O.K., here's where those who are annoyingly impatient begin to whine. "You said only the absolute minimum of photographic details would be included, why do you write all this extraneous stuff?" And my reply is that this "extraneous stuff" is important to know so you will understand how to get the results you want in your images. But in deference to those crybabies (don't get annoyed with me; I used to be one of those crybabies myself), I'll place the "nuts and bolts only" stuff here. But please read over the information that I'll place below this "Quickie Techniques" section. It will make you a better photographer. That said, here goes:

Making the subject look good:

1) To hide facial lines and wrinkles use umbrellas or softboxes (or use an inexpensive "soft-focus" filter);

2) To de-emphasize a large nose, raise camera level slightly and shoot full or 3/4 face, no profiles;

3) To de-emphasize a receding hairline, lower camera slightly or have subject raise head slightly;

4) To hide that 'ol "pot belly" that sneaks up on folks as they age, use clothing that hides it (a suit or sports jacket, is great, or an un-tucked shirt for casual shots), and raise camera slightly to reduce the area of the image in which the pot belly appears.

5) To hide the unappealing. loose flesh that hangs down from the upper arms of plus-sized subjects, place the arms down at their sides, and if they're not wearing suits, have them dress in long sleeve or 3/4 sleeve shirts or blouses. It's also a good idea to have our heavier subjects avoid tight-fitting clothing; loose-fitting clothes in a dark color are best, and if their clothing has any designs (try to avoid "busy" designs - they detract from our images), avoid horizontal stripes like the plague, but vertical stripes are great for "slimming-down" our subjects for a pleasing shot. If you're doing a standing shot of a heavy subject, avoid shorts whenever possible. After all, as photographers, our job is to make our victims look as good as possible, and to feel good about themselves and their pictures.

6) Have the subject sit on a chair and cross their legs at the ankles, and place their hands palm-down on their lap, with one hand sitting on the top of the other. While we may not have the hands and legs showing in our portrait images, this placement will assure the optimum positioning of the head and body.

7) Have the subject look directly into the camera's lens for several exposures, then look slightly away from the camera in several additional exposures. Make some shots with the subjects looking barely to the left, to the right, looking up and looking down - but just a little bit. Shoot several profiles, several 3/4 faces, and encourage different expressions (serious, slight smile, inquisitive, contemplative, etc.); make lots of exposures (so you'll have many shots to choose from). In order to help you get the interesting and meaningful expressions that make portraits great, if the subject has children, ask them "how did you feel the first time you saw your newborn baby" and watch the expression on their face change - then say "hold that expression! Turn your body a bit to the left, and gaze slightly downward." Then capture that wonderful expression! Ask several of these kinds of questions to elicit looks of joy, sadness, thoughtful, etc., and capture them. Do things like this

Take the time and thought to prepare your photo sessions long before your subject arrives! Learn to know what you want before you put film or a memory card in your camera. Learn to "design" your pictures before you pick up your camera! Take a piece of paper and a pencil, and sketch out what you want in the picture you're considering; this will be a great help in the beginning, and after a few weeks or months of doing this, you'll start to do it all in your head, and won't need the pencil and paper any more.

When you've had a few months of practicing lighting and making professional-looking images, and you've learned how and where to place the highlights and shadows on your victims, start thinking about capturing a subject in a way that the image reveals what you want it to show to the viewers of the finished image. Ask yourself "What do I want this picture to say? What feelings do you want to convey to the viewers of this image?" For example, if the image is of a young, beautiful girl, do i want to convey sexiness and beauty, as when she wears a bikini on the beach? Do I want to show her as a capable and sophisticated businesswoman, as when she dresses in a business suit? Do I want to convey sadness, as when I show her with tears running down her face (as if at a funeral)? There are many different ways to photograph a subject (be it a portrait or a product), and many different ways to convey the feelings that our photographs will elicit in those who see our images. And now, with the modern miracle of digital cameras, we have the fantastic benefit of being able to make an almost unlimited number of exposures, and just "deleting" anything we don't like - without wasting a lot of film - and saving a ton of money on film and developing. So take advantage of these modern miracles, and make some wonderful and wondrous images and videos!

If you're diligent about practicing your photography, if you take the time to look for the details that make great images, and if you're very, very, lucky, you'll wake up one day and realize that you've changed; you'll look at the world differently; you will have developed the "photographer's eye," you will "see" things photographically, things most people never even notice; one day, you'll realize that you've become something special; something different, but different in a most amazing and wonderful way;  you will have become - a photographer! Back to Top