Ever since I got into photography, I’ve been fascinated with portraiture. For me, there is something magical about the intimate experience of trying to tell a person’s story through such a personal up close interaction.
Over the years of working as a cultural photographer, I’ve gained substantial experience in the art of portraiture, and it still plays a central role in my portfolio. In this blog post, I want to share with you five quick tips to help you produce interesting, intimate, and overall better portraits—all while keeping things simple and adaptable to whatever style of photography you practice.
First, let’s define what a ‘Portrait’ is. While the dictionary definition is quite strict and limited:
“...a vertical representation of a person from the shoulders up…”
However, this definition is quite outdated and limiting. As I see it, when it comes to the art of photography, as long as the image’s main focus is a single character, portraits can have a huge diversity of framings. Your job as the photographer is to choose which elements you deem worthy of including in the final frame, providing important insights into that particular character’s life.
During my early years of photography, I remember being obsessed with close-up portraits. While this framing style did generate some stunning portraits, I can clearly see now how forcing these close-ups prevented me from getting a richer view into my subjects’ worlds.
When you set out for your own shoots, try not to stick to only one style of portraiture. A simple close-up of a person’s face can speak volumes, but don’t let that stop you from exploring more elaborate framing styles as you search for the best way to present a larger story through portraits.
Offering your viewer the unique experience of looking straight into a subject's eyes can be one of the most powerful aspects of portraiture. However, there are many additional possibilities worth exploring in portrait photography - especially when dealing with cultural photography.
You’d be amazed by how powerful and enriching portraits of people carrying out their day-to-day tasks can be, encouraging your audience to explore the image unguided and figure out who that character is for themselves.
Here is an example: compare the two images below, both of which are portraits of 60-year-old Dinh-Du from central Vietnam. While the close-up on the right offers a clear view of his face, allowing the viewer to look into his eyes, it doesn’t tell you much about his life story. In contrast, the image on the left presents a much richer view into his lifestyle, showing his surroundings and labor as he weaves his bamboo baskets.
Never underestimate the power of action in your portraits. It will add powerful depth to your characters. In our case, both images serve as portraits of the same person, but the one with action clearly conveys a broader story about Dinh-Du's life.
The term "chimping" refers to when photographers constantly hunch over their digital cameras, reviewing images on the screen—often looking like chimpanzees with very expensive toys. :)
Don’t get me wrong, while out in the field, it’s very tempting to constantly go over the images you made and see if you got the shot. However, this can cost you more than you think. While you’re looking at your camera, you are bound to miss out beautiful moments you would have loved to capture.When photographing portraits, chimping can be a detrimental habit that might ruins your entire shoot without you even realizing it.
Imagine you’ve just gathered the courage to ask someone to let you capture their portrait, but throughout the shoot, you’re constantly focused on your camera, checking settings and scrolling through images. During all this, the person you are photographing has no idea what you’re doing. Before long, they lose interest and tire of the situation - not an ideal vibe for creating great portraits.
When photographing someone, your focus should be on making the interaction as pleasant as possible. Allow people to feel comfortable and open up to you—something you can’t achieve if you’re constantly obsessing over your camera settings.
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In my experience, getting to know the person you’re photographing is the heart and soul of creating amazing portraits—but it requires time and effort.
Building a relationship with your subject shows them that you’re truly interested in their story. It’s incredible how often a short, friendly conversation with a stranger can transform an entire shoot into an adventure. This is especially important when traveling, as you may be invited into their home or workspace—locations that often reflect the character’s lifestyle and personality.
Some believe that keeping a distance and minimizing your effect during a photoshoot is the best approach for cultural photography. But after more than a decade of experience, I can promise you that building a relationship with the people you meet is a powerful game changer.
Over the years, my approach has expanded beyond just asking for permission to take someone’s photo. I often go as far as involving the people I photograph into my creative process, working together as partners as we explore unique ways to tell their stories.
If you’re still not convinced, check out the video below for a real-life example from a shoot I had in China a few years ago:
Editing is a crucial stage in any form of photography, and portraiture is no different. It’s important for both selecting the best portraits from your shoot and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of your images.
However, it’s easy to overdo it - very easy. If your editing becomes too noticeable, it can often distract your audience, directing their attention to the analize the edit and take away from the portraits you worked so hard to create.
When I edit my portraits, I follow a simple system; I constantly compare the before and after versions of my edit and ask myself, “Does the edited version feel ‘true’ to the original?”. My goal is to enhance the image and avoid making changes that transform the image, as this is the core issue that creates the feeling of heavy manipulation.
If you’re interested in learning more about my editing process, I’ve made an in-depth video about editing some of my most iconic images:
Before you leave, I’d love to ask you for a favor. I started this blog series because I believe ‘knowledge should be shared,’ so my request is simple—pass it forward and share this blog with someone who would appreciate it.
You can also click one of the share buttons below to let your friends see this blog and learn more about portrait photography.
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