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16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques

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By Brian Auer • December 10th, 2007

I’m learning that portrait photography can be tough in more than one way thanks to my participation in the December Challenge. I’m already getting bored with taking the standard cookie-cutter portrait, so I started digging around Flickr for some inspiration. Here’s what I turned up:

And yes, I realize that the accompanying text is much shorter than I would usually supply, but the idea of this post isn’t to teach these techniques — it’s to introduce you to them and hopefully give you some inspiration with your own photography. I feel that these photos are strong enough to stand on their own without lengthy descriptions.


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1. PHOTOSHOP

If you’re good with post-processing and manipulations, use it to your advantage. Get crazy with the adjustments, try some new Photoshop techniques, and maybe even a composite image.

2. TEXTURE

If texture is a big part of your subject, make it stand out and make it obvious. Match up the textures between your subject and your background. You might even try texturizing the entire photo for additional impact.

3. OVEREXPOSE

Blowing out the highlights or making a high-key image makes a nice soft portrait with kind of a light airy feeling. Another advantage of high-key photos is that the smaller details and defects are blown away, making the image look much smoother.

4. UNDEREXPOSE

A dominantly dark or low-key image will naturally draw your eyes to the lighter parts. These tend to have a grittier and harder look to them than the high-key images.

5. BACK-LIGHT

Hair lights up like crazy when it’s back-lit, so if hair is a big part of your subject make it stand out by placing your subject between you and a light source. You could also take this a little further and push the image to a silhouette.

6. POSING

Get crazy with the pose and positioning — extra points if it looks uncomfortable. Not only with the poses, but also with your own positioning — shoot from different angles to achieve different impacts.

7. CULTURE

Capture the local culture — what’s mundane to you is exotic to us. Culture is everywhere, even in your own town. Just image you’re visiting from a different country — what things would then seem more interesting to you?

8. REFLECTIONS

Make use of different surfaces to add that extra dimension — windows, mirrors, and water are all very good reflective surfaces that give a different result and texture.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Brian Auer is a photography enthusiast from North Idaho. 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

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 1:16 am and is filed under Features, Inspirational. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

228 Responses »

  1. Skedonk on December 10th, 2007 at 1:56 am (#1) :

    Great post!
    Here is one I really liked:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/camil_t/70879947/

  2. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 2:05 am (#2) :

    That’s awesome — the photos on the wall in the background are a nice touch.

  3. Photography Voter on December 10th, 2007 at 3:39 am (#3) :

    16 awesome portraits as examples to 16 techniques for getting more interesting portraits.

  4. libeco on December 10th, 2007 at 4:19 am (#4) :

    You mentioned over and under exposing, but how about taking that even a step further and going for high and low key pictures? Following are not the best examples, just quick searches.
    High:
    -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/inkyfingerz/1090569329/
    -> http://www.flickr.com/photos/phiggys/580482700/

    Low:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/pblock74/311907879/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/gsquare/473640742/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/bradi/1394758606/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lallisig/1131608054/

  5. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 4:21 am (#5) :

    Wow, great examples you’ve chosen! Thanks for adding those.

  6. Antoine Khater on December 10th, 2007 at 5:54 am (#6) :

    What can I say ??? those are just …. (sorry can’t find the words)

  7. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 11:23 am (#7) :

    … is that a good thing or a bad thing? I only ask because I’ve encountered a few people who really don’t like my taste in photos.

  8. Neil Galloway on December 10th, 2007 at 11:43 am (#8) :

    Great set of photos. Always a good reminder of what you can be thinking of when taking a photo.

  9. inspirationbit on December 10th, 2007 at 12:16 pm (#9) :

    I definitely don’t belong to that group of people who don’t share your taste in photos, Brian.
    These are AMAZING 2 bytes of portrait photo inspiration. How do you feel today – motivated again to try new portrait techniques?

  10. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 12:41 pm (#10) :

    Thanks Vivien! (hahaha, two bytes — that’s funny). I’m feeling a little more up to it — I put this post together to help give myself a little inspiration. I can’t say that I’ll be going all out with these techniques on today’s portrait, but I’m feeling a lot better about picking up the camera and trying some things out.

  11. Denis on December 10th, 2007 at 2:05 pm (#11) :

    great themes, a very inspired and inspiring gallery ! Thanks for sharing it.

  12. Bryan Villarin on December 10th, 2007 at 2:26 pm (#12) :

    Wicked awesome post, Brian.

    I’m sure I’ll need to change things up, especially since there’s 21 more days left for this challenge! =/

  13. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 2:39 pm (#13) :

    Thanks Bryan — I figured a lot of us would start getting tapped out on ideas since we’re not professional portrait photographers.

