Portraits- Where is the center

[Crypto]

When you take portraits, Where is the center of the image? I tend to focus on the face and take the shot. What I end up with, is images that needs cropped and often times cuts off the lower half of my subject. I don't even realize I'm doing it.
Is there a trick to getting yourself in the habit of not doing this? Do you focus, then recompose, is it that simple?

thanks

[tim]

I focus and recompose so the person takes up most of the frame. Sometimes I use off-centre focus points if it's a very narrow DOF, but not often.

[Crypto]

thanks Tim, I had not thought of using a different focus point.

[ibdb]

I try to use off center focus points often as a reminder to think twice about framing up my shot. Using center only I too often find myself slipping back toward "bullseye" photography. If then center is what I need, I can always choose it, but at least think about the alternatives first.

I suppose if I wasn't shooting kids so often I could focus and recompose, but they're rarely still enough long enough for that to work consistently.

[Crypto]

thanks for the input. I will try this. I think it will be fine as long as I turn the camera the same way for every shot. I sometimes find myself going both clockwise and counterclockwise for portrait, which mean a change in focus point.
I wish there was a way to take a portrait shot without actually turning the camera.

[mrfourcows]

heh. it depends doesn't it? if you're going for head shots only, then it should be ok.

i love to take portraits- and i tend to shoot more headshots than bodyshots. sometimes instead of taking a vertical portrait, i leave the camera in landscape position and re-compose so that my subject is on the left or on the right of the frame.