Level up your portrait photography with these five tips

It’s not difficult to take a good photo of someone, but it is difficult to take a great portrait that shows the person’s essence. Even mastering technical aspects often isn’t enough to elevate a photograph to a higher level; however, they certainly will help you get closer.

Once you have these technical things sorted you can then concentrate on connecting with your subject. In this video, portrait photographer Martin Castein tells us his 5 tips to really elevate your portrait photography.

Broad versus short lighting

It’s really easy to get stuck in using one type of lighting set-up for all your shoots, especially if you’re tight on space and often shoot in the same location. However, experimenting with other types of lighting will make you more versatile as a photographer and will make your images stand out.

Understanding the difference between broad and short lighting is essential and changes the mood of the image dramatically.

Broad Lighting: This technique creates a softer, more romantic, and feminine look by illuminating the side of the face closest to the camera, leaving the far side in shadow. To achieve this, make sure the lit side of the face remains visible to the camera, enhancing a painterly effect. Then, position the light between the model’s nose line and up to 45° from the camera. One word of warning, however, broad lighting (like its name suggests) can make a face appear wider.

Short lighting:
For a dramatic, shadow-heavy effect, use short lighting where the side of the face turned away from the camera is lit. Place the light on the opposite side of the model’s nose direction. This creates depth, emphasizing contours, and works well for evening or moody shots. It also has the advantage of slimming a face.

Perfecting poses

The fashion has definitely moved away from overly stiff posed portraits to a more natural feel. However, you probably will still encounter subjects that just cannot relax and don’t know how to appear natural. Your job, is to help them feel relaxed and confident, and gently direct them into positions that look natural, even if they are anything but.

Two main types of poses to master are standing poses, and sitting poses. Both have their merits and pitfalls. You can also use different framing to draw the viewer towards the face.

Half-Length Portraits
Half-length shots capture the model’s upper body, offering a balance between facial expression and body language. This framing mimics how we naturally interact with people and feels relatable to viewers.

Seated Portraits
Seated poses allow for more creative freedom and emphasize body language, making them more engaging than full-length portraits. They also help subjects feel at ease, making it easier to capture natural expressions.

Expression is key

One of the main things that boosts a good portrait to the great one is a sense of connection from the subject to the viewer. The simplest way to achieve this is with direct eye contact. The subject should be looking directly down the lens. When this works it creates an effect that feels like the subject is looking out of the photograph and it can be quite powerful.

Of course, you don’t want every photo to be looking straight down the lens, but mixing things up a little bit and directing your subject to look down or away from the camera can also be very effective.

Background choice

The background can make or break your portrait. A versatile option is a grey paper backdrop, says Martin. Why grey you ask, isn’t it rather boring? Actually, it’s extremely versatile. It’s neutral and easily colourized during editing, allowing for endless creative possibilities. With minimal effort, you can adjust grey to match or contrast with your subject’s outfit, enhancing the visual appeal.

Colour theory and harmony

With the advantage of a neutral backdrop you have free reign to play with colours in the rest of the portrait. Martin says he likes to play with colour theory in the way his subject dresses. You can make use of complimentary colours (ones close to each other on the colour wheel) or opposite colours, which can create a striking effect.

Similarly, using lots of monochromes can create striking portraits, especially if there is just one pop of colour used deliberately for effect.

Finally, all these elements can be tied together with careful post-production and editing to create a polished final photograph. There’s a lot to plan and think about, even for a simple studio portrait, but it’s always this attention to fine detail that really pushes your work up several notches.

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