Portrait Photography How To

If you’ve ever tried your hand at portraiture, you probably know that there’s more to the craft than technical mastery and good gear. In fact, one of the variables that can make the difference between a good portrait and a great one is the skill to pleasingly pose a model.

Here's a fun tutorial from photographer Jessica Whitaker with three easy ways to shoot more interesting portraits. Shot on location in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, Whitaker teams up with model Chelsea Miller to share tips, tricks and techniques for portrait photography.

The video portrait challenge where three photographers shoot the same model and then compare the results has been popularized by photographer Jessica Kobeissi on her excellent YouTube channel. Now photographer Sheldon Evans has gotten into the act and done his variation on this fun photography challenge, which you can see below.

We often turn to Los Angeles-based pro photographer Michael Sasser’s YouTube channel for gear tips including lens recommendations but in the below he offers something equally valuable: tips on how to pose your subjects for better boudoir images.

One of the key things that can make or break a portrait photo is body language. If the person who is posing for the photo is showing negative or awkward body language, your portrait will come out looking negative or awkward or worse: both.

The below video from Los Angeles-based boudoir photographer Michael Sasser is like two tutorials in one. In the first part of the video, Sasser offers three helpful tips on how to find great locations for outdoor photo shoots when you're traveling to a new area.

Believe it or not, but you don’t need a ton of gear or a ton of time to shoot a professional-quality photo portrait. Indeed, if you want to take your amateur-looking portraits to the next level, all you need is a few basic tips.