Improve Your Photography: Make Portraits Instead of Snapshots

Whether or not you are a professional photographer, you can get professional results from your camera. With planning, you can make your snapshots look more like portraits. The main differences between portraits and snapshots have to do with background, posing and lighting.

Backgrounds in snapshots have distracting elements, don't complement the subject and generally appear unplanned. When composing your shot, watch for bright spots of light behind your subject and anything that will draw your eye away from the main focus. Take a step to one side, zoom in or get closer or even move your subject before taking the picture. A good general rule is that the background should have the same lighting or be slightly darker than the person you are shooting. Busy patterned backgrounds and colors that don't compliment their clothing will also take away from the overall image. If you shoot with an SLR camera step back as far as you can and zoom in on your subject or use a large aperture opening to blur the background. This will make the person in the image pop and will yield very professional results. If color is a problem after the image is taken try turning it into a black and white image. You may end up with some great results.

Posing is not complex. It just requires being mindful of how your subject will appear on a flat photograph. Picking up a basic book on posing isn't a bad idea. Although studio posing and outdoor posing are slightly different the rules will be the same. Make sure your subject looks relaxed. Even the best posing is spoiled if someone appears stiff and awkward. Generally people will pose in a way they feel comfortable and all that is needed are minor refinements. Take a look at hands and remember they usually appear better in a photograph shot from the side rather than straight on. Heads look better slightly tilted. In a seated pose have your subject sit on the edge of the seat and lean forward slightly. In a standing pose turn them to a 45 degree angle. Bodies look better this way than shot straight on. If they have pockets it sometimes help to have them put their hands in them, this creates dynamic angles with the arms and eliminates awkward dangling hands.

Lighting can be the trickiest part. However, good lighting separates snapshots from portraits. The easiest lighting to work with is open shade. Areas of shade that is still getting plenty of light make great portraits. If necessary use a little fill flash on your camera to get light in the eyes if they are dark. Make sure that when shooting in open shade you avoid getting bright spots that are not in the shade in the background. Also watch mottled shade. When the sun comes through the leaves of trees it is pretty lighting to the eye, but in a flat photograph the lighting will appear uneven on skin and clothing and look strange. If possible shoot in the late evening or early morning hours when the light is softer. Evening light will produce nice warm results on the skin. The blue tones that morning light and open shade cause can be corrected with computer software designed for digital photographs, like Photoshop. Avoid shooting in harsh sunlight when possible.

Some last tips are to make sure your subject is at ease and try and get natural expressions. A snapshot can easily turn into a portrait that belongs on the wall if you just take the time to perfect it.