  14. Antoine Khater on December 10th, 2007 at 2:56 pm (#14) :

    No Brian it is not good it is GREAT :)

  15. Brian Auer on December 10th, 2007 at 3:07 pm (#15) :

    phew… you had me worried there for a second. Sometimes I tend to be pulled toward images like #11 and #12, and some people don’t appreciate those types of photos the same way I do. Anyways, I’m glad you like the selections — if you like them as much as I do, visit the artists and add their photos to your favorites or leave them a comment.

  16. jim on December 10th, 2007 at 3:16 pm (#16) :

    excellent tips & great pix.

    http://www.golfnorwich.com/

  17. Antoine Khater on December 10th, 2007 at 3:24 pm (#17) :

    #11 and #12 are more “artistic” blurred and grainy IMHO it takes time and maturity for someone to start appreciate this kind of pictures.

  18. Nathan Ketsdever on December 10th, 2007 at 4:52 pm (#18) :

    Great shots & great blog post!

  19. spencer on December 10th, 2007 at 5:53 pm (#19) :

    Some examples from a friend who is one of my favorite local portraitists:

    high-key: http://flickr.com/photos/murn/1260992264/
    overexposed: http://flickr.com/photos/murn/1204268455/ or http://flickr.com/photos/murn/820098680/
    posed: http://flickr.com/photos/murn/1204376448/ or http://flickr.com/photos/murn/530934820/
    movement (sort of): http://flickr.com/photos/murn/997144223/

  20. jp on December 10th, 2007 at 8:14 pm (#20) :

    Outstanding ideas and photos………thanks for sharing some good ideas that I will follow up on.

  21. Ben on December 10th, 2007 at 9:57 pm (#21) :

    Some really cool tricks and techniques here. Gave me some inspiration for some portrait pics I want to take.

  22. Tony Landis on December 11th, 2007 at 12:44 am (#22) :

    Wow those are great tips!

  23. Daniel Hellerman on December 11th, 2007 at 12:55 am (#23) :

    Great work of compiling those images! I got some great inspiration from them!

  24. Gelay on December 11th, 2007 at 6:51 am (#24) :

    Eye opening!!! Thanks.

  25. art (bob) on December 11th, 2007 at 7:53 am (#25) :

    Wow; great illustration of the techniques you’ve employed. Thanks!

  26. Josiah Friberg on December 11th, 2007 at 11:31 am (#26) :

    Thanks so much for the great tips. Those will be very useful.

    http://fineartinspirationalphotography.blogspot.com

    Also, check out my photography articles on Ezine@articles by Josiah Friberg.

  27. Paul Indigo on December 11th, 2007 at 2:35 pm (#27) :

    What a superb collection to illustrate the different techniques and styles. As usual your text is thoroughly entertaining and informative too.
    Cheers,
    Paul

  28. josh on December 11th, 2007 at 3:23 pm (#28) :

    really good and sound advice for those who are interested in photography or just looking at striking photos. don’t forget to drop by at: http://lemme.be

  29. Blogerko on December 11th, 2007 at 4:19 pm (#29) :

    Ouuu, beautiful images

  30. psychic readings on December 11th, 2007 at 4:40 pm (#30) :

    I really loved this article!
    You might find some nice photography on http://www.picli.com aswell as Flickr

  31. Stef on December 12th, 2007 at 3:59 am (#31) :

    Wow, great pictures and ideas. Very clear writing style as well.

  32. mania on December 12th, 2007 at 10:00 pm (#32) :

    sure someone else already pointed out:
    low key is not underexposed, high key is not overexposed…
    all in all some pretty pictures but you better erase your own text…

  33. FishedzL on December 12th, 2007 at 10:05 pm (#33) :

    Thanks for sharing this article.
    here’s for me to share. im just a newbie in photography.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/akinito/sets/72157602624577065/

  34. Fotografo ritratto on December 13th, 2007 at 7:03 am (#34) :

    Thanks Abolutely interesting and inspiring.

  35. Tanja Short on December 16th, 2007 at 6:06 pm (#35) :

    The technique of overexposing is very great, if you have to take pictures of people who have a lot of blemish on their skin.

  36. Blue on December 16th, 2007 at 9:00 pm (#36) :

    Great list, but one is flawed.
    For #8 reflections the example at first glance looks like the reflection in a window, but its really just a exact copy flipped with the opacity dropped. A real reflection would not be identical, but would be a slightly different angle. If the camera was on the exact same plane as the reflective surface then the reflection would be very nearly the same but still not quite. In this image a real reflection would be at an angle showing more of her face from the front. Test it for yourself if you think otherwise.

