Shooting the Perfect Portraitby Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger 29 Jan 2008 11:00 PM Whereas I make use of countless "freebies" to get professional portraits of my daughter taken, my friend (an amateur photographer) bypasses the "pros" at the mall and takes her own portraits of her children. And frankly, some of her shots are nicer than the ones other parents pay hundreds of dollars for. My friend will be the first to tell you that she is not a professional photographer, but she knows her kids better than anyone and has a knack for taking shots that perfectly capture the character of her young subjects. Granted not all parents will be able to achieve the same results, but it certainly doesn't hurt to try. All that's needed to take the perfect portrait shot is practice and the ability to adhere to a few simple guidelines. For example: Background In a portrait shot all eyes should focus on your subject. Which means you don't want to be shooting your child in front of a busy background that could possibly take the attention away from his or her face. Look for a neutral background that is comprised of pale solid colors. And avoid places where there are people moving around in the background or one that features a multitude of harsh colors or busy patterns. Lighting When in doubt seek out natural lighting. Outdoor lighting does wonders to capture the full color range and warmth of the skin. However, that doesn't mean you should simply stick your child in the sun and ask him or her to say "Cheese." Timing is everything. You don't want to take a portrait shot at noon when the sun is directly overhead. Rather, consider taking your shots in the early morning or late afternoon when you can position your subject in a way that the sunlight hits him or her from the side. Taking photos with the sun behind your object will end up creating a silhouette. Taking photos with the sun right in front of your subject will result in overexposure and color distortion. Blurring Blurring the background will make your subject standout in a portrait shot. To achieve this simply set your camera to a shallow depth of field by using a zoom lens and shooting from a short distance or with a wide aperture manual setting. Then focus on your subject's eyes. The eyes convey emotions best and will go a long way to project feelings to the viewer. Also, your subject doesn't always have to be looking directly into the camera's lens for a portrait shot. You could also have him or her look sideways and focus on another object before snapping your shot. Related Articles: Telling A Story With Your Shots Snapping Frameworthy Shots Of Your Kids More Common Sense Tips To Capturing A Frame-Worthy Picture Common Sense Tips To Capturing Frame-Worthy Pictures Cameras: Knowing When To Upgrade Digital Photography 101: Getting To Know Your Camera Getting Digital Pictures To Friends And Family FAST! Learn more about Michele Cheplic  Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. Relevantphotography tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags backgrounds, photo tips, picture tips, pictures, photography Discuss this article
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