Practice 'portrait' picture - any tips?

Just got my new camera, as some of you may know, so I went out to test my 50mm f/1.8 and that included attempting a couple portrait pics of my friends. I know it's usually better to use lenses with longer focal lengths, but unfortunately I don't have any right now.

This isn't a serious attempt at portrait photography, since I was just playing around, but I'd appreciate your C&C and any suggestions about portrait photography that you can give me. How can I make the picture look better (don't have any equipment, but you can still suggest equipment anyways), and how can I make my subject look better? Oh and I know the sky is a bit blown out behind him, wasn't paying much attention to location.

http://farm2.static.fl​ickr.com …39364871_cc43bf​4c4f_o.jpg

Thanks guys

For a good portrait, my preference is for the light to be more 'round to the front and higher. This gives you facial shadows coming diagonally across the face, thus giving the facial contours more 3-dimensionality.

The bright region of the background does detract, but it is not fatal. As can be readily imagined, were you to move slightly to your left and get the subject head right in front of the green foliage, all would have worked out better, in that respect.

Thanks for the tip, I'll be more aware of my lighting next time!

I would probably have posed him differently. This one seems a little awkward maybe? Focus is good, background isn't too bad. A little tilt of the head, maybe a little turn too, and look at the camera. Certainly off to a good start.

c71clark wrote in post #3356012
I would probably have posed him differently. This one seems a little awkward maybe? Focus is good, background isn't too bad. A little tilt of the head, maybe a little turn too, and look at the camera. Certainly off to a good start.

Thanks

Inevitably, someone (everyone) will first look at the person(s), then start looking at the background.

The background shouldn't dominate (or it wouldn't quite be a portrait), but should either support the subject, or at least not detract from the subject. It might be considered as a "prop".

A portrait of a medical doctor might include his equipment (stethoscope) or something that adds to his identity.

If the background is busy or doesn't support the subject, then it simply subtracts from the effect. Some people use the word "detracts".

Mike,

For a first timer this isn't as bad as some I have seen! Here are a few tips I have garnered over the past 25 years in this business.

1. Your exposure looks good.
2. For head and shoulders images like this one the camera is usually oriented vertically. That way you don't have uninteresting stuff at the two side edges like you have.
3. He should have been turned at a 45 degree angle to the camera.
4. Assuming he was seated, had he been leaning "over the belt buckle" a little, the pose would be a lot less static.
5. After turning him and leaning him, have him turn his head back toward the camera (it has not moved yet) and have him look into the camera.

Benji

Check out my free tutorials at
http://www.photocamel.​com …les-good-portraiture.html
http://www.photocamel.​com …head-shoulders-image.html
http://www.photocamel.​com …3-2-posing-technique.html

Thanks guys for the comments. The reason I didn't do this one vertical was in fact because although the sky is already in there, I wanted to prevent the sky from dominating the top of the picture (since I knew it would overexpose). He was actually standing in that shot, but I know what you're getting at for the seated position. What's a good position to be in when standing?