16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques - part 2

9. SHADOWS
Make the shadow an important part of the image. Sometimes the shadow can even be more prominent than the actual subject casting the shadow.
Photo by Brian Auer [CC by-nc-nd]
10. GET CLOSE
There’s no rule against cropping out most of the subject’s face. This draws more attention to the parts that are left in the frame.
Photo by Phil Hilfiker [CC by-nc-nd]
11. (UN)FOCUS
Out-of-focus subjects can be more interesting than the in-focus subjects. It kind of adds some mystery to the image because you can’t quite make out who that person is.
Photo by a bout de souffle [CC by-nc-nd]
12. MOVEMENT
Use movement to show action, even if it blurs out the subject entirely. In cases like this, think of the person as a means of creating the subject rather than being the actual subject.
Photo by ArtWerk [CC by-nc-nd]
13. CAPTURE THE MOMENT
Catch somebody doing something they love, even if it’s not staged. Street photography is one of my favorite genres because it captures life as it happens — unstaged and unposed.
Photo by Mireia [CC by-nc-nd]
14. COLORS
Use vibrant and contrasting colors to draw attention to parts of your subject. This could be makeup, clothing, accessories, or whatever else you can get your hands on.
Photo by TNT Photo [CC by-nc-nd]
15. GET SERIOUS
Not all portraits need to have a smile, capture the serious emotions too. Some of my favorite portraits have no hint of a smile in them, and they’re highly emotional.
Photo by Saad Akhtar [CC by]
16. PROPS
Use the props and tools around you to make the setting more interesting. Find things to place your subject in, on, under, around, etc.
Photo by Bachellier Christian [CC by-nc-nd]
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Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from San Diego, California. He's also the guy behind the Epic Edits Weblog. As a hobbyist photographer since 2003, his passion has been to constantly improve his photography skill set, to share his own knowledge with others, and to become an integral part of the photographic community.Visit the author's homepage View all Epic Edits posts by Brian Auer