  37. Brian Auer on December 16th, 2007 at 9:15 pm (#37) :

    hmmm… you’re totally right. At a glance it looks like a reflection, but it is just a copy. Good eye!

  38. Skedonk on December 16th, 2007 at 9:32 pm (#38) :

    Following this post, I finally managed to get a portrait I’m happy with:
    http://flickr.com/photos/skedonk/2114595000/

    Thanks!

  39. Sarahbear. on December 18th, 2007 at 1:30 pm (#39) :

    The first Photo by Paul, I know him. ^_^ He’s an amazing friend.

  40. Audrey on December 18th, 2007 at 5:45 pm (#40) :

    that is very cool.

  41. JohnD on December 20th, 2007 at 10:27 am (#41) :

    Great Photos Thank You

  42. Clif on December 20th, 2007 at 11:52 pm (#42) :

    All pretty obvious to even the beginner…

  43. Aakash Vakil on January 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am (#43) :

    Great tips…..I look forward to reading your blogs on regular basis.

  44. yeroldyeti on January 3rd, 2008 at 2:33 am (#44) :

    Thumps Up!
    This is a “best of the best” site for the occasional lay photographer who need to make documentaries and representative pictures for their community of viewers!

  45. Pele Odiase on January 8th, 2008 at 1:08 pm (#45) :

    very good tips. would be helpful in my next wedding. http://www.rhemastudio.com

  46. willi on January 11th, 2008 at 11:02 pm (#46) :

    very informative! thanks thanks!
    may i use the texts and the photos you used here in one of my discussions on portrait photography with my class (high schol boys)?
    yur tips are easy to follow.

  47. Brian Auer on January 12th, 2008 at 2:29 am (#47) :

    Yes, please do!

  48. JimmyW on January 12th, 2008 at 7:08 am (#48) :

    Great Article
    very Helpful

    I am actually a young ameture photographer (I’m 14)
    Do you have any specific tips on how to get a better photo?

  49. Anna S on January 12th, 2008 at 6:00 pm (#49) :

    This article is very informative and helpful. It is a great post! I am starting up a site for amateur photographers. Its just getting started, but any comments/suggestions are greatly appreciated!
    Again, great post!

  50. That Guy on January 13th, 2008 at 6:05 pm (#50) :

    In response to these tips: thank you Captain Obvious.

    This is the most obvious list of “tips” I have ever beheld.

    Wait, wait, wait………………………… a person doesn’t HAVE to smile?! Who KNEW? You have revolutionized my career! Thank God I read this!!

  51. olecanoli on January 14th, 2008 at 3:40 pm (#51) :

    okay “that Guy” maybe this was intended for beginers like me, it may come as a surprise to you but most people in the world arent professional photographers

  52. Brian Auer on January 14th, 2008 at 4:45 pm (#52) :

    Good point olecanoli. I can see that you have a better grasp on the intent of this article than That Guy does.

    That Guy — it would be great if you could point us to the stellar article that you’ve written on portrait photography so that our more advanced readers (such as yourself) can actually learn something beyond this obvious garbage.

  53. azadeh on January 23rd, 2008 at 9:18 am (#53) :

    there art brilliant !

  54. David reed on February 4th, 2008 at 3:04 am (#54) :

    Great diversified group of images. Really nice.

  55. Armando Velazquez on February 6th, 2008 at 12:40 am (#55) :

    I like very much your page , I think you are a interesting person, I can think you feel the air around the people in the photographs. Have a nice day

  56. Philippe Roy on February 11th, 2008 at 1:01 am (#56) :

    Thanks for putting all of the into words and pictures. I’ve started giving photo-lessons and it was difficult to put into words what my brain seems to do automatically! This list is absolutely great!

    By-the-way, I would even go one step further than “get close” and add “fill-the-frame”!

    Thanks again!

  57. The Dino on February 11th, 2008 at 2:51 pm (#57) :

    These are realy good examples of several techniques. I like the last one… sometimes it will be hard to arrange this :)

  58. BetterProtraitPhotography on February 28th, 2008 at 1:17 pm (#58) :

    Just found you through Digg. I can’t believe that jerk ripped off your post. Anyway, awesome photos and a nice way to convey these simple lessons. Pictures are worth more than 1000 words.

  59. alwizbme on March 16th, 2008 at 12:59 am (#59) :

    Very inspiring, I always come back to remind me of how to do a certain type of photography..

  60. Jo on March 21st, 2008 at 12:29 pm (#60) :

    very cool, keeping this for reference. Thanks!

