meet them for the first time. Think about how happy your family members are going to be when they see the baby. Focusing your energy on these things is a really great way to take really good images 😉
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Hopefully these are some useful tips for your next portrait session. If you have something important that you want photographed, I’d love to hear from you. The best way to reach me is through the contact form on my website. Thanks!
