Great portraits are a common goal for both novice and advanced photographers. While professional photographers may have more experience, they face the same challenges when it comes to planning their backgrounds, helping their subjects relax and avoiding stiff, boring portraits. Here's 3 Birds Demo's guide on how to take great portraits.

Plan a Simple Background

Great portraits are often taken in front of solid or subtly patterned backdrops, but they can also be effective in a more detailed setting. The most important thing to remember when choosing a background for a portrait is to keep it simple. An interesting background can add to the story of a great portrait, but it should never distract from your subject. For example, a portrait in front of a bookcase says something about the subject of the photo, but you do not want the bookcase to draw too much attention. In that situation, it may help to take the portrait with a shallow depth of field to keep the subject crisp and the bookcase slightly blurred.

Experiment with Lighting

When lighting a portrait, you can use natural light, studio lights, an on-board flash unit or some combination of all three. Experiment with the direction of the light source. Pay particular attention to where the shadows fall and how the light accentuates your subject’s features. Back lighting can create depth and interest in a portrait, but you will often need a fill flash or reflector to brighten your subject’s face.

Help Your Subject Relax

Posing for a portrait makes many people uncomfortable, which can lead to stiff, lackluster photos. Great portraits capture their subject’s personality and express a natural, effortless beauty. There are many approaches you can take to help your subject relax. Words of encouragement will do wonders to bolster your subject’s confidence. Offer compliments, tell jokes or strike up a conversation. Taking rapid-fire photos can also help you catch the relaxed moments between posing.

Be Willing to Break the Rules

There is something to be said for a classic head-and-shoulders portrait. Traditional compositions endure because they simply work. However, thinking outside of the box can lead to some truly great portraits. Try taking pictures while your subject is jumping up and down, dancing or playing with a prop. Instead of filling the frame, leave empty space to one side of your subject. Shoot from above or below your subject, or play with strategically placed shadows. By trying something new, you just might stumble onto some surprisingly great portraits.