  61. Bob Walton on March 23rd, 2008 at 5:34 pm (#61) :

    Amazing illustrastions of the technique discussed. Art is so expressive; I love it.

  62. wonderkid on March 25th, 2008 at 5:44 pm (#62) :

    j like 14. COLORS that so cool man

  63. Cassandra on April 10th, 2008 at 4:23 am (#63) :

    Thank you for putting this together… You’re very talented and those are some great tips. I think it’s great that you want to help people with the knowledge that you have gained. I am an aspiring photographer.. currently it is a hobby, but I’m on my way to school for it. I’m very excited! I’ve been working on my skill for the past couple of years, and have realised that I am very passionate about it!

  64. jenny on April 19th, 2008 at 6:07 am (#64) :

    i must say im astonished by your work:)amazing and the tips are really usefull for us:)i would love if you could take a look at my pics and tell me your opinion:)keep up the grat work:)

  65. mad lady's ru on April 20th, 2008 at 9:41 am (#65) :

    Great work of compiling those images! I got some great inspiration from them!
    You had me worried there for a few minute and… I belong to that of people who share your taste in photos, really good and advice for those who are interested in photography and not just looking your striking photos

  66. biz on April 26th, 2008 at 8:36 am (#66) :

    pic 1 so funny hehehehhe, i like it

  67. khalid on May 3rd, 2008 at 6:43 am (#67) :

    whats the effect of lenses in a portrait photography.. i mean,, can we use all kind of lenses, wide to tele?
    realy great pics.

  68. oxo photographer on May 15th, 2008 at 5:51 am (#68) :

    I love the first one the most haha

  69. Furious Photographers on May 15th, 2008 at 5:52 am (#69) :

    Seriously taking photography to a new level

  70. Joel on May 22nd, 2008 at 8:46 am (#70) :

    1. Digital Photography
    2. Nikon

  71. Alan on May 22nd, 2008 at 4:19 pm (#71) :

    Just found this post, inspiring, thank you for the article especially reminding me how powerful the unfocus technique can be.

  72. Ritwik on May 26th, 2008 at 7:47 pm (#72) :

    Thanks for putting these together. I’m an amateur photographer, and it helps to see different styles together to label what I do with my camera :)

  73. Leap Year Photography of Fort Myers on June 4th, 2008 at 7:40 pm (#73) :

    Great tips! I love # ten and hope to use it in the next in our next portrait or wedding photography

  74. Cool Images on June 15th, 2008 at 6:03 am (#74) :

    I love the first one, it’s so cool!

  75. How to draw - learn to draw on June 21st, 2008 at 5:58 pm (#75) :

    these are all very artistic, lets see if it rubs off with my shoot this weekend

  76. Nate on June 24th, 2008 at 11:47 am (#76) :

    I saw this a while ago but just came across it again on digg. Really amazing stuff. Nice post Brian!

    Nate

  77. lin_eijer on June 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm (#77) :

    exellent

  78. wan on July 7th, 2008 at 12:35 am (#78) :

    wow,it’s great images and thanks with your tips and makes me wants to be a professional photographer…

  79. Kristian Severin Skeie on August 3rd, 2008 at 10:14 am (#79) :

    That was an educational and good article with fine illustrations. I will google some of those to find more inspiration for my own productions. Thanks.

  80. Neo on August 5th, 2008 at 4:20 am (#80) :

    Great post,

    Love the work and advice

    Neo

  81. Larry Gluck on August 18th, 2008 at 2:18 pm (#81) :

    brilliant ideas, a lot of these concepts would lend to other mediums of art as well. brilliant post!

  82. Stefan Tell on September 24th, 2008 at 4:29 pm (#82) :

    Great list and very well illustrated. What would we do without Flickr?
    Thank you.

  83. prakash on October 1st, 2008 at 6:25 am (#83) :

    thanks for the list.. very helpfull..

  84. Irish Gifts on October 19th, 2008 at 1:30 am (#84) :

    Those are some fantastic photos that you’ve shown us. You’ve also given me some great ideas for future projects. I need to brush the dust off the 20d!

  85. Angel on October 20th, 2008 at 3:38 am (#85) :

    Great advices:) thanks

  86. Cesar on October 20th, 2008 at 8:22 am (#86) :

    Beautiful images and excellent work.
    Thank you..

    Unas imagenes geniales y un buen trabajo..

    Gracias!

  87. LUMEND13 on October 20th, 2008 at 8:57 pm (#87) :

    rules were made to be broken, in fotography u can do wherever u want, its my favorite part of art, thanks for the tips great photos, very good job

    buenisimo el trabajo que hiciste…

    lum

  88. Kyle on October 21st, 2008 at 7:07 pm (#88) :

    Wow, great list of tips. The photographs really do an outstanding job illustrating each point. I’m going to link to this article on my forum: Glamour Photography Forums. Hopefully it will help them out there too.

