Tip of the week ... how to take a snappy portrait

Tip of the week ...

how to take a snappy portrait

Plan ahead. For any picture you intend to distribute to the public, “decide on everything before you start shooting,” from clothing to setting. The former should be simple—no bold patterns. The latter should have proper lighting.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Don’t use direct light. “To avoid accentuating Mom’s wrinkles,” employ indirect light. Find a place, indoors or out, where the sun reflects off white walls. “Reflected daylight is incredibly flattering.”

Ditch the tripod. “Sure, it keeps the camera steady,” but you’ll like the results better if you can move around and take shots from several different angles. Particularly if you’re photographing pets or children, “you need to enter their world.” That means getting down on hands and knees.

Play with Photoshop or other photo-editing software, and learn a few simple but useful effects. Just be sure to save the original. “If you modify some areas too much,” you may want to revert back.