When photographing people you first must remain alert to changes in facial expression. If your subject is directly facing the sun he or she will have an uncomfortable expression. To avoid this, wait until a cloud covers the sun or move the subject into a shaded area.



You should avoid any unwanted clutter in the background. This can be easily done by moving your subject. Try to use a background that is neutral in colour. A pale blue sky or a plain solid wall can be perfect.

A false smile can be very unattractive in your portrait. Try to keep your subject amused. If you are photographing a child have a few toys with you - this will keep them amused during the photo shoot. Don’t ever ask your subject to say cheese. This is not effective and will only create a false expression - talk to your subject about different current events.

When in the garden try to shoot the head of the subject at different angles. Low viewpoints can focus attention on a persons nose. A side angle or three quarter angle will allow you to thin the subjects face. A frontal portrait will give the face a round look.

The right equipment is very important. Try to use a portrait lens. If you have not got a portrait lens try to shoot with a telephoto lens with the focal length between 80 and 100mm. If you are shooting with a wide-angle lens, you will need to shoot up close. Beware of any distortion that this will create. One way to avoid distortion with a wide-angle lens is to shoot the subject from a distance. You will have to crop out any unwanted parts of the image later.

The eyes are the most important part of the portrait. If a person is wearing glasses you should never remove them, but you need to be very careful to avoid glare. Tilting the subjects head downwards may avoid this and remove any reflection that might appear in the glass.

Even though you are shooting outdoors you may need to use your flash unit. You will need to watch out for are the same things as you do in studio work. And remember to always use a tripod if possible.

Your flash can be used most of the time outdoors. If you are shooting in harsh lighting conditions your flash will be useful to fill in the shadows. If you are shooting in soft lighting conditions your flash will also be useful to add brightness to your subject.

Red eye is a common problem with a built-in flash. This is caused by light reflecting back off the retina at the back of the eye. This can be avoided by using an off camera flash or by bouncing the light on the top of your camera against a reflector.

A warm up filter is very important in shooting portraits outdoors. A warm up filter will add warmth to your subjects skin creating a better and warmer portrait.