5 Composition Tips for Better Portraits

Composition sometimes falls by the wayside in portrait photography, but if you want to elevate your images to the next level, it is something you need to take into careful consideration with every shot. If you would like to improve your portrait compositions, check out this fantastic video tutorial that features five helpful tips from an experienced photographer. 

Coming to you from Julia Trotti, this great video tutorial will show you five tips for improving the compositions of your portrait photographs. One reason I think composition often gets a bit overlooked is because the shallow depth of field look is so wildly popular nowadays. With the ability to just blow the background to smithereens, it can be tempting to shoot every portrait with a wide-open aperture, but this can make your portraits a bit one-dimensional over time. One way to encourage yourself to make more complex compositions is to use a narrower aperture that forces you to consider the surrounding environment's appearance and its relationship to your subject. This might be a bit annoying at first, but you will develop a more complete compositional eye and your creative palette will expand. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Trotti. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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3 Comments

Tip 1. Hold the camera properly.

Julia is a successful photographer who takes perfectly decent photos so the way she holds her camera clearly isn’t a problem.

AF and rear camera live view have changed the traditional methods. Times and technology have evolved.