5 Lies Beginner Portrait Photographers Believe

Portraiture is by far one of the most popular genres among photographers, both amateur and professional, and that tends to generate a lot of myths and misconceptions that can be harmful to your progress. This fantastic video discusses five common misconceptions about portrait photography and the truth about the genre. 

Coming to you from Miguel Quiles, this great video discusses five common misconceptions photographers have about portraiture work. Of the five, I think the most pervasive is definitely the idea that portrait photography is all about super shallow depth of field and bokeh. Sure, that is a popular look and one that certainly has its place in the genre, but relying on it too heavily can lead to a sort of creative stagnation and missing out on opportunities to create more interesting shots. For example, including a bit of your subject's environment can help to tell their story and create a more nuanced and visually interesting shot than simply blowing the background to smithereens. Furthermore, with the shallow depth of field being so wildly popular, going in a different direction can instantly help your work stand out in what is an extremely crowded genre. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Quiles!