Advises or Tips in Portraits

Hi all,

I want to ask, what are the concepts or components that make any portrait good enough or succeed?
about Exposure or Lighting it is most important but what is the best exposure or lighting to have good portraits? and what other components can make portraits accepted?
about Angles or directions there are many ways or directions to take portraits from so which one will suited perfectly with most portraits?
Let's say it will be indoors (in studio, rooms, Halls, etc..) , outdoors.
For Sunlight (natural), what is the best position to take portraits under that exposure?
I will be so glad and appreciate if you can add some photos sample to see your points.

Thank you

We are all humans (ok, most of us) so best portrait looks with natural light. No miracle here, if you can, use sun light and portable mirrors/reflectors to drive it where you want. If you cannot be outside (you can often wait, but if you really cannot) use warm light, bulbs, candelas. I most prefer partly cloudy sunny day and when getting portrait (either self or other's) trying to find this scenario.
Of course photography is creative and unique art so there could be same amount of people saying you that purple neon is also awesome

sissi wrote in post #2092515
We are all humans (ok, most of us) so best portrait looks with natural light. No miracle here, if you can, use sun light and portable mirrors/reflectors to drive it where you want. If you cannot be outside (you can often wait, but if you really cannot) use warm light, bulbs, candelas. I most prefer partly cloudy sunny day and when getting portrait (either self or other's) trying to find this scenario.
Of course photography is creative and unique art so there could be same amount of people saying you that purple neon is also awesome

ok, thank you.
i hope i can do good photos in whatever, because i sometimes i take photos and when i posted here i don't get positive supportive replies even those photos i like it and some of my friends or family like it, so i don't know if we are not good judging on photos or maybe you are so professional that my photos are just not that good enough, so i want to know from you what is good photo to post, is it that photo with great exposure, or that colorful photo, or amazing moment photo or all of them? even i can get all of them i doubt that it will be good enough for most, so i want to know when i post a photo then it is good not just i think it is good but it isn't.
Again thank you for your nice reply

unless you are shooting photos for somebody on wish, you should care less what other people say. if you like the photo, it is all what matters. Learn to improve your photography and technique, but it should be you who will like it. i am doing selfshots so often with lightning is a bit problem, but natural things looks best with natural light - at least for me. Somehow i prefer cold lights (cold flashes, tubes, and so on) for not living things (products, cars,...) because they represent color more accurate and even on art photo, you usually want to have colors accurate. But, use sun while you can on humans .
I found that here usually you will do best if you post some highly paintbrushed girl if you want some comments .
Remember one thing about photography, you can capture moment or story with just one picture. If your photo tells the story, forces people think about it, what is it, what was before/after/behind, that picture is deep and whatever people will say here about quality, sharpness or style or light, this is what wins as art photo (at least in my eyes).
Look to national geographic or some art photo magazine. Shots posted there would have here often have hard times.
This for lot of comments
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=219820
and this if you want to go somewhere
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=224998

You are right, sometimes comments here are regarding quality, sharpness, exposure and so, and i always want to shoot photos which tell stories or have messages behind the scenes, i can shoot alot of historical places or old people for example in streets that can tell people story of life from thier faces or feeling.
I can't shoot girls models as i live in very closed straight strict society so i think i will never shoot girls to get alot of positive comments, just because of our life and photography is not that much freely open to practice here i feel that i don't want to continue, but sure there will be moments that anyone will wish to capture it with any camera.
I will do my best, and i have to stop posting photos here because if it will not go in positive direction then i am worry to go negative direction, and i can learn from many resources such as: books, magazines, newspaper, forums,.... so i have to look more on photos everywhere to learn what are weak points and what are strong points, so then i can come out with more successful photos.
By the way, sometimes i see some photos somewhere and i feel it is just normal or not that much stunning but even though it wins or got considered as good one and i have some few similar photos which is same composition or sometimes better but even though not getting good comments, i think i have to focus on photos that i like it more than photos others like it, nuditiy is most wanted but i (we) can't do that to get better photos or better comments.

Thank you for your sharing, i appreciate that and i will do my best in the future as possible as i can.

Hey. I agree..everyone has a different opinion about every photo! I dont like the fake flaky poses. I like more relaxed, candid pics. Dont get me wrong...i see beautiful "posed" shots everyday..i just prefer the subject to seem more laxed and in the moment! and natural sunlight is definately the best light for human subjects!

Forget using sunlight as your main light source. It is too bright (people will squint) to harsh (hard ugly shadows) and too hot (people will sweat.) Use the shade if you are shooting outdoors. Posing: Pose people at a 45 degree angle to you. Do not have any head above or directly beside one another. Flat lighting (on camera flash is flat lighting) is not good and neither are candids. Why would anyone want to pay you to photograph them when they can do the exact same thing with their own camera? They can use on camera flash, so you must use something that will look better. They can shoot candids any time they want so you must be able to pose and light them so they are willing to buy the images from you, not take them themselves.

Benji

i think people willing to pay for photo will look to output, if you will carry with you expensive gear or not is second thing but not first. They can do lot of stuff with their camera, but if photographer's only difference to average joe with camera is the expensive gear, than he is not going to receive much moneys anyway. Resulting photo is allways labour on posing and lightning, camera quality/features (and ability to handle it) and post processing/printing - this whole concert makes the image.
Direct sunlight is not bad specially for some kind of art photos. Sweating is of course problem (if not wanted of course to draw the image), but where i live, only about a month from a whole year so no big deal. Cloudy dispersed sunlight (as i mentioned earlier) or even direct sunlight and in both cases some reflecting screens works best for me.

natural lighting and natural poses.

i find candid portraits tend to be the best, far too many people look fake when being asked to pose.

exactly

depends on who they are for! If they are for me, I want them interesting and usually not very flattering to model because they are usually unusual. If they are for the person and they want to look good and respectable then I would rather not do them=D