    Kyle

  89. Fidel Castro on October 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am (#89) :

    Very good post. Just a little bit of text to illustrate those powerful images.

    Thanks,

    Fidel.

  90. Air Jordans on October 29th, 2008 at 3:33 pm (#90) :

    Wow, just wow. You seem to be able to ‘capture the moment’ with each photo selection.

  91. Raquel on November 6th, 2008 at 6:46 pm (#91) :

    As usual, great ideas! Thank you!

  92. Amigo on November 10th, 2008 at 5:42 pm (#92) :

    Really nice site. i liked the tipps. so i bookmakred your page ;=

  93. Xbox on November 10th, 2008 at 5:48 pm (#93) :

    Thanks but man i have so much to learn as a novice

  94. Rashida (: on November 18th, 2008 at 6:57 am (#94) :

    These are all pretty awesome! ^^

  95. Tim on November 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am (#95) :

    There really is something to be said about keeping things fresh and fun and yes, when you don’t do such a think portraits can become a bit mundane… So stop the mundane’ness and make it rock with those tips and more!!!

    Wedding and Portrait Photographer in Ct. TAB Photographic

  96. isti on November 21st, 2008 at 4:20 am (#96) :

    man i love this articles. its really awesome. Thanx mate.

  97. the_wolf_brigade on November 21st, 2008 at 6:33 pm (#97) :

    I suspect this was where I learnt about backlighting – unlike “That Guy” I don’t automatically know the basics just because I wield a camera – and yesterday I finally got some results with the kids that I’m happy with!

    Thanks Brian. Love your work.

    Christmas present coming soon :D

  98. Brian Auer on November 21st, 2008 at 9:10 pm (#98) :

    Kick-ass dude! I’ll be sending some goodies you way too.

  99. Burun Estetiği on December 3rd, 2008 at 8:58 am (#99) :

    Beautiful images and excellent work.
    Thank you..

  100. Darwen Reporter on December 8th, 2008 at 4:51 am (#100) :

    I particularly like the idea of back lighting the hair – it certainly makes the photograph. Also focusing on what part of the face – to me it would always be the eyes or mouth.

    Thanks for generosity in sharing your ideas

    Linda (in a very rainy part of the NW of the UK ) Maybe you could make it look artistic in a camera shot!

  101. jetboy on December 13th, 2008 at 5:47 pm (#101) :

    sure someone else already pointed out:
    low key is not underexposed, high key is not overexposed…
    all in all some pretty pictures but you better erase your own text…

  102. Eric on December 15th, 2008 at 6:17 am (#102) :

    Great pictures you selected as examples. Good job, guy!

  103. indir on December 17th, 2008 at 1:04 pm (#103) :

    What a superb collection to illustrate the different techniques and styles. As usual your text is thoroughly entertaining and informative too.

  104. the_wolf_brigade on December 27th, 2008 at 11:41 pm (#104) :

    I think it would be fantastic to have a Vol.2 of this post :)

  105. Aamir on December 28th, 2008 at 3:59 am (#105) :

    I loved the texturizing (second example). I should pay more attention to this feature of PS.
    Thanks for inspiration!

  106. cambridge portrait photographer on December 30th, 2008 at 9:58 am (#106) :

    Nice list, the key to a great portrait is usually often the model themselves. Then it’s our job to use composition, lighting and printing skills to achieve a great photograph.

    Flickr is a great source for inspiration otherwise we would all be copying the mundane repetitive styles in the photographic publications!

  107. Web Design Sussex on January 6th, 2009 at 6:17 pm (#107) :

    Some great techniques here, thankyou very much I’ve bookmarked your site!

  108. Mike log splitter on January 7th, 2009 at 6:20 am (#108) :

    There are definitely some great pictures here.

  109. Directory on January 8th, 2009 at 4:52 am (#109) :

    Never had a clue about portrait photography tricks until i saw this. Some photos can serve great add-on at home for morning inspiration over a coffee.

  110. surgeon on January 10th, 2009 at 4:56 pm (#110) :

    Thanks Brian, It’s a lovely post. I am interested in photography & with your kinda brilliant work, I think it would be gr8 to follow your blog to learn more.

  111. todoslot on January 11th, 2009 at 4:31 pm (#111) :

    The post is great…

  112. tedavi on January 12th, 2009 at 11:09 am (#112) :

    oh is very very beautyfull images is a perfecet cong.

