Probably the most popular kind of photography is portrait photography. Even the newbie picture taker with a one-time-use camera will probably find that many of the pictures they take are of people. It is pretty simple - we all want to remember those important people in our lives and pictures are a great way to do that. Portrait photography can also be a lucrative business, since everyone from students to brides to families want to get their pictures taken. Portrait photography can definatly be as simple or as advanced as you want make it, but with a little practice, the end result can be absolutly fabulous.
When you click the camera and actually take a picture of a person, it can either be formal or informal, depending on the look you want to present. The formal picture has the person looking directly at the camera, posed exactly for that purpose. When a model presents you with a head shot, this is a formal portrait. An informal picture is when a person is doing something else and does not know the photographer is capturing the moment. Many informal portraits are staged, but if you get the general sense that the photograph was taken without the subject matter's knowledge, it is considered as informal. Both formal and informal portraits can be amazingly beautiful so try to take a mix of both to see which one you like the best. Most photography studios shoot formal pictures, but informal can make great portraits for this purpose as well.
If you have decided to shoot portraits professionally, you will need a photo studio and some good equipment. The most important part of portrait shooting is the lighting as you will need to produce just the right skin tones and highlights with an exterior light to get the results you want. One badly placed shadow can make a person look much older or create some other negative effect in the picture. Remember, however, that lighting is not the only aspect of portrait photography. To be an honest portrait, you not only have to get all the technical aspects correct, but you also need to portray something emotionally about your subject. This is where the creative part of you as a photographer comes into the forefront.
Portrait photos can be a challenge, because many times you will have to work with subjects who don't particularly like their own appearance. Be understanding as it may be frustrating to delete good shots based on your subject's opinion, but if you run a business, it is ultimately their call. Show them some pictures in the middle of the shoot if possible and get feedback. You will learn this way what things about their body they don't like and be able to save time by avoiding this in future shots. Hopefully you will find portrait shooting fun and exciting and be willing to put some time into your work to make it stunning.
