Want to Take a Stunning Portrait? Avoid These 6 Mistakes At All Costs

Guess what kind of photos get more likes on social media? Portraits and selfies, yes! But not all portraits turn out well – there are a couple of common mistakes we tend to make. Read on to discover 6 mistakes you should never repeat and find out how to fix them if you made them after all – try one of the handy tools we’ll introduce to you in this post. Now let’s get started.

Wrong angle 

The angle you choose is key to a successful portrait. Most of us have an asymmetrical face, which is absolutely okay, but it’s very important to ask your model what their favorite side is. Besides, the angle should suit the person’s facial features. For example, if the model has an unusual nose, you could take advantage of it and shoot them in a profile and make the model accept and love their nose, or alternatively, take a full face photo if they’re ashamed of it. 

Bad choice of location 

Whether you’re going to shoot outdoors or in a studio, in portrait photography, it’s important to choose the location in advance. It defines the atmosphere of the photo, lighting conditions, and even the model’s poses. Once you pick the location, you can check out photos from the location on the Internet to find some cool ideas or, in contrast, do something nobody else has done there before. This way, you’ll also be able to make a list of things you need to take with you, e.g., a tripod, backdrops, or perhaps a flask with tea. 

Irrelevant background 

This is one of the most common mistakes people make when shooting in a crowded place or in a boring location. What most photographers do in such situations is make the background blurry. But we recommend you fix it by slightly changing the angle or simply choosing a different location. 

Wrong time of the day

This mistake is common not only in portrait photography, but basically in any genre since the light conditions depend greatly on the time of the day. For instance, sunlight looks harsh in the afternoon, while photos taken at the golden hour look softer and have a dreamy effect. But the rules don’t always work the same way since it also depends on the season, so don’t hesitate to experiment a little to find the perfect time for your shots. 

Overexposed face 

It’s so tempting to conceal all skin imperfections by overexposing the portrait, isn’t it? However, the model ends up looking like a geisha which doesn’t look quite good. Instead, adjust such settings as Exposure or ISO to take a natural-looking portrait and retouch the skin later in post-production. 

Not experimenting enough 

There are photographers that seem to copy and paste the same poses and locations, only changing the person in the photo. Doesn’t sound like fun, right? Don’t be afraid of trying something new, unlock your creativity and experiment with different locations, models, styles, and colors. Some of your photos might look ridiculous, but some of your ideas might turn out truly brilliant. So go ahead and turn your ideas into reality. 

Already took lots of pictures and want to correct the mistakes? You can easily fix overexposed pictures, crop the photos, or replace the background with another, and most importantly, you don’t need to master any advanced photo editors like Adobe Photoshop to do that. Here are a few user-friendly programs for portrait retouching you should check out:

PhotoDiva is a powerful photo editor with an intuitive interface and a bunch of manual and AI tools for retouching. You can either apply ready-to-use enhancement options like Whiten teeth, Remove redness, Smooth skin, etc. or edit each facial feature on your own using sliders – you don’t have to waste your time selecting each area since PhotoDiva recognizes them automatically. The software also lets you apply makeup and reshape the model’s body in just a couple of clicks.

Makeup.Pho.to is a browser-based photo editor where you can add a new background, remove the red eye effect, smooth wrinkles, and more. The program lets you share the edited photo directly to your social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. However, you’ll need a stable internet connection to use this online service. 

AirBrush, a mobile photo editor for iOS and Android, will allow you to polish your portraits on the go. In this program, you can fix lighting, remove skin imperfections, add volume to the model’s hair, and more. But the app will take up quite a lot of space on your device, so make sure your phone has enough storage before you install it.

Now you know how to take professional-looking portraits that will surely wow your friends and family. We hope you find our tips useful and that the programs we showed you will help you effortlessly perfect your pictures. It’s time to see how everything works in practice – go and take stunning portraits today!