  113. Frank on January 14th, 2009 at 2:15 pm (#113) :

    Wow! Thanks for not only providing details of the various ways to change the dynamics of portrait photography but then you also provided picture examples as well. As an aspiring photographer your post gave me several ideas on how to spice up some of my pre-existing photography! Thanks alot.

  114. Wedding photographer Hampshire on January 17th, 2009 at 4:52 pm (#114) :

    Really interesting set of photo’s Brian. Wish I had found it much sooner but its never too late to pick up new ideas.

  115. diabetes on February 6th, 2009 at 8:31 am (#115) :

    Actually many successful portraits carry something invaluable: emotion captured at that point in time.. that’s what makes the photography unique and unforgettable. The image can just stay on your mind and make a long lasting impact..

  116. jayden t on February 6th, 2009 at 10:44 am (#116) :

    these are amazing i wish i could take pictures that good. wow keep up the good work, you’ve got sheer talent.

  117. Robert on February 8th, 2009 at 11:18 pm (#117) :

    These are simply amazing. If I only had the time and the skill to pull some of these off.

  118. kelowna photographer on February 9th, 2009 at 9:44 pm (#118) :

    Those are some great examples. I love the old lady.

  119. San Bernardino on February 10th, 2009 at 3:13 pm (#119) :

    These are amazing photographs! thanks for sharing them.

  120. Brian on February 14th, 2009 at 9:57 pm (#120) :

    Your photography is amazing. I’m going to Prague for a job, but want to get into photography while I’m there. Tons of cool castles, etc. I’ll be trying some of these techniques for sure. Thanks again.

  121. CSS Gallery on February 16th, 2009 at 9:34 pm (#121) :

    These are utterly amazing. These pictures are all so unique and great. Thanks for sharing.

  122. Nancy on February 18th, 2009 at 10:29 am (#122) :

    Great photographs. These photos are very inspiring. Thank you.

  123. Max on February 20th, 2009 at 3:34 pm (#123) :

    Amazing photos!

  124. Tarah on February 20th, 2009 at 11:49 pm (#124) :

    I really love all the insightful tips plus the amazing photographs to go along with them. Amazing work!

    - Tarah Cranford
    San Francisco Photographer

  125. Devanand Singh on February 22nd, 2009 at 6:23 pm (#125) :

    I’m researching for improving my photo quality. Most of the time all I get is words. It’s really great to see some actual picture representations to base my standards upon. Thanks much, I really do appreciate this blog.

  126. Torimon on February 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm (#126) :

    Comparto una par de mis fotos que caen dentro de estas categorías ilustradas:

    Hi Key
    http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=7176469

    Low Key
    http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6076502

    Saludos a todos!!

  127. Alex on February 26th, 2009 at 7:18 am (#127) :

    Wow! This small collection of "emotions" is brilliantly made. My favourites are Underexpose and Get Serious. The overall impression is "inspirational". Many will feel like that, I am convinced.

  128. Diet Blog on March 4th, 2009 at 5:47 pm (#128) :

    These are amazing, my favorite is the first one. Such creative ideas.

  129. Photo taking tips on March 5th, 2009 at 2:28 pm (#129) :

    Nice photos. I used to do some over exposure and texture alot. One new one is thermal wich shows colors of heat in picture. Makes some interesting photos.

  130. Urdu Poetry on March 11th, 2009 at 12:44 pm (#130) :

    Wow!… This post is simply the best. I really like the sample snaps. Wonderful collection.

  131. family photographer on March 20th, 2009 at 10:15 pm (#131) :

    It is great to see some inspiration that is outside of the cookie cutter mode of portrait photography.

  132. lucy on March 24th, 2009 at 2:59 am (#132) :

    the images are really beautiful, and source of inspiration, compliments!!!!!

  133. Rehan Ahmed on March 29th, 2009 at 6:13 am (#133) :

    Just WOW , Actually Cant find words for these pictures and techniques

  134. Dani on April 1st, 2009 at 11:02 am (#134) :

    great pics and thanks for the tips…I hate posing so I always look for alternatives and shooting from different angles is a great idea. I will try that my next shoot and see what I come up with!

    thanks for the post.

  135. Albert on April 3rd, 2009 at 8:28 pm (#135) :

    So amazing, the facial expression on every single photo has something compelling on every photograph. Can’t stop to stare at them for at least 5 minutes each. A great capture of the moment. I am a big fan of photography.

  136. Elaphotography on April 14th, 2009 at 6:59 am (#136) :

    They are all fantastic! My favorite is number 7, entitled CULTURE. You really captured the moment!

