Portrait Photography Portfolio Websites | Tips and Examples

A great way to improve your self portraits, whether you’re a beginner or a pro, is to study other self portraits and practice recreating them. This will not only give you insight into facial expressions and how to pose, but it will also give you ideas for how to light your shot and how you can get creative with your self portrait edits in Photoshop. Looking through the portrait portfolios of photographers that inspire you is a great place to start. 

One of the challenges of family portraits is getting everyone to look at ease at the same time. If one group member looks uncomfortable or awkward, it can ruin an otherwise good photo. A great way to help your subjects feel relaxed is to shoot in a setting that is familiar to them. In the case of family portrait photography, shooting at their home, or at a local location such as a park that they all enjoy, can help you capture images they’ll all be sure to love.  

Acing your lighting setup is key to taking great portraits. A studio portrait photography tip you can start using right away is to avoid using on-camera flash. Illuminating your subject with a bright light directly from the front can really flatten their features, and remove any interesting dimensions you could otherwise capture. Instead, use an off-camera flash setup and light them from angle. You can play around with the position for the most flattering shot. 

You don’t need a breathtaking location or expensive studio to start taking portfolio-worthy portraits. Getting creative with your portrait background is a great way to make your images stand out. You can take a DIY approach with materials you may already have, like bedsheets and fabric. You can also buy backdrops online in just about any color or print you can think of. These typically come in reusable rolls, so you can repurpose them for future shoots.

Camera phones have reached new levels of quality in recent years with built-in features that recreate the look of higher-quality DSLR cameras. Check if your phone has a portrait mode that enables you to blur the background of your portraits if you want them to look like they were shot on an expensive camera. If you’re using a phone tripod, place it slightly below your eye level for a flattering portrait.

A simple way to enhance facial features in Photoshop when editing a portrait is to use the Replace Color feature. First, click on Image > Adjustments > Replace Color. Next, select the face or other areas where the skin is visible. Now you can adjust the lightness slider slightly so it only changes that area of the portrait. This tiny tweak can enhance the lighting of your portrait. 

The key to a successful baby portrait session is a happy baby. While there’s no way to guarantee that they won’t be fussy with absolute certainty, you can stack the odds in your favor by scheduling the shoot around their nap and meal times. Right after a meal could be a great time to shoot. Coordinate with the parents so that you don’t have to waste too much time waiting for the baby to be comfortable and happy. 

Your subjects may want to show off their favorite outfits at your next portrait session, but the best portrait clothing is typically more subdued. Solid colors are typically a better choice than patterns, which can be distracting. Muted colors also ensure the clothing doesn’t draw attention away from the subject. Finally, suggest that your subject wear similar tones on the top and the bottom since this will help them look proportional in the final shot.

Night portraits can be memorable, but capturing a great one is a bit different than doing so during the day. Your camera may have a harder time focusing properly in low light conditions, so a great tip to keep in mind at your next night portrait session is to bring a flashlight along and flash it on your subject's face until your camera finds the focus. You can turn it off for the shot and be confident their features will be the focus of your image.

Taking portraits of kids is quite different from taking portraits of adults. As a general rule, try not to direct their poses as much as you would with an adult. Let them play around and do what feels natural to them, and you’re more likely to get those great, spontaneous, and candid shots that the family loves to look back on.