1. Lighting. The usual rule of thumb is for you to turn your subject so the light is reflecting in his/her eyes, creating catchlight and lessening your chance of your subject having "dead" or "panda" eyes, such as in my post here. This is not always the case if you are trying to achieve a certain effect, but it is a good place to start. If you are taking photos outside on a bright day, there should be plenty of light around, but still be aware of your positioning and maintain even, indirect light.
2. Focus. You can only do this in certain modes, but by choosing your focal point, you are in charge of your shot. This will give you the most precise and accurate focus, which is important in portraits, especially with shallow depth of field. Keep your composition and rule of thirds in mind.
3. Composition. Rule of thirds, filling your frame, negative space, framing your subject, leading lines, perspective, and depth of field are just some of the elements of composition, but once you have your light and focus correct, they are what can take a picture and elevate it to a photograph.
There are so many ways to manipulate light, focus, and composition to make a photograph a work of art, but this is a great launching point from which to grow!
Don't forget you can sign up for my portraiture workshop coming up in July!
grt
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