  137. Melayu Boleh on April 25th, 2009 at 4:01 am (#137) :

    nice sharing!! really love the 10th photo.
    Good collection yo!

  138. photo retouching on April 26th, 2009 at 5:19 am (#138) :

    What an inspirational set of portraits!

  139. Tkaniny Obiciowe on May 7th, 2009 at 12:49 am (#139) :

    Portraits with visible texture are amazing! Too bad they’re so hard to make that barely anyone even tries.

  140. Mirasol on May 21st, 2009 at 7:39 pm (#140) :

    just bought a new cam last 2 months and as a beginner this info are very useful.. I like the back-light and props.. will try it for sure…

  141. Akbar on June 13th, 2009 at 10:42 am (#141) :

    Really cool stuff Brian, thanks for sharing. Just a question for you or anyone else – what lens do you reccomend for indoor portraits without a flash?

    Help appreciated!

  142. Brian Auer on June 13th, 2009 at 4:00 pm (#142) :

    anything fast. a 50mm f/1.4 is a popular choice.

  143. Tony Lee on June 16th, 2009 at 11:35 am (#143) :

    Wow! The “movement” shot can really play some tricks on your eyes….Thanks Brian (and Authors) for sharing these interesting shots and perspectives.

  144. niki on June 18th, 2009 at 1:17 am (#144) :

    i like all the photos especially the black-light and the (un)focus. .
    i like its mystery parts. .
    . .got an idea for our first FMA on Digital Arts. .
    thanks for the inspiring photos..

  145. lemonlawusa on July 2nd, 2009 at 5:43 pm (#145) :

    i like the 4th photos.. no one can catch the eyes so beautifully with a camera that this one!
    good pics

  146. Hamo on July 26th, 2009 at 8:45 am (#146) :

    Wow, some nice ideas… I am currently looking for ways to shoot hair accessories (on models) to make them stand out. So you have given me some ideas to think about.

  147. Susan Eckert on August 6th, 2009 at 11:10 am (#147) :

    Great list! I think I’ll bookmark it for inspiration! : )
    Thanks!
    Susan

  148. wedding photographer toronto on August 27th, 2009 at 2:38 pm (#148) :

    these are amazing images, thanks for posting them, really strong work. I am glad I have found your blog

  149. Toronto Wedding Photographer on September 2nd, 2009 at 6:37 pm (#149) :

    Wonderful article and great examples!

  150. Dwain Thomas on September 4th, 2009 at 2:04 pm (#150) :

    Great post! Bookmarked!

    http://www.digitallureonline.net

  151. Bill Gassett on September 16th, 2009 at 1:46 pm (#151) :

    This is truly amazing work! In my line of work (Real Estate) good photography is a critical element.

  152. elizabeth on September 20th, 2009 at 7:41 am (#152) :

    Oh Cool!! I have not really considered doing this for competitions but some of the points you have raised are simple enough to make me want to try them out….especially love the posing tip and already using props in some of the children’s portrait photography sessions that i do.

  153. CSS Gallery on October 3rd, 2009 at 12:20 am (#153) :

    It may not be the most colorful, but my favorite is 12. Movement. It continues to play tricks on the eye as you pan your eyes from side to side viewing it. You would swear it continues to move even after the shot was taken. Great photos!

  154. mike on October 5th, 2009 at 6:35 am (#154) :

    what great pictures! you have captured the art of portrait photography emphatically, and these examples are great. I have posted a link on twitter to advertise your work,
    thanks for sharing

  155. April on October 7th, 2009 at 4:13 am (#155) :

    Wow, I’m truly in awe of these images. I would truly love to be able to create images that are even half as good as these. I did an evening course on PhotoShop a number of years and I didn’t learn much at all.

  156. Pattaya on October 13th, 2009 at 11:53 pm (#156) :

    I love the overexposed photos if they are done right. I’ve a friend who is very good at them, but they never seem to come out the way I want them.

  157. Michael Graham on October 26th, 2009 at 12:44 am (#157) :

    Beautiful photos indeed.

  158. kelowna photographer on November 2nd, 2009 at 5:37 am (#158) :

    It is great to see some inspiration that is outside of the cookie cutter mode of portrait photography.

  159. James on December 12th, 2009 at 12:01 am (#159) :

    Excellent Tips Brian..
    Thanks for sharing with us.

    Keep it up..:)

  160. Aspen Wedding Photographer on December 19th, 2009 at 2:24 pm (#160) :

    I love it. This is a great tool for some inspiration. Thanks so much for posting this.

  161. George Packard on December 19th, 2009 at 10:41 pm (#161) :

    I favor photo number 8. It demonstrates how emotion can be brought out by objects that can be included in your photos. Some of the most wonderful photos I’ve seen were made with water reflections.

