People have been doing portrait photography since the invention of the camera. It usually focuses the face, or eyes, of a person or group of people that displays expression, mood and personality. Basically, the concept of portraiture is to capture the subject’s face in sharp focus while rendering the less important elements in the background in a soft focus.

If you happen to be one of those portraiture enthusiasts, make sure your work won’t drown in a sea of portraits in the photography niche. Here are some guidelines to make portraiture easier and make your work standout:

Find an Interesting Subject
The world is your playground. Ask a friend or wander about. The streets are full of interesting people who are willing to be photographed; the city has an array of different minimalist backgrounds to choose from. Lose yourself in the infinite choices the world has to offer. All you need to do is capture it through your camera lens.

Familiarize Yourself with Your Choice of Gear
Choosing the proper equipment–camera and lens, can make your life easier. Explore the camera settings and don’t be afraid to try out things beyond the portrait preset. Try different aperture f/stops and iso, also different shutter speed. You’ll be amazed at how simple changes have great impacts on your photos. Your lens can maximize your camera’s capacity. For example, you can opt to use focal lens which can give your subject more depth, or wide angle lens to create wide dramatic impact.

Keep it Simple
The subject should be the sole focus of your portrait, nothing else. The more complex the scene, the more likely you will draw the attention elsewhere. Keep your background uncluttered, it is the subject the viewers are after.

Experiment with Lighting
There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits. Lighting plays an important part in portraying mood, where side lighting can help, and depth, which back lighting insinuates. Use the light to make the viewers see your portrait in a different perspective. There is no end to what you can do with your portrait photography.Mix and match every option to come up different portraits every time you aim and shoot. Your next portraiture opportunity might be just around the corner.