6 Simple Tips to Improve Your Portrait Photography

Are your portraits missing a few vital factors? These tips might just be what you need.

Portrait photography may very well be the most popular and most in-demand genre of photography. Portraits are and will always be the most vital subject in photography, as they do not only document the image of a person, they are also very effective ways to inspire and provoke emotion through a single photograph.

In this video coming to you from portrait and wedding photographer, Jiggie Alejandrino from the Philippines, he talks about some minute but crucial details in the process of shooting portraits that will improve your workflow and overall output. These tips allow you not just to have the best possible output and image quality but also gives you more flexibility in your workflow for future use.

In this video, Alejandrino talks about the crucial role of backdrops and how they should complement any visual element present in the subject. Efficiently and effectively using space plays a key role in producing the most effective compositions but at the same time requires ample attention to the effect of focal length and distortion of the subject. Another crucial yet often neglected factor is camera height relative to the subject. Not only does it affect geometric perspective and the form of your subject, but can also be vital in portraying character and emotion.

Portrait photography is way beyond just pointing the camera to someone’s face and pressing the button. While anyone can do it with even the simplest of cameras, it takes attention to detail to create effective and striking images.

Nicco Valenzuela's picture

Nicco Valenzuela is a photographer from Quezon City, Philippines. Nicco shoots skyscrapers and cityscapes professionally as an architectural photographer and Landscape and travel photographs as a hobby.

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3 Comments

He lost all credibility when he said that an 85mm on a crop sensor has the distortion of a 50mm lens and therefor you'd need a 135 on a crop.

It's the distance to the subject that changes the image, not the focal length.

I don't think he said anything of the sort. It's like you have everything backwards. :) Go to timestamp 7:20.

Basically, he is saying a 50mm on a crop body is not a true 85mm because you'll still have the distortion of a 50mm. I have no idea where you got 135 on a crop.

You misheard.