    Thanks Brian and Gary!

  162. Eric on December 22nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm (#162) :

    What crap advice…Photoshop? that’s the number one answer…what a joke…
    Please…stop giving advice now….and if you are going to suggest “reflection”…then for god sakes know what an actual reflection is….

  163. Hameediii on January 6th, 2010 at 12:44 am (#163) :

    Lovely set of portraits.Thank you for sharing the tips.Will try to keep them in mind.

  164. Nick Karvounis on January 14th, 2010 at 6:06 am (#164) :

    Very inspirational indeed!

  165. Denver Wedding Photography on January 19th, 2010 at 11:20 pm (#165) :

    Some of those photos give me chills. Great work!

  166. Jinger Studios on January 23rd, 2010 at 9:23 pm (#166) :

    Thanks so much for this great list – I know if I incorporate as many of your tips as I can into each of my genres then I’ll be a happy snappy photographer chappy! A big boo to that “THAT GUY” btw!

  167. Jackie on January 31st, 2010 at 10:51 am (#167) :

    great post, thanks for the tips!

  168. Rod Horne on February 1st, 2010 at 4:19 pm (#168) :

    Great portrait tips for natural light photography. It would be great to put together a list like this for studio work.

  169. Nathan Ciurzynski on February 5th, 2010 at 10:07 am (#169) :

    Great ideas!

  170. Smile For Me Toys on February 6th, 2010 at 1:10 am (#170) :

    Great photos, truly inspirational as an art form. Help develop good subjects and make it fun to smile for the camera at any age! Props are great in front of the camera but add one on top of it to grab some attention, lighten up the moment and capture some fun shots. Anyone interested in this site probably already puts a high priority on photos…keep it up and share your knowledge and bring more people into the world of photography!

  171. Jermaine on February 6th, 2010 at 5:12 pm (#171) :

    Awesome photos you have here! It’s almost like you can see the deepest details you have in each picture, thanks for sharing these amazing photos.

  172. Geeta on March 4th, 2010 at 10:04 am (#172) :

    Did you check out http://softlight.us? This website has amazing portraits of babies and children, even families. Most inspiring.

  173. themisfit on March 14th, 2010 at 9:14 pm (#173) :

    what a great set of inspirational images. Thanks for posting.

  174. Stewart on April 7th, 2010 at 1:14 am (#174) :

    What about depth of field / bokeh? Undoubtably one of the most powerful tools in the arsenal. Nice post though…

  175. Simon Ellis on May 16th, 2010 at 12:08 am (#175) :

    Some outstanding shots and some really great portrait tips. I struggle to get people to smile until I read on another blog about getting people to put their tongue to the roof of their mouth.

  176. Prarthito on May 20th, 2010 at 1:55 am (#176) :

    Nice Shots and interesting tips!Thanks

  177. Bryan Agoncillo on May 29th, 2010 at 9:24 pm (#177) :

    I often find it hard to single out a perfect image from a distracting situation. I love the images you have posted in this article.

    Silly question but do you keep your WB on Automatic or do you control this manually.

  178. Brian Auer on May 29th, 2010 at 10:48 pm (#178) :

    Auto — I shoot raw, so it doesn’t really matter, plus the camera gets it right most of the time unless I’m shooting with incandescent lights.

  179. Shalin on June 5th, 2010 at 2:59 am (#179) :

    I like #16 – a very good example of a candid prop.

  180. blob on June 6th, 2010 at 1:37 pm (#180) :

    AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

  181. Atlanta wedding photography on June 14th, 2010 at 7:35 pm (#181) :

    atlantaweddingphotography
    Really some good ideas on how to improve your photography. Great way to get the brain stirring. That first image is amazing.

  182. wizpix debenhams photographer on June 17th, 2010 at 5:13 am (#182) :

    That picture of the little kid in the bucket is great !

    Some nice examples here.

  183. Sue Kennedy on June 26th, 2010 at 9:36 am (#183) :

    Nice! Just what I needed to read – something inspirational after a day of photographing toddlers.

  184. Luke S on July 14th, 2010 at 1:26 am (#184) :

    Look at these portraits by Chinese artist Shen Wei, pretty amazing: http://www.shenphoto.com

  185. photo retouching retouch on July 19th, 2010 at 7:12 pm (#185) :

    this gallery is just amazing ..
    great job

  186. Devon Photographer on July 21st, 2010 at 2:47 am (#186) :

    This are really relevant tips – for photographers this would really make a change if they read this one such as me and the like. BTW great tips here looking forward to read some informative post like this in this blog.

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