Breanna's Modeling

Breanna needed some new shots for her modeling portfolio, and I had been dying to try some creative portraits with my new lighting ...

Portraits with Julia's cute family!

My friend Julia wanted to do a short portrait session to get a couple pix of  her family before the weather got too cold, so we got together and in 20 minutes knocked out a bunch of locations and ...

Larson Kids Senior Portraits

A super cute family that I'm friends with needed some graduation announcement material for their son...

In My Field of Paper Flowers - A Digital Manipulation

This image was inspired by the song "Imaginary" by Evanescence:

Chorus:
"In my field of paper flowers...

5 Favorite Composition Tips for Portraits

Using the basics of composition - the arrangement of the visual elements in an image - for portraits can make the all the difference between a stylish image and a plain snapshot. There are lots of great tips for composing portraits, and here are my favorites because I think they pack the most punch:

1.     Don't forget the Rule of Thirds - Lining up the main elements of the image at the horizontal and/or vertical 1/3 of the image often makes an image look more striking because it is asymmetric.  For portraits that meaning putting faces or eyes 1/3 of the way into the image rather than centering the subject(s).  Another tip is that if the subject is looking away from the lens, leave room in the direction the subject is looking or facing.

2.     Don't forget the Rule of Odds - Having an odd number of objects is more interesting to the brain, again because it is asymmetric.  If you're working with an even number of subjects, try arranging them in a asymmetric way.

3.     Crop in the middle of joints - This means you don't want the joints of the body on or too near the edge of the image. For example, put the edge between the shoulder and the elbow, or between the hip and the knee. 

4.     Go for Eyes - Eyes are the windows to the soul, so don't settle for an eye and a half.  Capture all of two eyes, or go for a profile showing just one eye - but if part of an eye is blocked by the nose you often lose the full emotive potential of the face.

5.  Height - Try composing from slightly above the subject's nostrils for flattering faces - this avoids emphasizing double chins and nose hair!

Hope these tips help you capture better portraits, I'd love to hear about your experiences!

Sunrise Sunset by Sara Wallace - My First Digital Painting!

Every brush stroke of this painting was performed via a computer, no actual paint was involved!  Although this specific piece...

Posing To Flatter: Tips for Photographers and Clients/Models

Whether you're the photographer or the model, you might like these tips for creating awesome portraits! Its all about posing to flatter and add personality...